1953 Tampa Smokers Roster

Florida International League (FIL) - Class: B
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
1953 Tampa Smokers Statistics

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 AckermanRRJanuary 22, 19306'2"207
Hank AnderssohnRDecember 6, 19255'10"160
Arnie AtkinsRRNovember 21, 19235'10"185Muscatine, IA US
Humberto BaezRRSeptember 7, 19245'10"150
Dick BaxterRR6'1"165
Gordon BraggLROctober 2, 19275'10"165
Allen ChesterRR6'1"185
Robert ChristophelRLOctober 6, 19286'0"175
Harry ClarkRRSeptember 28, 19296'2"180
Francis Dale
Carlos DeSouzaRRJune 6, 19245'7"160
Jack EscarraRR
Tom FalkLLSeptember 4, 19306'0"180
Benny FernandezRJune 22, 19216'1"200
Luis GarciaRRSeptember 11, 19295'10"180Carupano, Sucre VE
Hiram GonzalezLLOctober 6, 19235'9"175La Habana, La Habana CU
Charles GoodingRRJanuary 12, 19285'9"170St. Louis, MO US
Mike IlitchRJuly 20, 19295'9"160
Felipe JiminezRRJuly 9, 19235'11"204
Gerald KleinsmithRRJune 10, 19285'11"166
James LaddRR6'4"190
Jose LopezRR6'1"195
Bob ManningRRNovember 16, 19315'9"170Peoria, IL US
James MartinRR6'0"185
Rogelio MartínezRRNovember 5, 19186'0"180Cidra, CU
Dale MatthewsonRRMay 15, 19235'11"145Catasauqua, PA US
Gready McKinnisRLAugust 11, 19136'2"170Union, AL US
Mack MeeksLMarch 19, 19286'2"195
Glenn NobackL6'0"175
Ben Owens
Leonard PecouRMay 23, 19255'11"160
Harold PfeifferL6'1"190
Andy PiesikLNovember 4, 19246'0"175Bay City, MI US
Mike RomelloRSeptember 5, 19215'5"155Philadelphia, PA US
Isaac SeaoneR5'10"180
Bob ShaulisROctober 29, 19306'0"200
Bert ShepardLLJune 28, 19205'11"185Dana, IN US
Joe SheppardJanuary 31, 1925
John SmirnoffR5'9"165
Greg SolisR5'11"190
Russell Stahlman
Bill TosheffRRJune 2, 19266'1"185
Grady WattsR6'2"190
Adam Young
José ZardónRRMay 20, 19236'0"150La 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.




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