1954 Burlington-Graham Pirates Roster
Team Record: 82-56
Finished 2nd in the CL
Manager: Stan Wentzel (82-56)
Affiliation: Pittsburgh Pirates
Location: Burlington, North Carolina; Graham, North Carolina
Ballpark: Graham Athletic Park
Attendance: 59,923, Avg. 868
Playoffs - Burlington-Graham Pirates 3 games, Greensboro Patriots 2
Finals - Fayetteville Highlanders 4 games, Burlington-Graham Pirates 1
The Burlington-Graham Pirates of the Carolina League ended the 1954 season with a record of 82 wins and 56 losses, finishing second in the CL.
The Pirates topped the league with 753 runs. Burlington-Graham allowed 621 runs. R C Stevens led the team with 25 home runs, while Stan Wentzel and Pete Naton walloped 15 or more also. R C Stevens drove in 115 runs. Gene Hassell paced all qualifying hitters on the roster by hitting .337. Don Schultz and Harry Gilbert paced the squad with 17 wins each, and Benny Malcolm added 15 or more wins, too Don Schultz recorded a 2.95 ERA, best among pitchers with enough qualifying appearances.
Players from the 1954 Burlington-Graham Pirates who spent time in the Majors during their careers included Joe Trimble, Stan Wentzel, R C Stevens, Bill Koski, Pete Naton and Brandy Davis.
Stan Wentzel served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Barker | L | 6'0" | 160 | |||
| Joseph Burgess | L | June 11, 1930 | 6'1" | 194 | ||
| Herbert Bush | L | November 10, 1927 | 6'0" | 180 | ||
| Lloyd Carden | R | L | April 12, 1930 | 6'3" | 195 | Manchester, TN US |
| Bill Cayavec | R | 5'9" | 175 | |||
| Gene Corso | R | R | March 29, 1932 | 6'2" | 200 | |
| Brandy Davis | R | R | September 10, 1927 | 6'0" | 170 | Newark, DE US |
| Bob Drefs | R | L | May 28, 1929 | 6'2" | 195 | |
| Harry Gilbert | R | R | 6'2" | 210 | ||
| Gene Hassell | L | R | June 15, 1928 | 5'8" | 155 | Rivermines, MO US |
| George Hott | L | 6'3" | 195 | |||
| David Jacobs | R | R | 6'2" | 180 | ||
| William Jacobs | L | L | 6'0" | 178 | ||
| John Konek | R | 6'1" | 200 | |||
| Bill Koski | R | R | February 6, 1932 | 6'4" | 185 | Madera, CA US |
| Larry Lassalle | R | L | March 18, 1930 | 5'10" | 188 | New Orleans, LA US |
| Haig Lavery | L | R | April 10, 1931 | 6'1" | 180 | Toronto, ON CA |
| Benny Malcolm | R | R | January 23, 1934 | 6'2" | 200 | |
| Jack McKeon | R | R | November 23, 1930 | 5'8" | 195 | South Amboy, NJ US |
| John Meyers | R | 6'0" | 180 | |||
| John Moriskiewicz | R | February 26, 1928 | 5'10" | 170 | Ludlow, MA US | |
| Pete Naton | R | R | September 9, 1931 | 6'1" | 200 | Flushing, NY US |
| Peter Nicolis | L | L | April 15, 1930 | 5'11" | 190 | |
| Jim Nisewonger | R | R | November 15, 1934 | 6'1" | 190 | |
| Andy Olsen | L | L | November 30, 1930 | 6'1" | 195 | Brooklyn, NY US |
| Otoniel Ortiz | R | 5'11" | 170 | |||
| John Richardson | R | May 14, 1931 | 5'8" | 165 | ||
| Raymond Rogalsky | R | R | 6'0" | 182 | ||
| Don Schultz | L | R | July 22, 1929 | 6'3" | 185 | Rockford, IL US |
| R C Stevens | R | L | July 22, 1934 | 6'5" | 219 | Moultrie, GA US |
| Joe Trimble | R | R | October 12, 1930 | 6'1" | 190 | Providence, RI US |
| Bill Urbanski | L | May 22, 1931 | 5'11" | 165 | ||
| Stan Wentzel | R | R | January 13, 1917 | 6'1" | 200 | Lorane, PA US |
| Alan Wilson | R | R | 6'0" | 170 | ||
| Bill Wiltrout | R | January 12, 1929 | 5'10" | 185 | Bitner, PA 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.
