1981 Buffalo Bisons Roster
Team Record: 56-81
Finished 4th in the EL's North Division
Manager: Johnny Lipon (56-81)
Affiliation: Pittsburgh Pirates
Location: Buffalo, New York
Ballpark: War Memorial Stadium
Attendance: 83,464, Avg. 1,218
The Buffalo Bisons of the Eastern League ended the 1981 season with a record of 56 wins and 81 losses, finishing fourth in the league's North Division.
The Bisons plated 616 runs and gave up 709 runs, most in the circuit. Doug Frobel paced Buffalo with 28 home runs, while Tony Merulla, Tony Incaviglia, Bubba Holland and Eddie Vargas each walloped 15 or more, too. Eddie Vargas drove in 84 runs and topped all regular hitters by hitting .274. José DeLeón led the squad with 12 wins and a team-best 3.11 ERA, tops among pitchers with enough qualifying appearances.
Players from the 1981 Buffalo Bisons who spent time in Major League Baseball during their careers included Gary Hargis, Doug Frobel, Dan Warthen, Frank Riccelli, Cecilio Guante, José DeLeón, Jim Winn, Lee Tunnell, Eddie Vargas, Stew Cliburn, Stan Cliburn, Steve Farr, Rafael Vásquez and Jeff Zaske.
Johnny Lipon served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angel Barez | R | R | September 15, 1960 | 6'1" | 190 | |
| Jeronimo Blanco | R | R | 6'2" | 170 | ||
| Douglas Britt | R | L | November 2, 1957 | 6'4" | 190 | |
| Jose Calderon | L | L | April 18, 1956 | 6'3" | 185 | Bayamon, PR |
| Crucito Carvajal | R | 6'0" | 160 | |||
| Stan Cliburn | R | R | December 19, 1956 | 6'0" | 195 | Jackson, MS US |
| Stew Cliburn | R | R | December 19, 1956 | 6'0" | 195 | Jackson, MS US |
| Bienvenido DeLaRosa | L | L | 5'10" | 160 | ||
| José DeLeón | R | R | December 20, 1960 | 6'3" | 210 | Rancho Viejo, La Vega DO |
| Steve Farr | R | R | December 12, 1956 | 5'10" | 198 | Cheverly, MD US |
| Doug Frobel | L | R | June 6, 1959 | 6'4" | 196 | Ottawa, ON CA |
| Cecilio Guante | R | R | February 1, 1960 | 6'3" | 200 | Villa Mella, Santo Domingo DO |
| Pete Hamner | R | R | 6'3" | 185 | ||
| Gary Hargis | R | R | November 2, 1956 | 5'11" | 165 | Minneapolis, MN US |
| Bubba Holland | R | R | September 14, 1958 | 6'1" | 195 | Florence, SC US |
| Tony Incaviglia | R | R | 6'0" | 190 | ||
| John Macauley | S | R | 5'11" | 164 | ||
| Tony Merulla | L | R | September 16, 1959 | 6'0" | 195 | |
| Bobby Miscik | R | R | May 16, 1958 | 6'0" | 180 | |
| Mike Quade | R | R | March 12, 1957 | 6'0" | 182 | Evanston, IL US |
| Frank Riccelli | L | L | February 24, 1953 | 6'3" | 205 | Syracuse, NY US |
| Carlos Rios | R | R | June 13, 1960 | 6'1" | 168 | Santurce, PR |
| Robert Rock | R | R | 5'11" | 175 | ||
| Jose Rodriguez | R | R | February 25, 1959 | 6'2" | 170 | |
| Terrell Salazar | R | R | 6'1" | 190 | ||
| Johnny Taylor | R | L | July 19, 1958 | 5'11" | 195 | Decherd, TN US |
| Keith Thibodeaux | R | 6'0" | 183 | |||
| Lee Tunnell | R | R | October 30, 1960 | 6'1" | 180 | Tyler, TX US |
| Eddie Vargas | R | R | February 23, 1959 | 6'4" | 205 | Guanica, PR |
| Rafael Vásquez | R | R | June 28, 1958 | 6'0" | 160 | La Romana, La Romana DO |
| William Waag | R | R | 6'1" | 183 | ||
| Dan Warthen | S | L | December 1, 1952 | 6'0" | 200 | Omaha, NE US |
| Ben Wiltbank | R | R | March 13, 1956 | 6'1" | 190 | Lewes, DE US |
| Jim Winn | R | R | September 23, 1959 | 6'3" | 210 | Stockton, CA US |
| Jeff Zaske | R | R | October 6, 1960 | 6'5" | 180 | Seattle, WA US |
Average attendance is based upon the number of actual home dates where known (most leagues from 1992 and later). Where the number of home dates is not known, the average is calculated using half the team's total games.
