1961 Fort Walton Beach Jets Roster
Team Record: 61-55
Finished 3rd in the AAL
Manager: Vern Morgan (61-55)
Affiliation: Minnesota Twins
Location: Fort Walton Beach, Florida
Ballpark: Municipal Stadium
Attendance: 15,603, Avg. 269
The Fort Walton Beach Jets of the Alabama-Florida League ended the 1961 season with a record of 61 wins and 55 losses, finishing third in the AAL.
The Jets led the circuit with 717 runs, spearheaded by 89 home runs. Fort Walton Beach allowed 670 runs. Pedro Fernandez paced the team with 20 home runs, while Carlos Pascual and Carmelo Mesa walloped 15 or more, too. Alf Sommerstad accounted for 83 RBI and topped hitters with significant playing time with a .337 average. Joseph Bolinsky paced the squad with 12 wins, and Edilio Oliva recorded a 2.53 ERA, leading regularly-used pitchers.
Members of the 1961 Fort Walton Beach Jets who played in Major League Baseball during their careers were Carlos Pascual, Fred Lasher and Vern Morgan.
Vern Morgan served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inael Alarcon | R | R | 6'0" | 170 | ||
| Eloy Allen | R | R | September 19, 1940 | 5'10" | 170 | |
| Joseph Bolinsky | L | L | October 31, 1942 | 6'2" | 178 | |
| Raymond Buck | R | R | January 11, 1941 | 6'2" | 180 | |
| Dick DeLamielleure | L | L | 6'1" | 190 | ||
| John Erickson | R | R | May 17, 1938 | 6'0" | 180 | |
| Pedro Fernandez | R | R | May 4, 1941 | 6'0" | 178 | |
| Jorge Garcia | R | R | April 23, 1940 | 5'11" | 155 | |
| William Gelzheiser | R | R | June 2, 1940 | 6'1" | 171 | |
| Alberto Gonzalez | R | R | October 4, 1940 | 5'8" | 180 | |
| Joy Gritts | R | R | 6'0" | 195 | ||
| Jim Hock | R | R | March 2, 1938 | 6'1" | 170 | Northville, MI US |
| Charles Kirk | R | R | September 19, 1939 | 6'1" | 200 | |
| Tom Kopp | R | R | September 18, 1938 | 5'11" | 185 | Waterbury, CT US |
| Fred Lasher | R | R | August 19, 1941 | 6'3" | 190 | Poughkeepsie, NY US |
| Jose Licor | L | L | 5'11" | 190 | ||
| Carlos Mendez | L | L | 6'0" | 160 | ||
| Carmelo Mesa | R | R | 5'10" | 160 | ||
| George Miller | R | R | January 10, 1940 | 5'10" | 180 | Philadelphia, PA US |
| Vern Morgan | L | R | August 8, 1928 | 6'1" | 190 | Emporia, VA US |
| Edilio Oliva | R | R | June 3, 1939 | 6'1" | 185 | Central Portugalete, Havana CU |
| Edward Onorato | L | R | 6'0" | 195 | ||
| Raul Oro | R | R | 6'1" | 168 | ||
| Carlos Pascual | R | R | March 13, 1931 | 5'6" | 165 | La Habana, La Habana CU |
| Pedro Perez | R | R | 6'0" | 165 | ||
| Dave Roman | R | R | August 25, 1939 | 5'11" | 180 | Wausau, WI US |
| Alf Sommerstad | L | L | April 21, 1938 | 6'2" | 185 | Brooklyn, NY 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.
