1953 Kansas City Blues Roster
Team Record: 88-66
Finished 2nd in the AA
Manager: Harry Craft (88-66)
Affiliation: New York Yankees
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Ballpark: Municipal Stadium
Attendance: 247,556, Avg. 3,215
Playoffs - Kansas City Blues 4 games, Indianapolis Indians 2
Finals - Kansas City Blues 4 games, Toledo Sox 3
The Kansas City Blues of the American Association ended the 1953 season with a record of 88 wins and 66 losses, finishing second in the AA.
The Blues plated 747 runs and allowed 680 runs. Bob Cerv paced Kansas City with 22 home runs, while Vic Power and Bill Skowron walloped 15 or more also. Vic Power recorded 93 runs batted in and topped batters with significant playing time by connecting at a .349 clip. Mel Wright led the squad with 13 wins, and Bob Wiesler recorded a 3.09 ERA, leading hurlers with significant time on the mound.
Players from the 1953 Kansas City Blues who spent time in the Majors during their careers included Jim Robertson, Alex Grammas, Jack Reed, Don Leppert, Jerry Lumpe, Lou Berberet, Rip Coleman, Cliff Mapes, Bill Skowron, Bill Virdon, Vic Power, Art Schallock, Elston Howard, Jim Brideweser, Hal Keller, Mel Wright, Bob Wiesler, Harry Schaeffer, Bob Cerv, Johnny Kucab, Johnny Gray, Kal Segrist, Al Cicotte, Kermit Wahl and Bill Miller.
Harry Craft served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lou Berberet | L | R | November 20, 1929 | 5'11" | 200 | Long Beach, CA US |
| Jim Brideweser | R | R | February 13, 1927 | 6'0" | 165 | Lancaster, OH US |
| Marty Carlson | R | R | December 14, 1927 | 6'0" | 170 | |
| Ed Cereghino | R | R | November 24, 1933 | 6'2" | 205 | San Francisco, CA US |
| Bob Cerv | R | R | May 5, 1925 | 6'0" | 200 | Weston, NE US |
| Al Cicotte | R | R | December 23, 1929 | 6'3" | 185 | Melvindale, MI US |
| Rip Coleman | L | L | July 31, 1931 | 6'2" | 185 | Troy, NY US |
| Bob Ferris | R | R | May 11, 1928 | 5'11" | 170 | Armonk, NY US |
| Bill Freese | R | R | May 25, 1927 | 6'1" | 180 | |
| Peter Gentile | R | January 22, 1930 | 6'1" | 191 | ||
| Alex Grammas | R | R | April 3, 1926 | 6'0" | 175 | Birmingham, AL US |
| Johnny Gray | R | R | December 11, 1926 | 6'4" | 226 | West Palm Beach, FL US |
| Elston Howard | R | R | February 23, 1929 | 6'2" | 196 | St. Louis, MO US |
| Lee Jones | R | R | April 1, 1928 | 6'1" | 190 | Fairfax, OK US |
| Hal Keller | L | R | July 7, 1927 | 6'1" | 200 | Middletown, MD US |
| Johnny Kucab | R | R | December 17, 1919 | 6'2" | 185 | Olyphant, PA US |
| Charles LeBrun | R | R | 6'3" | 185 | ||
| Don Leppert | L | R | November 20, 1930 | 5'8" | 175 | Memphis, TN US |
| Jerry Lumpe | L | R | June 2, 1933 | 6'2" | 185 | Lincoln, MO US |
| George Maier | R | L | September 4, 1932 | 6'0" | 185 | |
| Cliff Mapes | L | R | March 13, 1922 | 6'3" | 205 | Sutherland, NE US |
| Art Mazmanian | R | R | May 1, 1927 | 5'9" | 229 | Detroit, MI US |
| Bruce McKelvey | R | August 26, 1924 | 6'2" | 190 | San Pedro, CA US | |
| Bill Miller | L | L | July 26, 1927 | 6'0" | 175 | Minersville, PA US |
| Emil Patrick | R | R | July 24, 1922 | 5'10" | 175 | Cleveland, OH US |
| Vic Power | R | R | November 1, 1927 | 6'0" | 186 | Arecibo, PR |
| Jack Reed | R | R | February 2, 1933 | 6'0" | 185 | Silver City, MS US |
| Jim Robertson | R | R | January 29, 1928 | 5'9" | 183 | Chicago, IL US |
| Harry Schaeffer | L | L | June 23, 1924 | 6'2" | 175 | Reading, PA US |
| Art Schallock | L | L | April 25, 1924 | 5'9" | 160 | Mill Valley, CA US |
| Kal Segrist | R | R | April 14, 1931 | 6'0" | 180 | Greenville, TX US |
| Bill Skowron | R | R | December 18, 1930 | 5'11" | 195 | Chicago, IL US |
| Woody Smith | R | R | February 25, 1927 | 6'0" | 180 | University City, MO US |
| Kenneth Stonecipher | R | March 2, 1930 | 6'0" | 180 | ||
| Bill Virdon | L | R | June 9, 1931 | 6'0" | 175 | Hazel Park, MI US |
| Kermit Wahl | R | R | November 18, 1922 | 5'11" | 170 | Columbia, SD US |
| Bob Wiesler | S | L | August 13, 1930 | 6'3" | 188 | St. Louis, MO 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.
