# 1956 South Atlantic League season

The 1956 South Atlantic League was a Class A baseball season played between April 17 and September 5. Eight teams played a 140-game schedule, with the top four teams qualifying for the playoffs.
The Jacksonville Braves won the South Atlantic League championship, defeating the Columbus Foxes in the final round of the playoffs.

## Team changes

* The Columbia Reds ended their affiliation with the Cincinnati Redlegs and began a new affiliation with the Kansas City Athletics. The club was renamed to the Columbia Gems.
* The Columbus Cardinals ended their affiliation with the St. Louis Cardinals and began a new affiliation with the Baltimore Orioles. The club was renamed to the Columbus Foxes.
* The Macon Peaches ended their affiliation with the Chicago Cubs and began a new affiliation with the Brooklyn Dodgers. The club was renamed to the Macon Dodgers.
* The Montgomery Rebels ended their affiliation with the Boston Red Sox and began a new affiliation with the Cleveland Indians.
* The Savannah Athletics ended their affiliation with the Kansas City Athletics and began a new affiliation with the Cincinnati Redlegs. The club was renamed to the Savannah Redlegs.

## Teams

1956 South Atlantic League :
| Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| Augusta Tigers | Augusta, Georgia | Detroit Tigers | Jennings Stadium |
| Charlotte Hornets | Charlotte, North Carolina | Washington Senators | Clark Griffith Park |
| Columbia Gems | Columbia, South Carolina | Kansas City Athletics | Capital City Stadium |
| Columbus Foxes | Columbus, Georgia | Baltimore Orioles | Golden Park |
| Jacksonville Braves | Jacksonville, Florida | Milwaukee Braves | Jacksonville Baseball Park |
| Macon Dodgers | Macon, Georgia | Brooklyn Dodgers | Luther Williams Field |
| Montgomery Rebels Knoxville Smokies | Montgomery, Alabama Knoxville, Tennessee | Cleveland Indians | Municipal Field Knoxville Municipal Stadium |
| Savannah Redlegs | Savannah, Georgia | Cincinnati Redlegs | Grayson Stadium |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Jacksonville Braves finish the season with the best record for the first time since 1954.
* On June 18, the Montgomery Rebels relocated to Knoxville, Tennessee and were renamed to the Knoxville Smokies.

### Standings

South Atlantic League :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Jacksonville Braves | 87 | 53 | .621 | – |
| Columbus Foxes | 79 | 61 | .564 | 8 |
| Charlotte Hornets | 79 | 61 | .564 | 8 |
| Augusta Tigers | 74 | 66 | .529 | 13 |
| Columbia Gems | 64 | 76 | .457 | 23 |
| Macon Dodgers | 64 | 76 | .457 | 23 |
| Savannah Redlegs | 60 | 80 | .429 | 27 |
| Montgomery Rebels / Knoxville Smokies | 53 | 87 | .379 | 34 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Lenny Green, Columbus Foxes | .318 |
| H | Joseph Pahr, Columbia Gems | 159 |
| R | Lenny Green, Columbus Foxes | 92 |
| 2B | Hank Moreno, Columbus Foxes Joseph Pahr, Columbia Gems | 28 |
| 3B | Danny Morejón, Savannah Redlegs | 14 |
| HR | Ed Barbarito, Jacksonville Braves | 27 |
| RBI | Ed Barbarito, Jacksonville Braves | 99 |
| SB | Danny Morejón, Savannah Redlegs | 18 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Juan Pizarro, Jacksonville Braves | 23 |
| ERA | John Tsitouris, Augusta Tigers | 1.51 |
| CG | Juan Pizarro, Jacksonville Braves | 27 |
| SHO | George Barker, Macon Dodgers Evelio Hernández, Charlotte Hornets Juan Pizarro, Jacksonville Braves | 6 |
| IP | Juan Pizarro, Jacksonville Braves | 274.0 |
| SO | Juan Pizarro, Jacksonville Braves | 318 |

## Playoffs

* The Jacksonville Braves won their first South Atlantic League championship, defeating the Columbus Foxes in two games.

### Playoff bracket

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| 1 | Jacksonville | 1 | | | |
| 3 | Charlotte | 0 | | | |
| 3 | Charlotte | 0 | 1 | Jacksonville | 2 |
| | | | 2 | Columbus | 0 |
| 2 | Columbus | 1 | 2 | Columbus | 0 |
| 4 | Augusta | 0 | | | |