1950 Des Moines Bruins Roster
Team Record: 84-70
Finished 3rd in the WL
Manager: Charlie Root (84-70)
Affiliation: Chicago Cubs
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Ballpark: Sec Taylor Stadium I
Attendance: 147,549, Avg. 1,916
Playoffs - Sioux City Soos 3 games, Des Moines Bruins 2
The Des Moines Bruins of the Western League ended the 1950 season with a record of 84 wins and 70 losses, finishing third in the WL.
The Bruins conceded 638 runs, the lowest total in the circuit. Des Moines tallied 759 runs. Paul Schramka led hitters with significant playing time by connecting at a .246 clip. Don Swartz and Vern Fear topped the team with 15 wins each, while Vern Fear earned a 2.83 ERA, leading pitchers with enough qualifying appearances.
Members of the 1950 Des Moines Bruins who played in Major League Baseball during their careers were Dusty Rhodes, Nelson Burbrink, Vern Fear, Bob Kelly, Paul Schramka, Jim Fanning, Frank Whitman, Fred Baczewski, Leon Brinkopf, Gene Baker, Vern Morgan and Jim Brosnan.
Charlie Root served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Adkins | R | R | August 14, 1930 | 5'10" | 170 | |
| Donald Alfano | R | R | July 18, 1923 | 5'8" | 160 | Portland, OR US |
| Fred Baczewski | L | L | May 15, 1926 | 6'2" | 185 | St. Paul, MN US |
| Gene Baker | R | R | June 15, 1925 | 6'1" | 170 | Davenport, IA US |
| Ray Bauer | R | L | July 9, 1928 | 6'3" | 170 | Roosevelt, NY US |
| Emil Borgini | R | November 27, 1929 | 5'10" | 185 | ||
| Leon Brinkopf | R | R | October 20, 1926 | 5'11" | 185 | Cape Girardeau, MO US |
| Jim Brosnan | R | R | October 24, 1929 | 6'4" | 197 | Cincinnati, OH US |
| Nelson Burbrink | R | R | December 28, 1921 | 5'10" | 195 | Cincinnati, OH US |
| Ray Cash | R | R | June 28, 1924 | 6'2" | 198 | Richmond, VA US |
| Barney Elser | R | R | December 2, 1930 | 5'9" | 170 | |
| Jim Fanning | R | R | September 14, 1927 | 5'11" | 180 | Chicago, IL US |
| Vern Fear | S | R | August 21, 1925 | 6'0" | 170 | Everly, IA US |
| James Forbes | L | 6'2" | 180 | |||
| Leon Foulk | L | R | February 14, 1926 | 6'2" | 188 | Williamsport, PA US |
| Ken Guettler | R | May 29, 1927 | 6'0" | 200 | ||
| Gene Hooks | R | May 15, 1928 | 6'1" | 187 | Goldsboro, NC US | |
| Jim Hresko | R | June 16, 1926 | 5'11" | 180 | Brownsville, PA US | |
| Clayton Johnson | R | March 17, 1925 | 5'6" | 134 | Burnside, LA US | |
| Bob Kelly | R | R | October 4, 1927 | 6'0" | 180 | Cleveland, OH US |
| Thomas Kerr | R | R | 6'2" | 175 | ||
| Ben Kozlik | L | April 10, 1925 | 5'8" | 160 | ||
| William Ley | R | 6'0" | 170 | |||
| Theodore Lotz | R | 6'0" | 180 | |||
| Jan Mandel | R | R | 6'0" | 190 | ||
| Dwight Maxhimer | R | R | November 16, 1924 | 6'0" | 185 | Massillon, OH US |
| Paul Menking | R | R | February 26, 1929 | 5'10" | 190 | Arlington, NE US |
| Vern Morgan | L | R | August 8, 1928 | 6'1" | 190 | Emporia, VA US |
| Dean Padgett | L | 6'2" | 183 | |||
| Tommy Perez | R | R | April 25, 1928 | 5'11" | 185 | New Monterey, CA US |
| Dusty Rhodes | L | R | May 13, 1927 | 6'0" | 178 | Mathews, AL US |
| Paul Schnieders | L | L | August 22, 1926 | 5'11" | 175 | Cole County, MO US |
| Paul Schramka | L | L | March 22, 1928 | 6'0" | 185 | Milwaukee, WI US |
| Don Swartz | R | R | January 19, 1925 | 5'10" | 160 | Lorain, OH US |
| John Tabor | R | 6'0" | 185 | |||
| Charles Teague | L | 5'8" | 160 | |||
| Gordon VanDyke | R | R | May 12, 1927 | 6'1" | 190 | Bloomington, IL US |
| Frank Whitman | R | R | August 15, 1924 | 6'2" | 175 | Marengo, IN US |
| Bob Zuber | R | November 3, 1928 | 5'10" | 175 | Stockton, CA 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.
