# 1954 Carolina League season

The 1954 Carolina League was a Class B baseball season played between April 21 and September 6. Eight teams played a 140-game schedule, with the top four teams qualifying for the post-season.
The Fayetteville Highlanders won the Carolina League championship, defeating the Burlington-Graham Pirates in the final round of the playoffs.

## Team changes

* The Raleigh Capitals fold.
* The High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms joined the league from the Tar Heel League and begin an affiliation with the Cincinnati Redlegs.
* The Fayetteville Highlanders ended their affiliation with the Philadelphia Athletics.
* The Winston-Salem Cardinals are renamed the Winston-Salem Twins. The club ended their affiliation with the St. Louis Cardinals.

## Teams

1954 Carolina League :
| Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| Burlington-Graham Pirates | Graham, North Carolina | Pittsburgh Pirates | Graham High School |
| Danville Leafs | Danville, Virginia | New York Giants | League Park |
| Durham Bulls | Durham, North Carolina | Detroit Tigers | Durham Athletic Park |
| Fayetteville Highlanders | Fayetteville, North Carolina | None | Pittman Stadium |
| Greensboro Patriots | Greensboro, North Carolina | Boston Red Sox | World War Memorial Stadium |
| High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms | Thomasville, North Carolina | Cincinnati Redlegs | Finch Field |
| Reidsville Luckies | Reidsville, North Carolina | None | Kiker Stadium |
| Winston-Salem Twins | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | None | South Side Park |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Fayetteville Highlanders finished with the best record in the regular season for the first time in team history.

### Standings

Carolina League :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Fayetteville Highlanders | 86 | 51 | .628 | – |
| Burlington-Graham Pirates | 82 | 56 | .594 | 4.5 |
| Greensboro Patriots | 79 | 59 | .572 | 7.5 |
| Durham Bulls | 70 | 68 | .507 | 16.5 |
| Danville Leafs | 70 | 69 | .504 | 17 |
| High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms | 66 | 73 | .475 | 21 |
| Reidsville Luckies | 56 | 83 | .403 | 31 |
| Winston-Salem Twins | 44 | 94 | .319 | 42.5 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Guy Morton Jr., Greensboro Patriots | .348 |
| H | Steve Demeter, Durham Bulls | 169 |
| R | Robert Lyons, Fayetteville Highlanders | 108 |
| 2B | Steve Demeter, Durham Bulls | 48 |
| 3B | Bobby Phillips, Reidsville Luckies | 10 |
| HR | James Pokel, Fayetteville Highlanders | 38 |
| RBI | Guy Morton Jr., Greensboro Patriots | 120 |
| SB | Gene Hassell, Burlington-Graham Pirates | 47 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Curt Barclay, Danville Leafs Robert Cruze, Durham Bulls | 19 |
| ERA | John Patula, Greensboro Patriots | 1.58 |
| CG | Curt Barclay, Danville Leafs | 23 |
| SHO | John Patula, Greensboro Patriots | 6 |
| SO | Don Schultz, Burlington-Graham Pirates | 178 |
| IP | Curt Barclay, Danville Leafs | 248.0 |

## Playoffs

* The Fayetteville Highlanders won their first Carolina League championship, defeating the Burlington-Graham Pirates in five games.

### Playoff bracket

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| 1 | Fayetteville | 3 | | | |
| 4 | Durham | 1 | | | |
| 4 | Durham | 1 | 1 | Fayetteville | 4 |
| | | | 2 | Burlington-Graham | 1 |
| 2 | Burlington-Graham | 3 | 2 | Burlington-Graham | 1 |
| 3 | Greensboro | 2 | | | |

## Awards

Carolina League awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Guy Morton Jr., Greensboro Patriots |
| Manager of the Year | Stan Wentzel, Burlington-Graham Pirates |