1954 Des Moines Bruins Roster
Team Record: 88-66
Finished 2nd in the WL
Manager: Les Peden (88-66)
Affiliation: Chicago Cubs
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Ballpark: Sec Taylor Stadium I
Attendance: 113,691, Avg. 1,477
Playoffs - Des Moines Bruins 3 games, Omaha Cardinals 1
Finals - Des Moines Bruins 3 games, Denver Bears 1
The Des Moines Bruins of the Western League ended the 1954 season with a record of 88 wins and 66 losses, finishing second in the WL.
The Bruins plated 726 runs and conceded 618 runs. Les Peden topped all qualifying hitters on the roster by connecting at a .310 clip. Don Elston led Des Moines with 17 wins, while Hy Cohen added 15 or more victories as well Hy Cohen earned a 1.88 ERA, tops among pitchers with enough qualifying appearances.
Players from the 1954 Des Moines Bruins who spent time in the Majors during their careers included Gene Fodge, Chris Kitsos, Hy Cohen, Bob Speake, El Tappe, Les Peden, Solly Drake, Casey Wise, Ed Winceniak, Vern Morgan, Don Elston, Jim Brosnan, Bruce Edwards, Leon Brinkopf and Dewey Adkins.
Les Peden served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dewey Adkins | R | R | May 11, 1918 | 6'2" | 195 | Norcatur, KS US |
| Ray Bauer | R | L | July 9, 1928 | 6'3" | 170 | Roosevelt, NY US |
| William Beery | L | L | February 1, 1931 | 5'10" | 165 | |
| Leon Brinkopf | R | R | October 20, 1926 | 5'11" | 185 | Cape Girardeau, MO US |
| Jim Brosnan | R | R | October 24, 1929 | 6'4" | 197 | Cincinnati, OH US |
| Pat Brosnan | R | R | February 9, 1932 | 6'3" | 205 | |
| Don Brown | R | August 21, 1930 | 6'1" | 185 | Buffalo, NY US | |
| Luther Burns | R | R | October 22, 1925 | 6'2" | 182 | |
| Hy Cohen | R | R | January 29, 1931 | 6'5" | 220 | Brooklyn, NY US |
| Dave Cunningham | R | R | December 3, 1929 | 6'0" | 175 | San Pedro, CA US |
| Solly Drake | S | R | October 23, 1930 | 6'0" | 170 | Little Rock, AR US |
| Bruce Edwards | R | R | July 15, 1923 | 5'8" | 180 | Quincy, IL US |
| Don Elston | R | R | April 6, 1929 | 6'0" | 165 | Campbellstown, OH US |
| Blas Fernandez | R | 5'10" | 170 | |||
| Gene Fodge | R | R | July 9, 1931 | 6'0" | 175 | South Bend, IN US |
| Ed Funai | R | R | 6'0" | 200 | ||
| Lewis Gisinger | R | R | 6'2" | 181 | ||
| Bob Hartig | R | R | September 22, 1930 | 6'1" | 190 | |
| Joe Hinchman | L | L | March 19, 1930 | 6'0" | 185 | Emma, KY US |
| Chris Kitsos | S | R | February 11, 1928 | 5'9" | 165 | New York, NY US |
| John Kreuter | L | L | June 4, 1934 | 6'0" | 190 | Metropolis, IL US |
| Joe Kuncl | R | R | June 6, 1927 | 6'1" | 170 | Prague, NE US |
| Don Lauters | R | R | January 12, 1931 | 5'6" | 160 | Sioux City, IA US |
| John Magliolo | L | 5'10" | 165 | |||
| Jimmie McDaniel | R | R | December 14, 1932 | 6'2" | 181 | Marshall, MO US |
| Hal Meek | R | May 22, 1930 | 6'2" | 190 | LaSalle, IL US | |
| Paul Menking | R | R | February 26, 1929 | 5'10" | 190 | Arlington, NE US |
| Grant Mitchell | R | R | November 29, 1933 | 6'2" | 175 | San Jose, CA US |
| Vern Morgan | L | R | August 8, 1928 | 6'1" | 190 | Emporia, VA US |
| Hank Nasternak | R | December 14, 1922 | 6'0" | 175 | Buffalo, NY US | |
| Samuel Nunn | R | R | September 20, 1934 | 6'4" | 195 | Los Angeles, CA US |
| John Olczak | L | L | 5'8" | 170 | ||
| Les Peden | R | R | September 17, 1923 | 6'1" | 212 | Azle, TX US |
| James Reiter | R | 6'1" | 175 | |||
| Bob Speake | L | L | August 22, 1930 | 6'1" | 178 | Springfield, MO US |
| El Tappe | R | R | May 21, 1927 | 5'11" | 180 | Quincy, IL US |
| Burdette Thurlby | L | September 22, 1928 | 6'2" | 190 | Kirkland, IL US | |
| Don Watkins | R | R | September 12, 1924 | 6'0" | 180 | Nokomis, IL US |
| Ed Winceniak | R | R | April 16, 1929 | 5'9" | 165 | Chicago, IL US |
| Casey Wise | S | R | September 8, 1932 | 6'0" | 170 | Lafayette, IN 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.
