1963 Bluefield Orioles Roster
Team Record: 45-24
Finished 1st in the AL
Manager: Billy Hunter (45-24)
Affiliation: Baltimore Orioles
Location: Bluefield, West Virginia
Ballpark: Bowen Field
Attendance: 20,652, Avg. 599
The Bluefield Orioles of the Appalachian League ended the 1963 season with a record of 45 wins and 24 losses, finishing first in the AL.
The Orioles topped the circuit with 509 runs, fueled by 53 home runs. Bluefield allowed 341 runs, least in the league. Jeffrey Talbott paced the squad with 10 home runs George Shuford accounted for 54 RBI and topped hitters with significant playing time by connecting at a .364 clip. Brian Holler led the team with 7 wins and a team-best 2.41 ERA, leading hurlers with significant time on the mound.
Players from the 1963 Bluefield Orioles who spent time in Major League Baseball during their careers included Jim Ray, Ed Barnowski, Dave Leonhard and John Matias.
Billy Hunter served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Barber | R | R | 6'3" | 195 | ||
| Ed Barnowski | R | R | August 23, 1943 | 6'2" | 195 | Scranton, PA US |
| John Barwick | S | L | 6'1" | 170 | ||
| Bob Berger | R | R | 6'5" | 210 | ||
| John Burrows | R | R | October 8, 1944 | 5'11" | 185 | |
| Larry Carlson | L | L | 6'0" | 180 | ||
| James Cope | S | R | October 21, 1945 | 6'1" | 195 | |
| Otis Cowan | R | R | 5'11" | 168 | ||
| Michael Gannon | L | L | 6'2" | 190 | ||
| Gary Gonfiantini | R | R | 6'4" | 180 | ||
| Bill Hartsfield | L | R | June 13, 1942 | 5'11" | Wake County, NC US | |
| Phil Henderson | L | L | July 18, 1944 | 6'2" | 225 | |
| Brian Holler | S | L | 5'9" | 170 | ||
| Ernest Holmes | R | R | 5'11" | 173 | ||
| Ron Kotick | R | R | January 16, 1945 | 6'0" | 165 | |
| Robert Labrecque | L | L | January 22, 1945 | 6'2" | 190 | Nashua, NH US |
| Walter Leatherwood | R | R | 6'0" | 197 | ||
| Dave Leonhard | R | R | January 22, 1941 | 5'11" | 165 | Arlington, VA US |
| Richard Masterman | R | L | July 2, 1945 | 6'1" | 180 | Hamburg, NY US |
| John Matias | L | L | August 15, 1944 | 5'11" | 170 | Honolulu, HI US |
| Robert Matias | R | R | 5'11" | 180 | ||
| William McAdams | R | R | 6'0" | 165 | ||
| Ron McKirahan | L | L | November 1, 1942 | 5'10" | 185 | |
| Lanny Monette | R | R | 5'11" | 170 | ||
| Michael Nyquist | R | R | 6'1" | 195 | ||
| Ronald Perez | R | R | 6'1" | 203 | ||
| Bob Petri | R | R | 5'10" | 175 | ||
| Jim Ray | R | R | December 1, 1944 | 6'1" | 185 | Rock Hill, SC US |
| Ferdi Reed | L | R | March 10, 1945 | 6'1" | 185 | |
| Louis Rogers | R | L | March 4, 1943 | 5'11" | 165 | |
| John Sepich | R | R | August 20, 1944 | 6'2" | 170 | |
| George Shuford | R | R | March 2, 1941 | 6'0" | 195 | Wadesboro, NC US |
| Larry Smith | L | L | February 4, 1941 | 6'3" | 190 | Longview, TX US |
| Joe Stillwell | R | L | December 1, 1944 | 6'1" | 180 | |
| Jeffrey Talbott | L | R | January 9, 1945 | 6'0" | 205 | Stamford, CT US |
| Kenneth Walker | R | R | 5'11" | 175 | ||
| Stanley Walters | R | R | June 21, 1943 | 6'2" | 180 | |
| Anthony Williams | R | R | 5'10" | 175 | ||
| Raymond Woitkowski | R | R | September 11, 1944 | 6'0" | 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.
