1959 Charlotte Hornets Roster
Team Record: 75-65
Finished 2nd in the SAL
Manager: Gene Verble (75-65)
Affiliation: Washington Senators
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
Ballpark: Clark Griffith Park
Attendance: 106,287, Avg. 1,518
Playoffs - Columbus/Gastonia Pirates 3 games, Charlotte Hornets 2
The Charlotte Hornets of the South Atlantic League ended the 1959 season with a record of 75 wins and 65 losses, finishing second in the SAL.
The Hornets scored 654 runs and surrendered 603 runs. Harry Warner led Charlotte with 14 home runs Gene Davis drove in 69 runs and topped all regular batters by connecting at a .286 clip. Ralph Lumenti paced the squad with 12 wins and a team-best 2.71 ERA, tops among regular hurlers.
Ted Sadowski, Sandy Valdespino, Sonny Dixon, Héctor Maestri, Gene Verble, Bert Cueto, Ralph Lumenti, Ted Abernathy and Frank Ernaga were all players from the 1959 Charlotte Hornets who played in the Major Leagues during their careers.
Gene Verble served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ted Abernathy | R | R | March 6, 1933 | 6'4" | 215 | Stanley, NC US |
| Douglas Clark | R | R | 5'11" | 185 | ||
| Alfredo Conton | R | R | October 12, 1928 | 5'8" | 170 | Consuelo, San Pedro de Macoris DO |
| Bert Cueto | R | R | August 14, 1937 | 6'4" | 170 | San Luis, Pinar del Rio CU |
| Donald Damiano | R | 5'11" | 175 | |||
| Donald Dantoni | R | R | March 28, 1937 | 5'10" | 170 | |
| Gene Davis | R | R | May 1, 1934 | 6'1" | 185 | |
| Sonny Dixon | S | R | November 5, 1924 | 6'2" | 205 | Charlotte, NC US |
| Frank Ernaga | R | R | August 22, 1930 | 6'1" | 195 | Susanville, CA US |
| William Felker | R | R | April 8, 1938 | 6'1" | 180 | Coleville, NY US |
| Earl Furlow | R | R | June 5, 1937 | 6'6" | 225 | |
| Charles Garmon | R | R | 6'4" | 205 | ||
| Ken Guettler | R | May 29, 1927 | 6'0" | 200 | ||
| Richard Harris | R | March 30, 1933 | 6'0" | 160 | ||
| Guy Lavalliere | R | R | December 31, 1931 | 5'8" | 200 | |
| Ralph Lumenti | L | L | December 21, 1936 | 6'3" | 185 | Milford, MA US |
| Héctor Maestri | R | R | April 19, 1935 | 5'10" | 170 | La Habana, La Habana CU |
| Enrique Maroto | L | L | 5'6" | 165 | , CU | |
| Samuel Mauney | R | R | December 16, 1932 | 6'1" | 195 | Belmont, NC US |
| Jesus Mora | R | 5'7" | 157 | |||
| Rene Nodarse | R | R | 6'0" | 180 | ||
| Del Norwood | R | R | June 24, 1929 | 6'2" | 195 | |
| Bob Saban | R | R | December 22, 1930 | 6'0" | 195 | McCook, IL US |
| Ted Sadowski | R | R | April 1, 1936 | 6'1" | 190 | Pittsburgh, PA US |
| William Springfield | R | R | August 5, 1930 | 5'8" | 165 | Roxboro, MA US |
| Roberto Tano | R | R | February 20, 1936 | 5'11" | 180 | Ventientes, Camaguey CU |
| Len Tucker | R | L | November 18, 1929 | 6'2" | 205 | Mounds, IL US |
| Hernan Valdes | R | R | July 31, 1937 | 5'11" | 182 | La Habana, La Habana CU |
| Sandy Valdespino | L | L | January 24, 1939 | 5'8" | 170 | San Jose de las Lajas, Mayabeque CU |
| Gene Verble | R | R | June 29, 1928 | 5'10" | 163 | Concord, NC US |
| Harry Warner | L | R | December 11, 1928 | 6'2" | 195 | Reeders, PA 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.
