1979 Iowa Oaks Roster
Team Record: 69-67
Finished 3rd in the AA's East Division
Manager: Tony LaRussa (0-0), Joe Sparks (0-0)
Affiliation: Chicago White Sox
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Ballpark: Sec Taylor Stadium I
Attendance: 136,138, Avg. 2,002
The Iowa Oaks of the American Association ended the 1979 season with a record of 69 wins and 67 losses, finishing third in the league's East Division.
The Oaks scored 681 runs and yielded 686 runs. Harold Baines led Iowa with 22 home runs, while Rusty Kuntz and Henry Cruz walloped 15 or more also. Bob Molinaro drove in 93 runs and topped all regular hitters by connecting at a .328 clip. Dewey Robinson paced the squad with 13 wins, and John Sutton recorded a 4.77 ERA, best among pitchers with enough qualifying appearances.
Members of the 1979 Iowa Oaks who played in Major League Baseball during their careers were Rusty Kuntz, LaMarr Hoyt, Britt Burns, Thad Bosley, Nardi Contreras, Art Kusnyer, Marv Foley, Juan Bernhardt, Henry Cruz, Harry Chappas, Joe Gates, Rich Hinton, Bart Johnson, Mike Pazik, Dewey Robinson, Gil Rondón, Mike Colbern, Art James, Bill Moran, Bob Molinaro, John Sutton, Guy Hoffman, Lloyd Allen, Steve Trout, Chris Nyman, Harold Baines, Gary Holle, Mark Esser, Rich Barnes, Pablo Torrealba, Kevin Bell and Fred Howard.
Tony LaRussa and Joe Sparks served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lloyd Allen | R | R | May 8, 1950 | 6'1" | 185 | Merced, CA US |
| Harold Baines | L | L | March 15, 1959 | 6'2" | 175 | Easton, MD US |
| Rich Barnes | R | L | July 21, 1959 | 6'4" | 186 | Palm Beach, FL US |
| Kevin Bell | R | R | July 13, 1955 | 6'0" | 195 | Los Angeles, CA US |
| Juan Bernhardt | R | R | August 31, 1953 | 5'11" | 160 | San Pedro de Macoris, San Pedro de Macoris DO |
| Thad Bosley | L | L | September 17, 1956 | 6'3" | 175 | Oceanside, CA US |
| Britt Burns | L | L | June 8, 1959 | 6'5" | 215 | Houston, TX US |
| Harry Chappas | S | R | October 26, 1957 | 5'7" | 150 | Mount Rainier, MD US |
| Mike Colbern | R | R | April 19, 1955 | 6'3" | 205 | Santa Monica, CA US |
| Nardi Contreras | S | R | September 19, 1951 | 6'2" | 193 | Tampa, FL US |
| Henry Cruz | L | L | February 27, 1952 | 6'0" | 175 | Christiansted, St. Croix VI |
| Bobby Douglass | L | June 22, 1947 | 6'5" | 228 | ||
| Mark Esser | R | L | April 1, 1956 | 6'1" | 190 | Erie, PA US |
| Curt Etchandy | R | R | September 23, 1956 | 5'11" | 180 | |
| Randall Evans | R | 6'0" | 185 | |||
| Marv Foley | L | R | August 29, 1953 | 6'0" | 195 | Stanford, KY US |
| Fred Frazier | R | R | May 11, 1951 | 5'9" | 155 | |
| Joe Gates | L | R | October 3, 1954 | 5'7" | 175 | Gary, IN US |
| Luis Guzman | R | November 11, 1957 | 5'11" | 180 | ||
| Larry Hall | R | R | 5'11" | 170 | ||
| Rich Hinton | L | L | May 22, 1947 | 6'2" | 185 | Tucson, AZ US |
| Guy Hoffman | L | L | July 9, 1956 | 5'9" | 175 | Ottawa, IL US |
| Gary Holle | R | L | August 11, 1954 | 6'6" | 210 | Albany, NY US |
| Fred Howard | R | R | September 2, 1956 | 6'3" | 190 | Portland, ME US |
| LaMarr Hoyt | R | R | January 1, 1955 | 6'3" | 195 | Columbia, SC US |
| Art James | L | L | August 2, 1952 | 6'0" | 170 | Detroit, MI US |
| Bart Johnson | R | R | January 3, 1950 | 6'5" | 190 | Torrance, CA US |
| Rusty Kuntz | R | R | February 4, 1955 | 6'3" | 190 | Orange, CA US |
| Art Kusnyer | R | R | December 19, 1945 | 6'2" | 197 | Akron, OH US |
| Mitch Lukevics | R | R | December 3, 1953 | 6'2" | 195 | |
| Bob Molinaro | L | R | May 21, 1950 | 6'0" | 190 | Newark, NJ US |
| Bill Moran | R | R | September 26, 1950 | 6'4" | 210 | Portsmouth, VA US |
| Ray Murillo | R | R | January 18, 1956 | 6'2" | 185 | |
| Mark Naehring | R | R | February 9, 1956 | 6'3" | 185 | |
| Chris Nyman | R | R | June 6, 1955 | 6'4" | 200 | Pomona, CA US |
| Mike Pazik | L | L | January 26, 1950 | 6'2" | 195 | Lynn, MA US |
| Dewey Robinson | R | R | April 28, 1955 | 6'0" | 180 | Evanston, IL US |
| Gil Rondón | R | R | November 18, 1953 | 6'2" | 200 | Bronx, NY US |
| John Sutton | R | R | November 13, 1952 | 5'11" | 185 | Dallas, TX US |
| Pablo Torrealba | L | L | April 28, 1948 | 5'10" | 173 | Barquisimeto, Lara VE |
| Ray Torres | R | R | April 12, 1958 | 5'10" | 170 | San Jose de Moradillas, Sonora MX |
| Steve Trout | L | L | July 30, 1957 | 6'4" | 195 | Detroit, MI US |
| Mike Wolf | R | R | June 20, 1955 | 6'1" | 165 |
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.
