1979 Cedar Rapids Giants Roster
Team Record: 58-78
Finished 3rd in the MWL's South Division
Manager: Wayne Cato (58-78)
Affiliation: San Francisco Giants
Location: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Ballpark: Veterans Memorial Stadium
Attendance: 73,206, Avg. 1,077
The Cedar Rapids Giants of the Midwest League ended the 1979 season with a record of 58 wins and 78 losses, finishing third in the league's South Division.
The Giants tallied 619 runs and conceded 737 runs. John Rabb paced Cedar Rapids with 19 home runs and recorded 90 runs batted in. Mark Benson led all qualifying hitters on the roster by connecting at a .294 clip. Matthew Sutherland topped the squad with 13 wins and a team-best 3.4 ERA, leading pitchers with enough qualifying appearances.
Members of the 1979 Cedar Rapids Giants who played in Major League Baseball during their careers were Rob Deer, John Rabb and Jeff Stember.
Wayne Cato served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kelly Anderson | R | R | August 18, 1959 | 6'1" | 170 | Richmond, CA US |
| Greg Baker | R | R | November 26, 1957 | 5'11" | 175 | Kokomo, IN US |
| William Bellomo | R | 6'4" | 205 | |||
| Mark Benson | R | R | 5'10" | 160 | ||
| Charles Boothe | R | R | 5'10" | 180 | ||
| Jose Chue | R | R | May 17, 1960 | 6'2" | 155 | Colon, Colon PA |
| Ray Cosio | R | R | 6'3" | 200 | ||
| Jesus Cruz | L | L | August 26, 1958 | 6'0" | 169 | |
| Bob Cummings | R | R | September 8, 1960 | 6'2" | 187 | Chicago, IL US |
| Charles Curry | R | R | 6'3" | 195 | ||
| Rob Deer | R | R | September 29, 1960 | 6'3" | 210 | Orange, CA US |
| Richard Doss | R | R | 6'1" | 185 | ||
| Steven Duckhorn | R | R | 6'0" | 170 | ||
| Glenn Fisher | R | R | August 30, 1956 | 6'1" | 195 | Canyonville, OR US |
| Craig Hedrick | L | R | 6'2" | 185 | ||
| Robert Henderson | S | R | 6'3" | 190 | ||
| Lou Marietta | R | R | December 29, 1958 | 6'0" | 185 | Ventura, CA US |
| Michael Martinez | L | September 24, 1957 | 5'10" | 165 | ||
| Ronald Matrisciano | R | R | September 17, 1957 | 6'3" | 195 | |
| Stanley Morton | L | L | 5'11" | 170 | ||
| Bruce Oliver | R | R | September 17, 1958 | 6'3" | 195 | |
| Juan Oppenheimer | R | R | July 20, 1959 | 6'2" | 185 | Santurce, PR |
| Paul Plinski | R | R | 5'8" | 165 | ||
| John Rabb | R | R | June 23, 1960 | 6'1" | 180 | Los Angeles, CA US |
| Ned Raines | R | R | 5'8" | 160 | ||
| Kean Rich | R | R | 6'0" | 180 | ||
| Francisco Rojas | L | L | May 4, 1958 | 5'11" | 185 | |
| Jeffrey Stadler | R | R | October 22, 1959 | 6'2" | 192 | |
| Jeff Stember | R | R | March 2, 1958 | 6'5" | 220 | Elizabeth, NJ US |
| Matthew Sutherland | L | L | August 22, 1958 | 6'1" | 180 | |
| Philip Sutton | R | R | October 4, 1958 | 5'11" | 165 | |
| Paul Szymarek | R | R | August 28, 1957 | 5'10" | 170 | |
| Frankie Thon | R | R | 5'11" | 165 | ||
| David Thornton | R | 6'1" | 170 | |||
| George Torassa | R | R | 6'0" | 187 | ||
| Harry Wing | R | 6'4" |
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.
