1953 Tampa Smokers Roster
Team Record: 46-91
Finished 6th in the FIL
Manager: Ben Chapman (0-0), Art Rebel (0-0)
Location: Tampa, Florida
Ballpark: Plant Field
Attendance: 39,234, Avg. 573
The Tampa Smokers of the Florida International League ended the 1953 season with a record of 46 wins and 91 losses, finishing sixth in the FIL.
The Smokers scored 525 runs and allowed 741 runs, most in the circuit. Mike Ilitch led all regular batters with a .310 average. Dale Matthewson topped Tampa with 15 wins and a team-best 3.25 earned run average, tops among regular hurlers.
Players from the 1953 Tampa Smokers who spent time in the Majors during their careers included Rogelio Martínez, Dale Matthewson, Gready McKinnis, Bert Shepard and José Zardón.
Ben Chapman and Art Rebel served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gerald Ackerman | R | R | January 22, 1930 | 6'2" | 207 | |
Hank Anderssohn | R | December 6, 1925 | 5'10" | 160 | ||
Arnie Atkins | R | R | November 21, 1923 | 5'10" | 185 | Muscatine, IA US |
Humberto Baez | R | R | September 7, 1924 | 5'10" | 150 | |
Dick Baxter | R | R | 6'1" | 165 | ||
Gordon Bragg | L | R | October 2, 1927 | 5'10" | 165 | |
Allen Chester | R | R | 6'1" | 185 | ||
Robert Christophel | R | L | October 6, 1928 | 6'0" | 175 | |
Harry Clark | R | R | September 28, 1929 | 6'2" | 180 | |
Francis Dale | ||||||
Carlos DeSouza | R | R | June 6, 1924 | 5'7" | 160 | |
Jack Escarra | R | R | ||||
Tom Falk | L | L | September 4, 1930 | 6'0" | 180 | |
Benny Fernandez | R | June 22, 1921 | 6'1" | 200 | ||
Luis Garcia | R | R | September 11, 1929 | 5'10" | 180 | Carupano, Sucre VE |
Hiram Gonzalez | L | L | October 6, 1923 | 5'9" | 175 | La Habana, La Habana CU |
Charles Gooding | R | R | January 12, 1928 | 5'9" | 170 | St. Louis, MO US |
Mike Ilitch | R | July 20, 1929 | 5'9" | 160 | ||
Felipe Jiminez | R | R | July 9, 1923 | 5'11" | 204 | |
Gerald Kleinsmith | R | R | June 10, 1928 | 5'11" | 166 | |
James Ladd | R | R | 6'4" | 190 | ||
Jose Lopez | R | R | 6'1" | 195 | ||
Bob Manning | R | R | November 16, 1931 | 5'9" | 170 | Peoria, IL US |
James Martin | R | R | 6'0" | 185 | ||
Rogelio MartÃnez | R | R | November 5, 1918 | 6'0" | 180 | Cidra, CU |
Dale Matthewson | R | R | May 15, 1923 | 5'11" | 145 | Catasauqua, PA US |
Gready McKinnis | R | L | August 11, 1913 | 6'2" | 170 | Union, AL US |
Mack Meeks | L | March 19, 1928 | 6'2" | 195 | ||
Glenn Noback | L | 6'0" | 175 | |||
Ben Owens | ||||||
Leonard Pecou | R | May 23, 1925 | 5'11" | 160 | ||
Harold Pfeiffer | L | 6'1" | 190 | |||
Andy Piesik | L | November 4, 1924 | 6'0" | 175 | Bay City, MI US | |
Mike Romello | R | September 5, 1921 | 5'5" | 155 | Philadelphia, PA US | |
Isaac Seaone | R | 5'10" | 180 | |||
Bob Shaulis | R | October 29, 1930 | 6'0" | 200 | ||
Bert Shepard | L | L | June 28, 1920 | 5'11" | 185 | Dana, IN US |
Joe Sheppard | January 31, 1925 | |||||
John Smirnoff | R | 5'9" | 165 | |||
Greg Solis | R | 5'11" | 190 | |||
Russell Stahlman | ||||||
Bill Tosheff | R | R | June 2, 1926 | 6'1" | 185 | |
Grady Watts | R | 6'2" | 190 | |||
Adam Young | ||||||
José Zardón | R | R | May 20, 1923 | 6'0" | 150 | La Habana, La Habana CU |
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.