The 1952 Carolina League was a Class B baseball season played between April 16 and September 1. Eight teams played a 140-game schedule, with the top four teams qualifying for the post-season.
The Reidsville Luckies won the Carolina League championship, defeating the Durham Bulls in the final round of the playoffs.
Team changes The Burlington Bees are rebranded as the Burlington-Graham Pirates. The team relocated their home games to Graham High School in Graham, North Carolina. The club remained affiliated with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Danville Leafs began an affiliation with the Washington Senators.
Teams 1952 Carolina League Team City MLB Affiliate Stadium Burlington-Graham Pirates Graham, North Carolina Pittsburgh Pirates Graham High School Danville Leafs Danville, Virginia Washington Senators League Park Durham Bulls Durham, North Carolina Detroit Tigers Durham Athletic Park Fayetteville Athletics Fayetteville, North Carolina Philadelphia Athletics Pittman Stadium Greensboro Patriots Greensboro, North Carolina Chicago Cubs World War Memorial Stadium Raleigh Capitals Raleigh, North Carolina None Devereaux Meadow Reidsville Luckies Reidsville, North Carolina None Kiker Stadium Winston-Salem Cardinals Winston-Salem, North Carolina St. Louis Cardinals South Side Park
Map of teams
Regular season Summary The Raleigh Capitals finished with the best record in the regular season for the first time since 1948.
Standings 1952 CL Standings at stats-crew.com, URL accessed December 2, 2024 Carolina League Team Win Loss % GB Raleigh Capitals 79 57 – Durham Bulls 76 59 2.5 Winston-Salem Cardinals 74 63 5.5 Reidsville Luckies 74 64 6 Greensboro Patriots 70 64 8 Danville Leafs 65 74 15.5 Fayetteville Athletics 63 73 16 Burlington-Graham Pirates 45 92 34.5
League Leaders
Batting leaders 1952 CL Batting Leaders at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed December 2, 2024 Stat Player Total AVG Emil Karlik, Durham Bulls .347 H Chick King, Durham Bulls 186 R Luis Morales, Danville Leafs 110 2B Joseph Pancoe, Reidsville Luckies 44 3B Scott Quackenbush, Greensboro Patriots 11 HR Dale Powell, Danville Leafs 25 RBI Paul Owens, Winston-Salem Cardinals Dale Powell, Danville Leafs 105 SB Jack Mitchell, Greensboro Patriots 47
Pitching leaders 1952 CL Pitching Leaders at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed December 2, 2024 Stat Player Total W Len Matarazzo, Fayetteville Athletics 22 ERA Ron Necciai, Burlington-Graham Pirates 1.57 CG Len Matarazzo, Fayetteville Athletics Bernard Rossman, Raleigh Capitals 22 SHO Len Matarazzo, Fayetteville Athletics 9 SO Ron Necciai, Burlington-Graham Pirates 172 IP Bob Hartig, Greensboro Patriots 254.0
Playoffs The Reidsville Luckies won their first Carolina League championship, defeating the Durham Bulls in four games. The league semi-finals were shortened from a best-of-seven series to a best-of-five.
Playoff bracket
Awards Carolina League awards Award name Recipient Most Valuable Player Len Matarazzo, Fayetteville Athletics Manager of the Year Herb Brett, Raleigh Capitals
See also 1952 Major League Baseball season
References
External links Minor League Baseball official website