1955 Des Moines Bruins Roster
Team Record: 77-74
Finished 4th in the WL
Manager: Les Peden (0-0), Burdette Thurlby (0-0), Pepper Martin (0-0)
Affiliation: Chicago Cubs
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Ballpark: Sec Taylor Stadium I
Attendance: 88,181, Avg. 1,168
Playoffs - Wichita Indians 1 game, Des Moines Bruins 0 - One-game playoff for third place.
Playoffs - Des Moines Bruins 3 games, Colorado Springs Sky Sox 1
Finals - Wichita Indians 3 games, Des Moines Bruins 0
The Des Moines Bruins of the Western League ended the 1955 season with a record of 77 wins and 74 losses, finishing fourth in the WL.
The Bruins paced the circuit with just 708 runs allowed. Des Moines scored 723 runs.
Members of the 1955 Des Moines Bruins who played in Major League Baseball during their careers were Vern Morgan, Bob Anderson, Dick Drott, Les Peden, Eddie Haas, Bob Thorpe, Casey Wise, Al Lary, Don Robertson, Johnny Pramesa, Joe Stanka, Gene Fodge and Don Eaddy.
Les Peden, Burdette Thurlby and Pepper Martin served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Anderson | R | R | September 29, 1935 | 6'4" | 210 | East Chicago, IN US |
| Walter Babcock | R | R | 6'1" | 180 | ||
| Ray Bellino | R | R | December 3, 1932 | 6'0" | 175 | Jersey City, NJ US |
| Frank Bernardi | R | L | June 17, 1933 | 5'9" | 175 | Highland Park, IL US |
| Donald Biebel | R | R | June 13, 1932 | 5'10" | 190 | |
| Bobby Cooke | R | 5'10" | 175 | |||
| Dave Cunningham | R | R | December 3, 1929 | 6'0" | 175 | San Pedro, CA US |
| Dick Drott | R | R | July 1, 1936 | 6'0" | 185 | Cincinnati, OH US |
| Don Eaddy | R | R | February 16, 1934 | 5'11" | 165 | Grand Rapids, MI US |
| Umberto Flammini | L | L | March 3, 1928 | 5'10" | 165 | |
| Gene Fodge | R | R | July 9, 1931 | 6'0" | 175 | South Bend, IN US |
| Russ Gragg | L | R | 6'1" | 175 | ||
| Eddie Haas | L | R | May 26, 1935 | 5'11" | 178 | Paducah, KY US |
| Paul Hoffmeister | R | R | December 23, 1928 | 6'4" | 215 | East Chicago, IL US |
| John Kreuter | L | L | June 4, 1934 | 6'0" | 190 | Metropolis, IL US |
| Al Lary | R | R | September 26, 1928 | 6'3" | 185 | Northport, AL US |
| Don Lauters | R | R | January 12, 1931 | 5'6" | 160 | Sioux City, IA US |
| Jimmie McDaniel | R | R | December 14, 1932 | 6'2" | 181 | Marshall, MO US |
| Bob McKee | R | August 31, 1932 | 5'11" | 170 | Davenport, IA US | |
| Paul Menking | R | R | February 26, 1929 | 5'10" | 190 | Arlington, NE US |
| Wes Moore | R | R | February 1, 1934 | 6'2" | 180 | Santa Monica, CA US |
| Vern Morgan | L | R | August 8, 1928 | 6'1" | 190 | Emporia, VA US |
| Samuel Nunn | R | R | September 20, 1934 | 6'4" | 195 | Los Angeles, CA US |
| John Olczak | L | L | 5'8" | 170 | ||
| Joseph Pearson | L | 6'0" | 187 | |||
| Les Peden | R | R | September 17, 1923 | 6'1" | 212 | Azle, TX US |
| Johnny Pramesa | R | R | August 28, 1925 | 6'2" | 210 | Barton, OH US |
| Guy Reese | L | L | December 28, 1932 | 6'0" | 175 | |
| Bob Rivich | R | R | September 12, 1931 | 5'11" | 184 | East Chicago, IN US |
| Don Robertson | L | L | October 15, 1930 | 5'10" | 180 | Harvey, IL US |
| Joe Stanka | R | R | July 23, 1931 | 6'6" | 201 | Hammon, OK US |
| Dwight Stoddard | S | R | June 1, 1931 | 6'1" | 170 | Detroit, MI US |
| Bob Thorpe | R | R | June 12, 1935 | 6'1" | 170 | San Diego, CA US |
| Burdette Thurlby | L | September 22, 1928 | 6'2" | 190 | Kirkland, IL US | |
| Dick Tindall | R | December 1, 1932 | 6'2" | 225 | Trenton, NJ US | |
| Don Watkins | R | R | September 12, 1924 | 6'0" | 180 | Nokomis, 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.
