1981 Omaha Royals Roster
Team Record: 79-57
Finished 1st in the AA's West Division
Manager: Joe Sparks (79-57)
Affiliation: Kansas City Royals
Location: Omaha, Nebraska
Ballpark: Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium
Attendance: 196,924, Avg. 2,896
Playoffs - Omaha Royals 3 games, Springfield Redbirds 2
Finals - Denver Bears 4 games, Omaha Royals 0
The Omaha Royals of the American Association ended the 1981 season with a record of 79 wins and 57 losses, finishing first in the league's West Division.
The Royals allowed 552 runs, least in the league. Omaha plated 617 runs. Darryl Motley paced the team with 18 home runs, and Bombo Rivera walloped 15 or more, too. Manny Castillo accounted for 91 RBI and topped all regular batters with a .335 average. Mike Jones and Atlee Hammaker led the squad with 11 wins each, while Mike Jones recorded a 2.96 ERA, leading hurlers with significant time on the mound.
Players from the 1981 Omaha Royals who spent time in the Majors during their careers included Bill Paschall, Pat Sheridan, Atlee Hammaker, Keith Creel, Bombo Rivera, Danny Garcia, Tim Ireland, Greg Keatley, Don Hood, Craig Chamberlain, Gary Christenson, Darryl Motley, Kelly Heath, Ken Phelps, Jeff Schattinger, Ron Johnson, Mark Ryal, Mike Jones, Onix Concepción, Bill Laskey, Jerry Cram, Jim Gaudet, Bob Detherage, Don Slaught, Manny Castillo and Jeff Twitty.
Joe Sparks served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Buckner | L | L | April 28, 1953 | 5'8" | 165 | |
| Manny Castillo | S | R | April 1, 1957 | 5'9" | 160 | Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional DO |
| Craig Chamberlain | R | R | February 2, 1957 | 6'1" | 190 | Hollywood, CA US |
| Gary Christenson | L | L | May 5, 1953 | 6'5" | 200 | Mineola, NY US |
| Onix Concepción | R | R | October 5, 1957 | 5'6" | 160 | Dorado, PR |
| Jerry Cram | R | R | December 9, 1947 | 6'0" | 180 | Los Angeles, CA US |
| Keith Creel | R | R | February 4, 1959 | 6'2" | 180 | Dallas, TX US |
| Bob Detherage | R | R | September 20, 1954 | 6'0" | 180 | Springfield, MO US |
| Robert Ferris | R | R | 5'11" | 190 | ||
| Daniel Fischer | R | 6'3" | 180 | |||
| Danny Garcia | L | L | April 29, 1954 | 6'1" | 182 | Brooklyn, NY US |
| Jim Gaudet | R | R | June 3, 1955 | 6'0" | 185 | New Orleans, LA US |
| Duane Gustavson | R | R | January 22, 1955 | 6'0" | 190 | Mundelein, IL US |
| Atlee Hammaker | S | L | January 24, 1958 | 6'3" | 200 | Carmel, CA US |
| Kelly Heath | R | R | September 4, 1957 | 5'7" | 155 | Plattsburg, NY US |
| Don Hood | L | L | October 16, 1949 | 6'2" | 180 | Florence, SC US |
| Tim Ireland | S | R | March 14, 1953 | 6'0" | 180 | Oakland, CA US |
| Ron Johnson | R | R | March 23, 1956 | 6'3" | 215 | Long Beach, CA US |
| Mike Jones | L | L | July 30, 1959 | 6'6" | 215 | Rochester, NY US |
| Greg Keatley | R | R | September 12, 1953 | 6'2" | 200 | Princeton, WV US |
| Bill Laskey | R | R | December 20, 1957 | 6'5" | 190 | Toledo, OH US |
| Darryl Motley | R | R | January 21, 1960 | 5'9" | 196 | Muskogee, OK US |
| Bill Paschall | R | R | April 22, 1954 | 6'0" | 175 | Norfolk, VA US |
| Ken Phelps | L | L | August 6, 1954 | 6'1" | 209 | Seattle, WA US |
| Bombo Rivera | R | R | August 2, 1952 | 5'10" | 187 | Ponce, PR |
| Mark Ryal | L | L | August 28, 1960 | 6'1" | 185 | Henryetta, OK US |
| Jeff Schattinger | L | R | October 25, 1955 | 6'5" | 200 | Fresno, CA US |
| Pat Sheridan | L | R | December 4, 1957 | 6'3" | 175 | Ann Arbor, MI US |
| Don Slaught | R | R | September 11, 1958 | 6'1" | 190 | Long Beach, CA US |
| Russ Stephans | R | R | May 20, 1959 | 6'0" | 185 | |
| Jeff Twitty | L | L | November 10, 1957 | 6'2" | 185 | Lancaster, SC 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.
