1956 Paris Lakers Roster
Team Record: 73-52
Finished 1st in the MWL
Manager: Marty Purtell (73-52)
Affiliation: Chicago Cubs
Location: Paris, Illinois
Ballpark: Laker Stadium
Attendance: 60,350, Avg. 966
Playoffs - Paris Lakers 2 games, Lafayette Red Sox 0
Finals - Paris Lakers 3 games, Dubuque Packers 1
The Paris Lakers of the Midwest League ended the 1956 season with a record of 73 wins and 52 losses, finishing first in the MWL.
The Lakers scored 924 runs, most in the league. Paris conceded 817 runs. Lee Handley led all regular batters with a .360 average. Joe Schaffernoth topped the squad with 21 wins and a team-best 2.72 earned run average, tops among pitchers with enough qualifying appearances.
Joe Schaffernoth and Jack Curtis both played in Major League Baseball during their careers.
Marty Purtell served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willie Adams | R | R | ||||
| Ray Aguillard | R | R | July 25, 1938 | 6'0" | 162 | |
| Walter Babcock | R | R | 6'1" | 180 | ||
| Raymond Balderas | S | L | April 28, 1934 | |||
| David Belcher | R | R | May 14, 1936 | Richmond, IN US | ||
| James Bridgeman | R | R | May 20, 1937 | 6'0" | 185 | |
| Jack Bryant | L | R | February 17, 1934 | 6'0" | 170 | |
| Jerry Coley | R | R | August 20, 1937 | 6'3" | 185 | |
| Dock Conners | R | R | July 26, 1934 | 5'10" | 150 | |
| Jack Curtis | L | L | January 11, 1937 | 5'10" | 175 | Rhodhiss, NC US |
| Donald Davis | L | L | October 2, 1937 | 5'11" | 175 | Tulsa, OK US |
| Jack Evans | R | R | 5'11" | 165 | ||
| Carroll Gholson | L | R | 6'2" | 185 | ||
| James Gilmore | S | R | 6'0" | 195 | ||
| Lee Handley | R | R | January 3, 1935 | 6'0" | 195 | Chicago, IL US |
| James Huber | L | R | 6'0" | 180 | ||
| Harry Huckemeyer | R | R | ||||
| Jimmy Johnson | R | R | September 2, 1933 | 5'10" | 175 | |
| John Kreuter | L | L | June 4, 1934 | 6'0" | 190 | Metropolis, IL US |
| Charles Leader | R | R | 5'11" | 190 | ||
| Peter Mattachione | R | R | 5'10" | 160 | ||
| Donald Moses | L | R | 5'11" | 160 | ||
| James Murphy | R | R | March 18, 1937 | 6'3" | 190 | |
| James Newman | R | 6'2" | 170 | |||
| Thomas Paddock | R | R | 5'9" | 185 | ||
| Herb Parsons | L | 5'10" | 160 | |||
| Jim Powers | R | L | 6'1" | 185 | ||
| Tom Rea | S | R | August 2, 1934 | 6'3" | 196 | Detroit, MI US |
| Kenneth Rollins | R | R | 5'9" | 190 | ||
| Joe Schaffernoth | R | R | August 6, 1937 | 6'4" | 195 | Trenton, NJ US |
| Bill Schmidt | R | R | 5'11" | 180 | ||
| Eugene Seats | L | L | 6'0" | 180 | ||
| Gerald Smith | R | |||||
| Phil Smolinski | R | R | 5'10" | 170 |
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.
