1981 Peninsula Pilots Roster
Team Record: 71-65
Finished 1st in the CL's South Division
Manager: Bill Dancy (71-65)
Affiliation: Philadelphia Phillies
Location: Newport News, Virginia
Ballpark: War Memorial Stadium
Attendance: 66,261, Avg. 974
Playoffs - Peninsula Pilots 1 game, Kinston Eagles 0
Finals - Hagerstown Suns 3 games, Peninsula Pilots 0
The Peninsula Pilots of the Carolina League ended the 1981 season with a record of 71 wins and 65 losses, finishing first in the league's South Division.
The Pilots conceded 538 runs, the lowest total in the circuit. Peninsula tallied 609 runs. Randy Salava paced the team with 13 home runs Jerry Willard drove in 60 runs. Paul Fryer led hitters with significant playing time by hitting .260. Kelly Downs topped the squad with 13 wins, while Denny Thomas recorded a 2.58 ERA, leading qualifying pitchers.
Jay Baller, Francisco Meléndez, Steve Jeltz, Marty Decker, Kelly Downs, Jerry Willard and Ed Hearn were all players from the 1981 Peninsula Pilots who played in the Majors during their careers.
Bill Dancy served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Felix Agapay | L | L | February 2, 1958 | 6'2" | 190 | |
| Jay Baller | R | R | October 6, 1960 | 6'6" | 215 | Stayton, OR US |
| Dean Baugh | R | R | January 30, 1960 | 5'10" | ||
| Rafael Cepeda | R | 5'10" | 169 | |||
| James Crawford | R | R | 5'9" | 175 | ||
| Willie Darkis | R | R | January 26, 1960 | 6'0" | 200 | Guthrie, OK US |
| Marty Decker | R | R | June 7, 1957 | 5'11" | 168 | Upland, CA US |
| Kelly Downs | R | R | October 25, 1960 | 6'4" | 195 | Ogden, UT US |
| Steve Dunnegan | R | December 28, 1960 | 6'1" | 190 | ||
| David Enos | S | R | 6'2" | 185 | ||
| Paul Fryer | R | R | September 18, 1960 | 6'0" | 185 | Scranton, PA US |
| David Harrigan | R | R | July 28, 1958 | 5'11" | 190 | |
| Steve Harvey | R | R | February 22, 1960 | 5'11" | 165 | |
| Ed Hearn | R | R | August 23, 1960 | 6'3" | 215 | Stuart, FL US |
| Steve Jeltz | S | R | May 28, 1959 | 5'11" | 180 | Paris, FR |
| Jon Lindsey | L | R | 6'1" | 175 | ||
| Francisco Meléndez | L | L | January 25, 1964 | 6'0" | 190 | Rio Piedras, PR |
| David Mitchell | R | 6'3" | 185 | |||
| Kyle Money | R | R | October 24, 1960 | 6'3" | 205 | Greenville, TX US |
| Joe Nemeth | L | L | 6'3" | 190 | ||
| John Palmieri | L | 6'3" | 195 | |||
| Dan Prior | R | R | 6'5" | 195 | ||
| Randy Salava | L | R | August 18, 1959 | 6'1" | 190 | Owosso, MI US |
| Vin Soreca | R | R | August 11, 1960 | 6'2" | 195 | Manhattan, NY US |
| Denny Thomas | R | R | March 16, 1958 | 6'2" | 190 | Cuba, NY US |
| Jeffrey Ulrich | R | R | November 3, 1958 | 5'10" | 180 | Clovis, CA US |
| Fred Warner | L | 6'0" | 175 | |||
| Keith Washington | S | R | October 8, 1959 | 6'0" | 160 | Albany, NY US |
| Jerry Willard | L | R | March 14, 1960 | 6'2" | 195 | Oxnard, CA 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.
