1976 Lakeland Tigers Roster
Team Record: 74-64
Finished 2nd in the FSL's North Division
Manager: Jim Leyland (74-64)
Affiliation: Detroit Tigers
Location: Lakeland, Florida
Ballpark: Joker Marchant Stadium
Attendance: 53,397, Avg. 774
Playoffs - Lakeland Tigers 2 games, Miami Orioles 0
Finals - Lakeland Tigers 2 games, Tampa Tarpons 0
The Lakeland Tigers of the Florida State League ended the 1976 season with a record of 74 wins and 64 losses, finishing second in the league's North Division.
The Tigers plated 557 runs and yielded 495 runs. Lou Whitaker drove in 62 runs and topped hitters with significant playing time by hitting .297. John Murphy led the squad with 11 wins and a team-best 2.46 ERA, leading pitchers with enough qualifying appearances.
Players from the 1976 Lakeland Tigers who spent time in the Majors during their careers included Pat Underwood, Sheldon Burnside, Dave Tobik, Lou Whitaker, Kip Young and Steve Baker.
Jim Leyland served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julio Alonso | R | L | April 12, 1954 | 6'1" | 195 | , CU |
| Steve Baker | R | R | August 30, 1956 | 6'0" | 185 | Eugene, OR US |
| Mike Bartell | S | R | March 4, 1954 | 6'1" | 175 | |
| Donald Brewer | R | R | 6'2" | 185 | ||
| Mike Burns | R | R | August 19, 1954 | 6'0" | 175 | Jackson, MI US |
| Sheldon Burnside | R | L | December 22, 1954 | 6'5" | 200 | South Bend, IN US |
| Dwight Carter | R | R | June 10, 1951 | 5'10" | 177 | Little Rock, AR US |
| Gregory Carter | R | R | 5'11" | 170 | ||
| Greg Darichuk | L | L | 6'1" | 180 | ||
| Vince Diaz | R | R | November 3, 1957 | 5'11" | 180 | La Habana, La Habana CU |
| John Dinkelmeyer | R | R | 6'0" | 175 | ||
| James Draper | R | R | 5'7" | 155 | ||
| Mike Elders | R | R | June 22, 1954 | 6'1" | 185 | |
| Les Filkins | L | L | September 14, 1956 | 5'11" | 185 | Chicago, IL US |
| Venoy Garrison | R | R | April 9, 1954 | 6'0" | 185 | Los Angeles, CA US |
| Garry Grafton | R | R | September 14, 1955 | 6'1" | 185 | Sewickley, PA US |
| Lary Graves | R | R | October 28, 1954 | 6'3" | 195 | |
| Keith Hakala | R | R | 6'0" | 180 | ||
| David Halstead | R | R | 6'0" | 180 | ||
| Frank Harris | R | R | September 20, 1955 | 6'3" | 185 | Miami, FL US |
| Mel Jackson | R | R | July 13, 1953 | 5'11" | 159 | Chicago, IL US |
| Herbert Krul | L | R | 5'11" | 195 | ||
| Terrance Lynch | R | R | August 11, 1954 | 5'10" | 175 | Mount Pleasant, MI US |
| Ronald Martinez | R | R | August 4, 1955 | 5'10" | 170 | Los Angeles, CA US |
| Dana McManus | R | R | 6'3" | 200 | ||
| Ronald Mercier | R | R | August 17, 1953 | 6'3" | 205 | |
| Billy Michael | L | L | April 8, 1954 | 6'1" | 185 | |
| John Murphy | L | L | August 7, 1957 | 6'3" | 185 | |
| James Murray | L | L | August 3, 1954 | 6'2" | 175 | |
| Dexter Redd | L | L | April 6, 1957 | 5'9" | 180 | Phoenix, AZ US |
| Jeff Reinke | L | L | 6'2" | 185 | ||
| Greg Shippy | R | R | March 30, 1955 | 6'2" | 205 | Garrett, IN US |
| James Taylor | L | L | 6'4" | 195 | ||
| Dave Tobik | R | R | March 2, 1953 | 6'1" | 190 | Euclid, OH US |
| Ralph Treuel | R | R | June 7, 1955 | 6'4" | 200 | Elyria, OH US |
| Pat Underwood | L | L | February 9, 1957 | 6'0" | 175 | Kokomo, IN US |
| Lou Whitaker | L | R | May 12, 1957 | 5'11" | 160 | Brooklyn, NY US |
| Gary Wiencek | R | R | 6'2" | 190 | ||
| Kip Young | R | R | October 29, 1954 | 5'11" | 175 | Georgetown, OH 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.
