1953 Portsmouth Merrimacks Roster
Team Record: 72-63
Finished 4th in the PL
Manager: Bob Ankrum (72-63)
Location: Portsmouth, Virginia
Ballpark: Frank Lawrence Stadium
Attendance: 64,000, Avg. 948
Playoffs - Norfolk Tars 4 games, Portsmouth Merrimacks 1
The Portsmouth Merrimacks of the Piedmont League ended the 1953 season with a record of 72 wins and 63 losses, finishing fourth in the PL.
The Merrimacks scored 594 runs and allowed 590 runs. Charlie Peete led all qualifying hitters on the roster with a .275 average. Brooks Lawrence topped Portsmouth with 18 wins, while Ray Kangas added 15 or more wins, too Brooks Lawrence registered a 2.37 earned run average, tops among hurlers with significant time on the mound.
Members of the 1953 Portsmouth Merrimacks who played in Major League Baseball during their careers were Buck Leonard, Charlie Peete and Brooks Lawrence.
Bob Ankrum served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Ankrum | R | R | September 29, 1920 | 5'11" | 171 | Hopewell, OH US |
| William Archer | R | R | August 9, 1914 | 5'11" | 165 | |
| Herbert Benson | ||||||
| Charles Bradshaw | R | R | October 30, 1930 | 6'0" | 180 | |
| Harry Butts | R | L | ||||
| John Cornwell | ||||||
| Joseph Corona | ||||||
| Herman Creasey | L | 6'3" | 200 | |||
| Michael Dattero | R | R | 5'11" | 185 | ||
| Dominic Della Rocca | R | August 17, 1929 | 5'11" | 185 | ||
| Arthur Edwards | L | 6'1" | 165 | |||
| Robert Eisiminger | R | R | September 1, 1920 | 5'11" | 155 | |
| Dewey Funkhouser | ||||||
| Harry Geis | R | 6'0" | 190 | |||
| Hamilton Graham | L | L | October 20, 1925 | 6'0" | 175 | |
| David Green | ||||||
| Ken Guettler | R | May 29, 1927 | 6'0" | 200 | ||
| Max Hallman | ||||||
| Ken Hatcher | L | R | July 3, 1926 | 6'4" | 215 | North Hollywood, CA US |
| Edward Hurley | R | R | September 9, 1913 | 6'1" | 200 | |
| Bernard Jenis | L | 5'11" | 167 | |||
| Ray Kangas | R | R | April 19, 1930 | 6'1" | 185 | Bessemer, MI US |
| Harry Land | R | R | May 18, 1922 | 5'8" | 165 | , KY US |
| Herman Lange | R | R | 6'0" | 165 | ||
| Brooks Lawrence | R | R | January 30, 1925 | 6'0" | 205 | Springfield, OH US |
| Buck Leonard | L | L | September 8, 1907 | 5'10" | 185 | Rocky Mount, NC US |
| James Mason | ||||||
| Edward Neighbors | R | 5'11" | 165 | |||
| Lamar North | R | R | May 20, 1929 | 6'1" | 180 | |
| Charlie Peete | L | R | February 22, 1929 | 5'9" | 190 | Franklin, VA US |
| Franklin Robinson | R | R | August 22, 1925 | 6'1" | 185 | |
| Edward Sykes | ||||||
| Herman Wheeler | R | 5'11" | 180 | |||
| Eugene White | ||||||
| William Williams |
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.
