1978 Savannah Braves Roster
Team Record: 72-72
Finished 3rd in the SL's East Division
Manager: Bobby Dews (72-72)
Affiliation: Atlanta Braves
Location: Savannah, Georgia
Ballpark: Grayson Stadium
Attendance: 68,126, Avg. 946
Playoffs - Savannah Braves 2 games, Orlando Twins 1
Finals - Knoxville Sox 2 games, Savannah Braves 1
The Savannah Braves of the Southern League ended the 1978 season with a record of 72 wins and 72 losses, finishing third in the league's East Division.
The Braves scored 500 runs and surrendered 513 runs. Jerry Keller led Savannah with 21 home runs and drove in 74 runs. Rufino Linares paced batters with significant playing time by hitting .302. Jim Bouton topped the squad with 11 wins, while Roger Alexander registered a 1.84 earned run average, best among qualifying pitchers.
Members of the 1978 Savannah Braves who played in Major League Baseball during their careers were Rafael Ramírez, Larry Owen, Jim Bouton, Jim Wessinger, Don Collins, Gary Cooper, Tony Brizzolara, Terry Harper, Rufino Linares, Terry Leach, Ken Smith, Rick Matula and Dan Morogiello.
Bobby Dews served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roger Alexander | R | R | August 2, 1954 | 6'1" | 170 | Midwest City, OK US |
| Timothy Barr | L | R | August 18, 1955 | 6'1" | 183 | Meshoppen, PA US |
| Jim Bouton | R | R | March 8, 1939 | 6'0" | 170 | Newark, NJ US |
| Tim Brill | R | R | May 19, 1955 | 6'1" | 195 | Temple, PA US |
| Tony Brizzolara | R | R | January 14, 1957 | 6'5" | 215 | Santa Monica, CA US |
| Leland Byrd | R | R | October 30, 1955 | 6'1" | 175 | Gainesville, GA US |
| Dom Chiti | L | L | December 10, 1958 | 6'0" | 190 | Independence, MO US |
| Don Collins | R | L | September 15, 1952 | 6'2" | 195 | Lyons, GA US |
| Gary Cooper | S | R | December 22, 1956 | 6'3" | 175 | Savannah, GA US |
| Tim Costello | L | L | May 31, 1956 | 6'3" | 205 | Harrisburg, PA US |
| Miguelito DeLaCruz | R | R | July 5, 1957 | 5'11" | 170 | Hato Mayor del Rey, Hato Mayor DO |
| James Doherty | R | R | December 16, 1953 | 6'0" | 165 | |
| Clayton Elliott | R | R | August 17, 1955 | 5'10" | 175 | Pittsburgh, PA US |
| Andres Forbes | R | R | January 22, 1957 | 5'10" | 160 | , DO |
| Timothy Graven | R | L | October 25, 1954 | 6'0" | 190 | Covington, KY US |
| Richard Green | S | R | September 14, 1956 | 6'1" | 208 | Conroe, TX US |
| Terry Harper | R | R | August 19, 1955 | 6'4" | 195 | Douglasville, GA US |
| Bill Haslerig | L | R | October 12, 1954 | 6'2" | 185 | Cincinnati, OH US |
| Lamar Jones | R | R | July 9, 1952 | 6'5" | 195 | Chamblee, GA US |
| Jerry Keller | R | R | February 9, 1955 | 6'4" | 210 | Royal Oak, MI US |
| Terry Leach | R | R | March 13, 1954 | 6'0" | 215 | Selma, AL US |
| Rufino Linares | R | R | February 28, 1951 | 6'0" | 170 | San Pedro de Macoris, San Pedro de Macoris DO |
| Stuart Livingstone | R | R | August 5, 1954 | 6'2" | 200 | Toronto, ON CA |
| Jeff Matthews | R | R | June 20, 1956 | 5'10" | 165 | Minneapolis, MN US |
| Rick Matula | R | R | November 22, 1953 | 6'0" | 190 | Wharton, TX US |
| Dan Morogiello | L | L | March 26, 1955 | 6'1" | 200 | Brooklyn, NY US |
| Larry Owen | R | R | May 31, 1955 | 5'11" | 185 | Cleveland, OH US |
| Louis Pratt | R | R | September 8, 1956 | 6'1" | 185 | Boynton Beach, FL US |
| Rafael Ramírez | R | R | February 18, 1958 | 6'0" | 170 | San Pedro de Macoris, San Pedro de Macoris DO |
| Mike Reynolds | L | R | February 11, 1955 | 5'10" | 160 | Nampa, ID US |
| Ken Smith | L | R | February 12, 1958 | 6'1" | 195 | Youngstown, OH US |
| Brian Snitker | R | R | October 17, 1955 | 6'1" | 190 | Decatur, IL US |
| David Stevens | R | R | June 21, 1956 | 5'11" | 175 | |
| Scott Thayer | R | R | October 5, 1954 | 6'4" | 195 | Hamilton AFB, OH US |
| Vincent Titus | L | L | August 24, 1954 | 6'1" | 172 | Renton, WA US |
| Jim Wessinger | R | R | September 25, 1955 | 5'10" | 165 | Utica, NY US |
| Richard Wieters | R | R | February 26, 1955 | 6'5" | 215 | Charleston, 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.
