1959 Fort Worth Cats Roster
Team Record: 81-81
Finished 2nd in the AA's West Division
Manager: Lou Klein (81-81)
Affiliation: Chicago Cubs
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Ballpark: LaGrave Field
Attendance: 97,315, Avg. 1,201
Playoffs - Fort Worth Cats 4 games, Louisville Colonels 0
Finals - Minneapolis Millers 4 games, Fort Worth Cats 3
The Fort Worth Cats of the American Association ended the 1959 season with a record of 81 wins and 81 losses, finishing second in the league's West Division.
The Cats plated 636 runs and allowed 591 runs. Ken Walters and Gabe Gabler paced Fort Worth with 21 home runs apiece. Ken Walters drove in 92 runs. Bob Will topped hitters with significant playing time by hitting .336. Ben Johnson led the team with 17 wins, while Steve Ridzik, too added 15 or more wins, too Dick Ellsworth registered a 2.6 earned run average, tops among pitchers with enough qualifying appearances.
Members of the 1959 Fort Worth Cats who played in Major League Baseball during their careers were Dave Gerard, Ron Shoop, Steve Ridzik, Eddie Phillips, Dick Ellsworth, Ken Walters, Al Lary, Dick Bertell, Gabe Gabler, Lou Jackson, Bob Will, Morrie Martin, Elmer Singleton, Jerry Kindall, Ken Hubbs, Gordon Massa, Don Taussig, Moe Morhardt, Ed Donnelly, Marcelino Solis, Lou Klein, Dick Drott, Dolan Nichols, Jim Woods, Art Ceccarelli, Moe Thacker, Jim Fanning, Ben Johnson, Joe Schaffernoth, Seth Morehead, Don Eaddy and Billy Williams.
Lou Klein served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ray Bellino | R | R | December 3, 1932 | 6'0" | 175 | Jersey City, NJ US |
| Dick Bertell | R | R | November 21, 1935 | 6'0" | 200 | Oak Park, IL US |
| Art Ceccarelli | R | L | April 2, 1930 | 6'0" | 190 | New Haven, CT US |
| Alex Cosmidis | R | R | September 22, 1928 | 5'7" | 165 | Fayetteville, NC US |
| Ed Donnelly | R | R | December 10, 1932 | 6'0" | 175 | Allen, MI US |
| Dick Drott | R | R | July 1, 1936 | 6'0" | 185 | Cincinnati, OH US |
| Don Eaddy | R | R | February 16, 1934 | 5'11" | 165 | Grand Rapids, MI US |
| Dick Ellsworth | L | L | March 22, 1940 | 6'3" | 180 | Lusk, WY US |
| Jim Fanning | R | R | September 14, 1927 | 5'11" | 180 | Chicago, IL US |
| Gabe Gabler | L | R | August 4, 1930 | 6'1" | 190 | St. Louis, MO US |
| Dave Gerard | R | R | August 6, 1936 | 6'2" | 205 | New York, NY US |
| Ken Hubbs | R | R | December 23, 1941 | 6'2" | 175 | Riverside, CA US |
| Lou Jackson | L | R | July 26, 1935 | 5'10" | 168 | Riverton, LA US |
| Ben Johnson | R | R | May 16, 1931 | 6'2" | 190 | Greenwood, SC US |
| Jerry Kindall | R | R | May 27, 1935 | 6'2" | 175 | St. Paul, MN US |
| Lou Klein | R | R | October 22, 1918 | 5'11" | 167 | New Orleans, LA US |
| Al Lary | R | R | September 26, 1928 | 6'3" | 185 | Northport, AL US |
| Joe Macko | R | R | February 19, 1928 | 6'2" | 205 | Port Clinton, OH US |
| Morrie Martin | L | L | September 3, 1922 | 6'0" | 173 | Dixon, MO US |
| Gordon Massa | L | R | September 2, 1935 | 6'3" | 210 | Cincinnati, OH US |
| James Miller | L | R | 5'11" | 170 | ||
| Seth Morehead | L | L | August 15, 1934 | 6'0" | 195 | Houston, TX US |
| Moe Morhardt | L | L | January 16, 1937 | 6'1" | 185 | Manchester, CT US |
| Dolan Nichols | R | R | February 28, 1930 | 6'0" | 195 | Tishomingo, MS US |
| Eddie Phillips | S | R | July 8, 1930 | 6'1" | 180 | St. Louis, MO US |
| Steve Ridzik | R | R | April 29, 1929 | 5'11" | 170 | Yonkers, NY US |
| Jesse Rogers | R | R | February 16, 1934 | 6'3" | 200 | Kansas City, MO US |
| Joe Schaffernoth | R | R | August 6, 1937 | 6'4" | 195 | Trenton, NJ US |
| Ron Shoop | R | R | September 19, 1931 | 5'11" | 180 | Rural Valley, PA US |
| Elmer Singleton | R | R | June 26, 1918 | 6'2" | 174 | Ogden, UT US |
| Marcelino Solis | L | L | July 19, 1930 | 6'1" | 185 | Real de Catorce, San Luis Potosi MX |
| Emil Syngel | R | R | 6'1" | 190 | ||
| Don Taussig | R | R | February 19, 1932 | 6'0" | 180 | New York, NY US |
| Moe Thacker | R | R | May 21, 1934 | 6'3" | 205 | Louisville, KY US |
| Ken Walters | R | R | November 11, 1933 | 6'1" | 180 | Fresno, CA US |
| Bob Will | L | L | July 15, 1931 | 5'10" | 175 | Berwyn, IL US |
| Billy Williams | L | R | June 15, 1938 | 6'1" | 175 | Whistler, AL US |
| Jim Woods | R | R | September 17, 1939 | 6'0" | 175 | Chicago, 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.
