1956 Des Moines Bruins Roster
Western League (WL) - Class: A
Team Record: 72-67
Finished 3rd in the WL
Manager: Lou Klein (72-67)
Affiliation: Chicago Cubs
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Ballpark: Sec Taylor Stadium I
Attendance: 67,973, Avg. 978
1956 Des Moines Bruins StatisticsTeam Record: 72-67
Finished 3rd in the WL
Manager: Lou Klein (72-67)
Affiliation: Chicago Cubs
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Ballpark: Sec Taylor Stadium I
Attendance: 67,973, Avg. 978
The Des Moines Bruins of the Western League ended the 1956 season with a record of 72 wins and 67 losses, finishing third in the WL.
The Bruins scored 781 runs and allowed 752 runs.
Lou Klein, John André, Buzz Clarkson, George Piktuzis, Eddie Haas, Freddie Burdette and Don Eaddy were all players from the 1956 Des Moines Bruins who played in the Majors during their careers.
Lou Klein served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John André | L | R | January 3, 1923 | 6'4" | 200 | Brockton, MA US |
| Freddie Burdette | R | R | September 15, 1936 | 6'1" | 170 | Moultrie, GA US |
| Buzz Clarkson | R | R | March 13, 1915 | 5'11" | 210 | Hopkins, SC US |
| Don Eaddy | R | R | February 16, 1934 | 5'11" | 165 | Grand Rapids, MI US |
| Blas Fernandez | R | 5'10" | 170 | |||
| Martin Garber | L | L | December 29, 1935 | 6'3" | 198 | Baltimore, MD US |
| Tom Guderian | R | R | October 14, 1933 | 6'2" | 185 | Portland, OR US |
| Eddie Haas | L | R | May 26, 1935 | 5'11" | 178 | Paducah, KY US |
| Joe Hinchman | L | L | March 19, 1930 | 6'0" | 185 | Emma, KY US |
| Paul Hoffmeister | R | R | December 23, 1928 | 6'4" | 215 | East Chicago, IL US |
| John Hricinak | R | R | August 29, 1931 | 6'0" | 175 | Clementon, PA US |
| Carl Johnson | R | R | October 18, 1933 | 6'3" | 190 | |
| Ernest Johnson | L | R | November 4, 1928 | 6'4" | 170 | Jackson, MS US |
| Lou Klein | R | R | October 22, 1918 | 5'11" | 167 | New Orleans, LA US |
| George Large | R | 6'0" | 175 | |||
| Tom LeGros | R | R | June 27, 1931 | 6'1" | 185 | Mobile, AL US |
| Daniel Lobitz | R | R | September 13, 1932 | 6'3" | 195 | Cincinnati, OH US |
| Bud McClure | L | L | July 23, 1931 | 6'1" | 195 | Troy, NY 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 | |
| Hal Meek | R | May 22, 1930 | 6'2" | 190 | LaSalle, IL US | |
| Jacques Monette | R | R | September 30, 1930 | 5'11" | 190 | Montreal, QC CA |
| Thomas Nerad | L | 5'10" | 185 | |||
| John Olczak | L | L | 5'8" | 170 | ||
| Ernest Pastornicky | R | R | June 2, 1932 | 6'0" | 178 | Perth Amboy, NJ US |
| George Piktuzis | R | L | January 3, 1932 | 6'2" | 200 | Chicago, IL US |
| Carl Reynolds | L | L | September 8, 1934 | 6'0" | 190 | |
| John Rieder | R | R | November 3, 1932 | 6'0" | 180 | Buffalo, MN US |
| Al Seeger | R | 6'0" | 175 | |||
| Gerald Sheehan | R | March 15, 1932 | 6'4" | 185 | ||
| Pete Spasoff | L | L | February 12, 1933 | 6'1" | 170 | Battle Creek, MI US |
| Gene Steiger | R | 6'0" | 190 | |||
| Ted Sterger | R | June 26, 1929 | 6'3" | 175 | San Francisco, CA US | |
| Dwight Stoddard | S | R | June 1, 1931 | 6'1" | 170 | Detroit, MI US |
| Don Swanson | L | L | July 17, 1932 | 6'1" | 170 | Arlington, MA US |
| Dick Tindall | R | December 1, 1932 | 6'2" | 225 | Trenton, NJ US | |
| Don Voigt | L | L | January 31, 1931 | 5'9" | 165 | Montgomery, IL US |
| Rube Walker | L | R | March 7, 1929 | 6'0" | 195 | Lenoir, NC US |
| Russell Wingo | R | R | 6'2" | 194 | ||
| David Wondra | L | R | April 11, 1934 | 6'0" | 185 | Campbellsport, WI 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.
