1959 Des Moines Demons Roster
Team Record: 78-48
Finished 1st in the IIIL
Manager: Chuck Kress (78-48)
Affiliation: Philadelphia Phillies
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Ballpark: Sec Taylor Stadium I
Attendance: 86,923, Avg. 1,380
Playoffs - Green Bay Bluejays 3 games, Des Moines Demons 1
The Des Moines Demons of the Illinois-Iowa-Indiana League ended the 1959 season with a record of 78 wins and 48 losses, finishing first in the IIIL.
The Demons scored 784 runs, most in the league. Des Moines conceded 647 runs. Cal Emery led the squad with 27 home runs and recorded 129 runs batted in. Wayne Graham paced all regular hitters by connecting at a .330 clip. John Anderson, Edwin Radzevich and Edward Hughes topped the squad with 10 wins each, while Edward Hughes recorded a 3 ERA, tops among regularly-used pitchers.
Players from the 1959 Des Moines Demons who spent time in the Majors during their careers included Cal Emery, Wayne Graham, Chuck Kress, John Kennedy, Al Kenders and John Herrnstein.
Chuck Kress served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Anderson | L | L | May 11, 1934 | 6'1" | 185 | |
| Victor Baron | R | R | March 12, 1939 | 6'0" | 195 | |
| Thomas Bornman | L | R | March 15, 1936 | 6'2" | 185 | |
| Frank Capitani | R | R | December 16, 1935 | 5'10" | 180 | Hershey, PA US |
| Fern Carson | S | L | October 13, 1938 | 5'10" | 145 | |
| Ralph Dunn | R | R | 6'0" | 185 | ||
| Lennis Dykstra | R | R | 6'2" | 190 | ||
| Cal Emery | L | L | June 28, 1937 | 6'2" | 205 | Centre Hall, PA US |
| Robert Gill | R | R | August 23, 1934 | 6'1" | 185 | Montrose, CO US |
| Wayne Graham | R | R | April 6, 1936 | 6'0" | 200 | Yoakum, TX US |
| Reggie Heavener | L | May 30, 1938 | 6'0" | 185 | ||
| John Herrnstein | L | L | March 31, 1938 | 6'3" | 215 | Hampton, VA US |
| Edward Hughes | S | R | 6'2" | 210 | ||
| Edward Kelly | R | R | 6'1" | 180 | ||
| Al Kenders | R | R | April 4, 1937 | 6'0" | 185 | Barrington, NJ US |
| John Kennedy | R | R | October 12, 1926 | 5'10" | 175 | Jacksonville, FL US |
| Donald Kern | R | R | 6'1" | 200 | ||
| Chuck Kress | L | L | December 9, 1921 | 6'0" | 190 | Philadelphia, PA US |
| Edward Lunsford | R | R | 6'4" | 215 | ||
| Bill McGuckin | R | L | August 12, 1932 | 5'9" | 170 | |
| Thomas Morgan | L | R | June 1, 1936 | 5'7" | 165 | Hegins, PA US |
| Harry Oliver | R | R | September 6, 1935 | 6'4" | 195 | |
| William Peed | R | 5'11" | 175 | |||
| Joseph Pokorny | R | R | 6'0" | 185 | ||
| Paul Price | L | R | February 21, 1937 | 6'0" | 180 | Reading, PA US |
| Edwin Radzevich | R | R | 6'0" | 170 | ||
| Jimmy Shively | L | L | January 30, 1937 | 6'0" | 183 | |
| John Simicich | R | R | 5'11" | 175 | ||
| Robert Thwaites | R | R | 6'0" | 160 |
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.
