1980 Arkansas Travelers Roster
Team Record: 81-55
Finished 1st in the TL's East Division
Manager: Sonny Ruberto (81-55)
Affiliation: St. Louis Cardinals
Location: Little Rock, Arkansas
Ballpark: Ray Winder Field
Attendance: 216,592, Avg. 3,185
Playoffs - Arkansas Travelers 2 games, Jackson Mets 0
Finals - Arkansas Travelers 3 games, San Antonio Dodgers 0
The Arkansas Travelers of the Texas League ended the 1980 season with a record of 81 wins and 55 losses, finishing first in the league's East Division.
The Travelers conceded 528 runs, the lowest total in the circuit. Arkansas tallied 629 runs. Jim Riggleman paced the team with 21 home runs, while Gene Dotson and Freddie Tisdale walloped 15 or more, too. Jim Riggleman drove in 90 runs. Kelly Paris led hitters with significant playing time by connecting at a .301 clip. Joe Edelen topped the squad with 13 wins and a team-best 2.63 ERA, leading qualifying pitchers.
Members of the 1980 Arkansas Travelers who played in Major League Baseball during their careers were George Bjorkman, Luis DeLeón, Mike Dimmel, Joe Edelen, John Fulgham, Ryan Kurosaki, Jeff Little, John Martin, Al Olmsted, Kelly Paris, Andy Rincon and John Stuper.
Sonny Ruberto served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jorge Aranzamendi | R | R | August 26, 1953 | 6'1" | 160 | Santurce, PR |
| Dave Bialas | R | R | February 6, 1954 | 6'1" | 189 | Houston, TX US |
| George Bjorkman | R | R | August 26, 1956 | 6'2" | 190 | Ontario, CA US |
| Mike Calise | R | R | March 16, 1957 | 6'1" | 200 | Norwalk, CT US |
| Tom Chamberlain | R | R | January 21, 1955 | 6'6" | 215 | |
| Luis DeLeón | R | R | August 19, 1958 | 6'1" | 153 | Ponce, PR |
| John DelMonte | L | L | September 5, 1958 | 6'2" | 185 | |
| Mike Dimmel | R | R | October 16, 1954 | 6'0" | 180 | Albert Lea, MN US |
| Gene Dotson | R | R | November 1, 1953 | 5'11" | 180 | Savannah, GA US |
| Joe Edelen | R | R | September 16, 1955 | 6'0" | 165 | Durant, OK US |
| John Fulgham | R | R | June 9, 1956 | 6'2" | 205 | St. Louis, MO US |
| Nelson Garcia | S | R | September 16, 1950 | 6'1" | 143 | |
| Julian Gutierrez | R | R | June 23, 1959 | 5'9" | 150 | Ponce, PR |
| Frank Hunsaker | R | R | 6'3" | 209 | ||
| David Johnson | R | L | 6'0" | 175 | ||
| David Jorn | R | R | October 2, 1954 | 6'1" | 185 | Belleville, IL US |
| Ryan Kurosaki | R | R | July 3, 1952 | 5'10" | 160 | Honolulu, HI US |
| Jeff Little | R | L | December 25, 1954 | 6'6" | 220 | Fremont, OH US |
| John Martin | S | L | April 11, 1956 | 6'0" | 190 | Wyandotte, MI US |
| Stanley McCauley | R | R | February 20, 1957 | 6'0" | 190 | |
| James McIntyre | R | L | December 11, 1956 | 6'1" | 180 | |
| John Murphy | L | L | August 7, 1957 | 6'3" | 185 | |
| Al Olmsted | R | L | March 18, 1957 | 6'2" | 195 | St. Louis, MO US |
| Kelly Paris | R | R | October 17, 1957 | 6'0" | 175 | Encino, CA US |
| Dave Penniall | R | R | September 26, 1954 | 5'10" | 175 | Coronado, CA US |
| Jim Riggleman | R | R | November 9, 1952 | 5'11" | 175 | Fort Dix, NJ US |
| Andy Rincon | R | R | March 5, 1959 | 6'3" | 195 | Monterey Park, CA US |
| John Stuper | R | R | May 9, 1957 | 6'2" | 200 | Butler, PA US |
| William Thomas | R | R | April 26, 1958 | 6'2" | 190 | Colorado Springs, CO US |
| Jack Tinkler | R | R | March 6, 1958 | 5'8" | 155 | |
| Freddie Tisdale | L | L | May 1, 1956 | 6'0" | 165 | US, US |
| Ray Williams | R | R | 6'1" | 200 | ||
| Felipe Zayas | R | R | 5'10" | 174 | ||
| Gary Zunino | R | R | 5'11" | 180 |
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.
