1959 Houston Buffs Roster
Team Record: 58-104
Finished 5th in the AA's West Division
Manager: Rube Walker (0-0), Del Wilber (0-0)
Location: Houston, Texas
Ballpark: Busch Stadium
Attendance: 120,474, Avg. 1,487
The Houston Buffs of the American Association ended the 1959 season with a record of 58 wins and 104 losses, finishing fifth in the league's West Division.
The Buffs scored 594 runs, worst in the league, and conceded 768 runs. Jim Fridley led Houston with 26 home runs, and Ray Noble walloped 15 or more as well. Jim Fridley drove in 80 runs and topped all qualifying hitters on the roster with a .282 average. Dave Jolly paced the squad with 11 wins and a team-best 3.89 ERA, tops among qualifying pitchers.
Members of the 1959 Houston Buffs who played in Major League Baseball during their careers were Mel Wright, Fritz Dorish, Mike Clark, Lloyd Merritt, Dave Hoskins, Fred Martin, Jim Fridley, Jim Delsing, Dick Cole, Dave Jolly, Roy Smalley, Eddie Phillips, Roberto Vargas, Ossie Álvarez, Charlie Gorin, Pidge Browne, Ed Blake, John Tsitouris, Rube Walker, Billy Queen, Ray Noble, Tom Poholsky and Rod Kanehl.
Rube Walker and Del Wilber served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ossie Álvarez | R | R | October 19, 1933 | 5'10" | 165 | Bolondron, CU |
| Billy Bethel | R | R | April 29, 1930 | 6'3" | 187 | Corpus Christi, TX US |
| Ed Blake | R | R | December 23, 1925 | 5'11" | 175 | East St. Louis, IL US |
| Billy Joe Bowman | R | R | June 12, 1930 | 5'11" | 160 | |
| Arnold Briggs | R | L | August 18, 1936 | 6'1" | 195 | |
| Pidge Browne | L | L | March 21, 1929 | 6'1" | 190 | Peekskill, NY US |
| Mike Clark | R | R | February 12, 1922 | 6'4" | 190 | Camden, NJ US |
| Dick Cole | R | R | May 6, 1926 | 6'2" | 175 | Long Beach, CA US |
| Glen Crable | R | R | November 9, 1933 | 5'11" | 162 | |
| Jim Delsing | L | R | November 13, 1925 | 5'10" | 175 | Rudolph, WI US |
| Fritz Dorish | R | R | July 13, 1921 | 5'11" | 204 | Swoyersville, PA US |
| William Drummond | R | R | October 14, 1934 | 6'3" | 190 | |
| Arthur Dunham | L | L | March 21, 1929 | 6'0" | 190 | |
| Jim Fridley | R | R | September 6, 1924 | 6'2" | 205 | Phillippi, WV US |
| Waldo Gonzalez | R | R | April 30, 1935 | 6'0" | 165 | |
| Charlie Gorin | L | L | February 6, 1928 | 5'10" | 165 | Waco, TX US |
| Curtis Hardaway | R | R | August 13, 1928 | 6'0" | 189 | Columbus, GA US |
| Dave Hoskins | L | R | August 3, 1917 | 6'1" | 180 | Greenwood, MS US |
| Phil Jantze | L | R | 6'1" | 190 | ||
| Len Johnston | L | L | March 15, 1929 | 5'10" | 167 | Pontiac, MI US |
| Dave Jolly | R | R | October 14, 1924 | 6'0" | 160 | Stony Point, NC US |
| Ev Joyner | L | R | September 9, 1926 | 6'2" | 188 | |
| Rod Kanehl | R | R | April 1, 1934 | 6'1" | 180 | Wichita, KS US |
| Wally Lammers | R | R | October 31, 1926 | 5'11" | 180 | Buckley, IL US |
| Dick Landis | R | June 15, 1928 | 5'9" | 168 | ||
| Boyd Linker | R | R | 5'11" | 180 | ||
| Fred Martin | R | R | June 27, 1915 | 6'1" | 185 | Williams, OK US |
| Lloyd Merritt | R | R | April 8, 1933 | 6'0" | 189 | St. Louis, MO US |
| Wilcy Moore | R | R | July 6, 1929 | 5'11" | 180 | |
| Ray Noble | R | R | March 15, 1919 | 5'11" | 210 | Central Hatillo, CU |
| Lamar North | R | R | May 20, 1929 | 6'1" | 180 | |
| Eddie Phillips | S | R | July 8, 1930 | 6'1" | 180 | St. Louis, MO US |
| Tom Poholsky | R | R | August 26, 1929 | 6'3" | 205 | Detroit, MI US |
| Billy Queen | R | R | November 28, 1928 | 6'1" | 185 | Gastonia, NC US |
| Dick Sanders | R | R | August 17, 1931 | 6'1" | 180 | |
| Roy Smalley | R | R | June 9, 1926 | 6'3" | 190 | Springfield, MO US |
| Alvin Spearman | R | R | August 26, 1931 | 6'1" | 185 | |
| John Tsitouris | R | R | May 4, 1936 | 6'0" | 175 | Monroe, NC US |
| Roberto Vargas | L | L | May 29, 1929 | 5'11" | 170 | Santurce, PR |
| Rube Walker | L | R | May 16, 1926 | 6'0" | 175 | Lenoir, NC US |
| Mel Wright | R | R | May 11, 1928 | 6'3" | 210 | Manila, AR 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.
