1956 Decatur Commodores Roster
Team Record: 62-64
Finished 5th in the MWL
Manager: Al Unser (62-64)
Affiliation: St. Louis Cardinals
Location: Decatur, Illinois
Ballpark: Fans Field
Attendance: 64,263, Avg. 1,020
The Decatur Commodores of the Midwest League ended the 1956 season with a record of 62 wins and 64 losses, finishing fifth in the MWL.
The Commodores surrendered 663 runs, least in the league. Decatur tallied 699 runs. Lindon Duncan led hitters with significant playing time by connecting at a .349 clip. Fran Thomas topped the squad with 12 wins, while Richard Hicks recorded a 2.27 ERA, leading qualifying pitchers.
Players from the 1956 Decatur Commodores who spent time in Major League Baseball during their careers included Al Unser, Duke Carmel, Chris Cannizzaro and Jimmie Schaffer.
Al Unser served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan Bell | R | R | ||||
| Dale Bithell | R | R | April 22, 1933 | 6'1" | 165 | Salt Lake City, UT US |
| James Butler | R | |||||
| Chris Cannizzaro | R | R | May 3, 1938 | 6'0" | 190 | Oakland, CA US |
| Duke Carmel | L | L | April 23, 1937 | 6'3" | 202 | New York, NY US |
| Jack Chinchar | R | R | September 8, 1933 | 6'1" | 170 | |
| Larry Cunningham | L | L | November 26, 1932 | 5'10" | 170 | |
| John DeSousa | R | R | 6'2" | 179 | ||
| Donald Drake | R | R | ||||
| Lindon Duncan | L | R | 6'2" | 170 | ||
| Robert Foreman | R | L | 6'4" | 210 | ||
| Dick Ghelfi | R | R | August 24, 1934 | 6'3" | 200 | |
| Gary Groce | R | R | April 27, 1936 | 6'0" | 190 | |
| Frank Hartman | R | R | 5'11" | 170 | ||
| Richard Hicks | L | L | March 20, 1936 | 6'4" | 190 | |
| Charles Howard | L | R | 6'2" | 198 | ||
| Tom Langan | R | L | January 16, 1934 | 6'3" | 198 | |
| Harry Melia | R | R | September 9, 1932 | 6'1" | 180 | |
| Bill Miller | R | R | March 26, 1935 | 6'0" | 190 | New Orleans, LA US |
| Ronald Miller | R | R | 6'1" | 190 | ||
| Hubert Phipps | R | R | 6'4" | 180 | ||
| Patrick Quinlan | L | L | 5'9" | 125 | ||
| Jimmie Schaffer | R | R | April 5, 1936 | 5'9" | 170 | Limeport, PA US |
| Ronald Schmitt | R | R | 6'2" | 175 | ||
| Ed Schneider | R | R | September 17, 1935 | 6'0" | 180 | |
| Louis Sepe | R | October 1, 1933 | ||||
| Peter Shultis | L | L | 6'2" | 175 | ||
| James Teller | L | L | 6'1" | 197 | ||
| Fran Thomas | R | R | April 5, 1935 | 6'5" | 190 | Fairbury, IL US |
| Al Unser | R | R | October 12, 1912 | 6'1" | 175 | Morrisonville, IL US |
| Robert Whitekiller | R | R | 6'0" | 185 |
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.
