1979 Visalia Oaks Roster
Team Record: 86-54
Finished 2nd in the CL's South Division
Manager: Tom Kelly (86-54)
Affiliation: Minnesota Twins
Location: Visalia, California
Ballpark: Recreation Park
Attendance: 50,199, Avg. 717
Playoffs - San Jose Missions 2 games, Visalia Oaks 1
The Visalia Oaks of the California League ended the 1979 season with a record of 86 wins and 54 losses, finishing second in the league's South Division.
The Oaks topped the league with 876 runs, ignited by 115 home runs. Visalia surrendered 703 runs. Mark Funderburk walloped 31 home runs for the team, while Les Pearsey swatted 15 or more, too. Les Pearsey drove in 121 runs and topped all regular hitters with a .326 average. Steve Green led the team with 16 wins, and Tom Biko earned a 3.15 ERA, tops among regularly-used pitchers.
Tom Kelly and Mark Funderburk both played in Major League Baseball during their careers.
Tom Kelly served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wade Adamson | R | R | October 26, 1955 | 6'1" | 185 | |
| Timothy Barr | L | R | August 18, 1955 | 6'1" | 183 | Meshoppen, PA US |
| Charles Belk | R | R | 6'2" | 180 | ||
| Kenneth Berger | L | L | January 2, 1956 | 5'10" | 155 | |
| Tom Biko | L | L | August 24, 1958 | 6'2" | 200 | |
| Chino Cadahia | R | R | November 22, 1957 | 5'11" | 185 | La Habana, La Habana CU |
| Paul Croft | R | R | August 14, 1959 | 5'11" | 175 | Morristown, NJ US |
| Jerry Ennis | R | R | 5'11" | 160 | ||
| Mark Funderburk | R | R | May 16, 1957 | 6'4" | 226 | Charlotte, NC US |
| Steve Green | R | R | May 14, 1958 | 6'3" | 190 | Springfield, OR US |
| Randy Greer | L | L | 6'3" | 175 | ||
| Abner Johnson | R | R | 6'1" | 195 | ||
| Tom Kelly | L | L | August 15, 1950 | 5'11" | 188 | Graceville, MN US |
| Bernardo Leonard | R | R | July 4, 1952 | 6'1" | 178 | |
| William Marrero | R | R | 6'0" | 185 | ||
| Martyn Maxwell | R | R | 6'1" | 185 | ||
| Blane McDonald | R | R | February 11, 1957 | 6'0" | 190 | Columbus, GA US |
| Alvin Moore | R | R | November 8, 1957 | 6'2" | 195 | Valdosta, GA US |
| Les Pearsey | R | R | January 31, 1956 | 6'3" | 190 | Inglewood, CA US |
| Ike Pettaway | R | R | February 9, 1955 | 6'2" | 197 | Mobile, AL US |
| Clyde Reichard | R | August 1, 1957 | 6'4" | 205 | ||
| Andres Romero | L | L | June 11, 1958 | 5'11" | 170 | |
| Charles Salagan | L | L | 6'2" | 175 | ||
| George Slembecker | R | R | 6'0" | 175 | ||
| Ronald Smith | S | R | 5'10" | 160 | ||
| Steven VandeLaan | R | 6'4" | 205 | |||
| Steve Wagner | R | R | 6'5" | 180 | ||
| Ron Wilkinson | S | R | 6'0" | 180 |
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.
