1978 Gastonia Cardinals Roster
Team Record: 69-71
Finished 5th in the WCL
Manager: Buzzy Keller (69-71)
Affiliation: St. Louis Cardinals
Location: Gastonia, North Carolina
Ballpark: Sims Legion Park
Attendance: 46,326, Avg. 662
The Gastonia Cardinals of the Western Carolinas League ended the 1978 season with a record of 69 wins and 71 losses, finishing fifth in the WCL.
The Cardinals tallied 649 runs and yielded 655 runs. Walt Pierce drove in 75 runs. Joseph Baciotti paced all qualifying hitters on the roster by connecting at a .257 clip. Jim Gott topped the team with 9 wins, while Donald Lamer recorded a 3.77 ERA, leading pitchers with enough qualifying appearances.
Jim Gott, Joe DeSa, Al Olmsted, George Bjorkman, Andy Rincon, Ray Searage and Kelly Paris were all players from the 1978 Gastonia Cardinals who played in the Majors during their careers.
Buzzy Keller served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Baciotti | R | R | July 20, 1955 | 5'10" | 165 | |
| Lawrence Bashaw | R | R | April 15, 1954 | 6'1" | 186 | |
| George Bjorkman | R | R | August 26, 1956 | 6'2" | 190 | Ontario, CA US |
| Kerry Burchett | R | R | October 4, 1955 | 6'6" | 195 | Richmond, VA US |
| Dennis Cirbo | R | R | 5'11" | 185 | ||
| Joe DeSa | L | L | July 27, 1959 | 5'11" | 170 | Honolulu, HI US |
| Fernando Figueroa | R | R | January 5, 1956 | 5'11" | 165 | |
| Jim Gott | R | R | August 3, 1959 | 6'4" | 215 | Hollywood, CA US |
| Kenneth Grassano | R | R | November 9, 1956 | 6'1" | 181 | |
| LeRoy Grossini | R | R | 5'11" | 155 | ||
| Julian Gutierrez | R | R | June 23, 1959 | 5'9" | 150 | Ponce, PR |
| John Harshbarger | R | R | 6'5" | 200 | ||
| Randy Howell | R | R | ||||
| Frank Hunsaker | R | R | 6'3" | 209 | ||
| Jerry Johnson | R | R | November 7, 1955 | 6'3" | 185 | Austin, TX US |
| Donald Lamer | R | R | August 14, 1958 | 6'3" | 180 | Anna, IL US |
| Michael Lowes | R | R | 6'3" | 200 | ||
| Epifano Martinez | L | L | 6'0" | 165 | ||
| James McIntyre | R | L | December 11, 1956 | 6'1" | 180 | |
| Billy Meza | R | R | 6'4" | 120 | ||
| Rhadames Mills | R | R | June 17, 1958 | 5'9" | 150 | Barahona, Barahona DO |
| Kevin Morrissey | R | R | May 13, 1956 | 6'2" | 190 | |
| Dennis Morton | L | L | September 27, 1959 | 5'11" | 180 | |
| Richard Murray | R | R | 5'11" | 175 | ||
| Al Olmsted | R | L | March 18, 1957 | 6'2" | 195 | St. Louis, MO US |
| Kelly Paris | R | R | October 17, 1957 | 6'0" | 175 | Encino, CA US |
| Walt Pierce | R | R | April 4, 1958 | 6'2" | 190 | San Jose, CA US |
| Jerry Poston | R | R | 6'0" | 190 | ||
| James Propst | R | R | 6'2" | 180 | ||
| James Reeves | L | R | 6'1" | 180 | ||
| Andy Rincon | R | R | March 5, 1959 | 6'3" | 195 | Monterey Park, CA US |
| William Schopp | R | R | 6'2" | 186 | ||
| Jere Schuler | L | L | October 16, 1958 | 6'5" | 195 | |
| Ray Searage | L | L | May 1, 1955 | 6'1" | 180 | Freeport, NY US |
| Larry Silver | R | R | 6'0" | 190 | ||
| Jeff Toothman | L | L | August 8, 1958 | 6'0" | 180 | Arcadia, CA US |
| Thomas Vasche | R | R | 6'2" | 192 | ||
| Juan Vega | R | R | 5'10" | 170 | ||
| Daniel Winslow | R | R | January 13, 1958 | 6'2" | 175 | |
| Harold Witt | R | R | July 20, 1956 | 5'11" | 170 | |
| Michael Wolters | R | R | March 14, 1956 | 6'0" | 170 | Jacksonville, FL 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.
