1978 Bristol Tigers Roster
Team Record: 35-34
Finished 3rd in the AL
Manager: Joe Lewis (35-34)
Affiliation: Detroit Tigers
Location: Bristol, Virginia
Ballpark: DeVault Memorial Stadium
Attendance: 29,736, Avg. 862
The Bristol Tigers of the Appalachian League ended the 1978 season with a record of 35 wins and 34 losses, finishing third in the AL.
The Tigers scored 333 runs, best in the league. Bristol gave up 299 runs. Bobby Benda drove in 37 runs and topped all regular hitters by hitting .326. Benedict Bonk led the team with 7 wins, while Jack Smith recorded a 3.04 ERA, best among regular hurlers.
Players from the 1978 Bristol Tigers who spent time in Major League Baseball during their careers included Dave Rucker, Bruce Robbins, Bruce Fields and John Martin.
Joe Lewis served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas Banks | R | 6'2" | 195 | |||
| Michael Bateman | R | R | November 11, 1956 | 6'1" | 185 | Blythe, CA US |
| Allan Bauman | L | L | September 9, 1957 | 5'11" | 175 | Cleveland, OH US |
| Bobby Benda | R | R | 5'9" | 160 | ||
| Benedict Bonk | L | R | 6'4" | 210 | ||
| Jeffrey Brown | L | R | 5'9" | 167 | ||
| Todd Ervin | L | R | 5'8" | 160 | ||
| Bruce Fields | L | R | October 6, 1960 | 6'0" | 185 | Cleveland, OH US |
| Kevin Fitzhugh | R | R | 6'2" | 175 | ||
| Timothy Flannery | R | R | March 26, 1955 | 6'2" | 172 | Detroit, MI US |
| John Flynn | R | R | May 13, 1959 | 6'2" | 192 | Kings Park, NY US |
| Richard Givens | R | R | October 4, 1955 | 6'3" | 210 | Salinas, CA US |
| Juan Gomez | R | R | January 27, 1959 | 5'11" | 175 | Las Villas, CU |
| Kurt Hall | R | R | March 27, 1959 | 5'11" | 180 | Burlington, VT US |
| Ted Hutson | R | R | July 26, 1959 | 6'1" | 185 | |
| Timothy Justus | R | R | November 16, 1958 | 5'10" | 165 | Circleville, OH US |
| John Kelley | L | L | 5'11" | 180 | ||
| William Klank | R | R | 6'2" | 185 | ||
| Gary Leslie | R | R | October 5, 1956 | 6'1" | 195 | Euclid, OH US |
| John Martin | S | L | April 11, 1956 | 6'0" | 190 | Wyandotte, MI US |
| Brian McCaslin | R | R | 6'3" | 180 | ||
| Michael Polvi | L | R | 6'0" | 185 | ||
| James Rabe | R | R | 6'2" | 185 | ||
| Bruce Robbins | L | L | September 10, 1959 | 6'1" | 190 | Portland, IN US |
| Dave Rucker | L | L | September 1, 1957 | 6'1" | 185 | San Bernardino, CA US |
| Bobby Sagers | L | R | January 31, 1957 | 5'10" | 176 | Fort Lee, VA US |
| Marvin Saunders | R | R | 6'0" | 185 | ||
| James Simerly | R | R | December 22, 1956 | 6'1" | 185 | |
| Jack Smith | R | R | December 4, 1958 | 6'4" | 190 | |
| Donald Taylor | R | R | December 8, 1959 | 6'2" | 180 | , LA US |
| Jud Thigpen | R | R | 6'1" | 175 | ||
| Art Toal | R | R | 6'2" | 183 | ||
| Clifton Wilder | R | R | January 23, 1959 | 5'11" | 180 | Fort Jay, NY US |
| James Wilfong | L | R | 6'2" | 190 | ||
| Mike Wright | R | R | 6'4" | 210 |
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.
