One of the benefits for Athletics fans in the Central Valley is they can see future players coming up through the minor leagues right in San Joaquin County.

The Stockton Ports are a Minor League Baseball team, a Single-A affiliate with the A’s. The Ports are members of the California League.

This year’s team, entering the middle of May, has a record of 15-15 for third place in the California League North Division in the MiLB, short for Minor League Baseball. The California League was established in 1941.

The Ports have been playing their home games at Banner Island Ballpark since 2005 when the stadium opened its doors. The stadium has 4,200 fixed seats and can accommodate 5,200 fans.

Darryl Kennedy serves as the manager of the Ports. Kennedy has three players who are batting over .300 as of early May; shortstop Ali Camarillo at .346, catcher Logan Sauve at .324 and another catcher in Owen Carapellotti at .302. Carapellotti leads the Ports in home runs with seven.

On the mound, pitchers Sam Stuhr and Jay Dill each have a record of 3-0 for the Ports.

Roberto Urdaneta leads the Ports in strikeouts with 15. Jackson Phipps and Alex Barr each have struck out 12 batters and teammates Richard Fernandez and Felix Castro follow at 11 each.

A little bit of history on the Ports.

They were known as the Flyers in 1941. The Flyers were charter members of the California League.

The Flyers, however, did not play in 1942 due to World War II. But the team rechristened as the Ports in 1946 after the team resumed action after the United States won the war.

From 2000 to 2001, in homage to the team in the Ernest Thayer poem, the Ports were renamed the Mudville Nine. But the team returned to the name Ports entering the 2002 season.

There have been famous MLB players, coaches and managers who have been a part of the Ports’ enriched history dating back to the 1960s. They are Joe Altobelli, in 1969, who would later become the manager of the Baltimore Orioles who won the 1983 World Series.

Other recognizable names are Don Baylor, 1968 All-Star who would later become the 1995 National League Manager of the Year, running the Colorado Rockies; Dave Henderson in 1978 and had a lengthy career that included stops with the Boston Red Sox, Oakland A’s, San Francisco Giants and the New York Yankees; Coco Crisp, who was the 2011 American League stolen base champion; and Sonny Gray (2017), who was a three-time MLB All-Star.

Henderson, who died of a heart attack in 2015, was born in Merced and grew up in Dos Palos where he played baseball and football.

For upcoming home games, ticket prices and more, visit www.mlb.com/milb/stockton.