1981 Columbus Clippers Roster
Team Record: 88-51
Finished 1st in the IL
Manager: Frank Verdi (88-51)
Affiliation: New York Yankees
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Ballpark: Harold Cooper Stadium
Attendance: 527,124, Avg. 7,585
Playoffs - Columbus Clippers 3 games, Rochester Red Wings 2
Finals - Columbus Clippers 2 games, Richmond Braves 1 - Series called when rains struck.
The Columbus Clippers of the International League ended the 1981 season with a record of 88 wins and 51 losses, finishing first in the IL.
The Clippers paced the circuit with 738 runs, ignited by 174 home runs. Columbus surrendered 604 runs. Steve Balboni walloped 33 home runs for the team, while Tucker Ashford, Brad Gulden, Marshall Brant and Mike Patterson each swatted 15 or more, too. Steve Balboni drove in 98 runs. Tucker Ashford topped all qualifying hitters on the roster by connecting at a .300 clip. John Pacella and Dave Wehrmeister led the squad with 11 wins each, and Dave Wehrmeister registered a 3.11 earned run average, leading pitchers with enough qualifying appearances.
Players from the 1981 Columbus Clippers who spent time in the Majors during their careers included Bobby Brown, Andy McGaffigan, Mike Bruhert, Tucker Ashford, Tom Filer, Paul Boris, John Pacella, Marshall Brant, Steve Balboni, Dave Coleman, Dave Stegman, Mike Griffin, Mike Patterson, Dennis Werth, Bill Castro, Juan Espino, Dave Wehrmeister, Dave Righetti, George Frazier, Andre Robertson, Brad Gulden, Gene Nelson, Paul Mitchell, Jim Lewis and Pat Tabler.
Frank Verdi served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tucker Ashford | R | R | December 4, 1954 | 6'1" | 195 | Memphis, TN US |
| Steve Balboni | R | R | January 16, 1957 | 6'3" | 225 | Brockton, MA US |
| Paul Boris | R | R | December 13, 1955 | 6'2" | 200 | Irvington, NJ US |
| Marshall Brant | R | R | September 17, 1955 | 6'5" | 185 | Garberville, CA US |
| Bobby Brown | S | R | May 25, 1954 | 6'2" | 190 | Norfolk, VA US |
| Mike Bruhert | R | R | June 24, 1951 | 6'6" | 220 | Jamaica, NY US |
| Pat Callahan | R | R | August 29, 1955 | 6'1" | 190 | Chicago, IL US |
| Bill Castro | R | R | March 29, 1952 | 5'11" | 170 | Santiago, Santiago DO |
| Nate Chapman | L | L | October 2, 1953 | 5'9" | 160 | Mobile, AL US |
| Greg Cochran | R | R | November 15, 1953 | 6'2" | 195 | Whittier, CA US |
| Dave Coleman | R | R | October 26, 1950 | 6'3" | 195 | Dayton, OH US |
| Juan Espino | R | R | March 16, 1956 | 6'1" | 190 | Bonao, Monsenor Nouel DO |
| Tom Filer | R | R | December 1, 1956 | 6'1" | 195 | Philadelphia, PA US |
| George Frazier | R | R | October 13, 1954 | 6'5" | 205 | Oklahoma City, OK US |
| Mike Griffin | R | R | June 26, 1957 | 6'4" | 195 | Colusa, CA US |
| Brad Gulden | L | R | June 10, 1956 | 5'10" | 175 | New Ulm, MN US |
| Wayne Harer | S | L | May 28, 1952 | 5'11" | 185 | Evanston, IL US |
| Jim Lewis | R | R | October 12, 1955 | 6'3" | 190 | Miami, FL US |
| Tim Lewis | L | L | 6'5" | 206 | Philadelphia, PA US | |
| Andy McGaffigan | R | R | October 25, 1956 | 6'3" | 185 | West Palm Beach, FL US |
| Paul Mitchell | R | R | August 19, 1949 | 6'1" | 195 | Worcester, MA US |
| Gene Nelson | R | R | December 3, 1960 | 6'0" | 172 | Tampa, FL US |
| John Pacella | R | R | September 15, 1956 | 6'3" | 195 | Brooklyn, NY US |
| Mike Patterson | L | R | January 26, 1958 | 5'10" | 170 | Santa Monica, CA US |
| Dave Righetti | L | L | November 28, 1958 | 6'4" | 195 | San Jose, CA US |
| Andre Robertson | R | R | October 2, 1957 | 5'10" | 155 | Orange, TX US |
| Brian Ryder | R | R | February 13, 1960 | 6'6" | 175 | Worcester, MA US |
| Dan Schmitz | L | R | March 1, 1955 | 5'7" | 150 | Detroit, MI US |
| Buck Showalter | L | L | May 23, 1956 | 5'9" | 195 | DeFuniak Springs, FL US |
| Garry Smith | R | L | October 23, 1955 | 6'2" | 185 | Jacksonville, NC US |
| Dave Stegman | R | R | January 30, 1954 | 5'11" | 190 | Inglewood, CA US |
| Rick Stenholm | L | L | March 29, 1952 | 6'0" | 185 | Brooksville, FL US |
| Pat Tabler | R | R | February 2, 1958 | 6'3" | 175 | Hamilton, OH US |
| Steve Taylor | R | R | February 9, 1956 | 6'4" | 200 | Wilmington, DE US |
| Dave Wehrmeister | R | R | November 9, 1952 | 6'4" | 195 | Berwyn, IL US |
| Dennis Werth | R | R | December 29, 1952 | 6'1" | 200 | Lincoln, IL 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.
