1953 Elmira Pioneers Roster
Team Record: 70-80
Finished 5th in the EL
Manager: Al Brancato (70-80)
Affiliation: Brooklyn Dodgers
Location: Elmira, New York
Ballpark: Dunn Field
Attendance: 59,918, Avg. 799
The Elmira Pioneers of the Eastern League ended the 1953 season with a record of 70 wins and 80 losses, finishing fifth in the EL.
The Pioneers scored 591 runs and allowed 611 runs. Gabe Gabler led Elmira with 22 home runs and drove in 100 runs. Jimmy Williams paced hitters with significant playing time by hitting .312. Ernest Nichols topped the team with 14 wins and a team-best 2.55 earned run average, best among hurlers with significant time on the mound.
Rudy Rufer, Art Ceccarelli, Karl Spooner, Gabe Gabler, Clyde McNeal, Tom Kirk and Al Brancato were all players from the 1953 Elmira Pioneers who played in the Majors during their careers.
Al Brancato served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Bielemeier | R | R | June 26, 1927 | 6'0" | 200 | Mount Angel, OR US |
| Tom Bigham | R | R | September 11, 1932 | 6'2" | 175 | Union County, NC US |
| Al Brancato | R | R | May 29, 1919 | 5'9" | 188 | Philadelphia, PA US |
| Walt Bryja | R | R | February 15, 1933 | 6'3" | 190 | |
| Art Ceccarelli | R | L | April 2, 1930 | 6'0" | 190 | New Haven, CT US |
| Bobby Dolan | R | R | December 8, 1930 | 5'10" | 165 | Evansville, IA US |
| Arthur Fabbro | R | R | 6'0" | 185 | ||
| Fred Folkes | S | R | August 29, 1928 | 5'10" | 147 | |
| Henry Franklin | R | R | 6'1" | 170 | ||
| Gabe Gabler | L | R | August 4, 1930 | 6'1" | 190 | St. Louis, MO US |
| William Gill | R | 6'1" | 165 | |||
| Douglas Gostlin | R | R | 6'0" | 170 | ||
| Walt Jasinski | R | R | October 24, 1929 | 6'0" | 200 | Hollis, NY US |
| Tom Kirk | L | L | September 27, 1927 | 5'10" | 182 | Philadelphia, PA US |
| Joe Kwiatkowski | R | 5'10" | 170 | |||
| Mike Lemish | R | R | July 27, 1926 | 5'9" | 195 | Fort Wayne, IN US |
| Ellwood May | R | R | September 24, 1925 | 5'11" | 174 | |
| Clyde McNeal | R | R | December 15, 1928 | 6'0" | 185 | San Antonio, TX US |
| Eddie Moore | R | R | September 21, 1929 | 6'1" | 195 | Fort Worth, TX US |
| Ernest Nichols | R | R | December 7, 1930 | 6'2" | 195 | |
| Herb Olson | L | R | November 20, 1930 | 6'1" | 190 | Wenatchee, WA US |
| Rudy Rufer | R | R | October 28, 1926 | 6'0" | 165 | Ridgewood, NY US |
| Karl Spooner | R | L | June 23, 1931 | 6'0" | 185 | Oriskany Falls, NY US |
| Fred Storck | L | L | March 17, 1928 | 5'10" | 170 | |
| Robert Wegner | L | L | 6'7" | 230 | ||
| Jimmy Williams | R | R | May 25, 1926 | 5'10" | 180 | Toronto, ON CA |
| Johnny Williams | R | R | 6'2" | 208 | Shreveport, LA US | |
| Charles Work | R | R | August 15, 1933 | 6'1" | 175 | |
| Kenneth Worley | R | R | July 11, 1930 | 5'10" | 180 | |
| Edward Yasinski | R | R | 5'11" | 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.
