1983 Southern League season
| 1983 Southern League season | |
|---|---|
| League | Southern League |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | April 8 – August 31 |
| Number of games | 146 |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Regular season | |
| League champions | Birmingham Barons |
| Season MVP | John Morris, Jacksonville Suns |
| Playoffs | |
| League champions | Birmingham Barons |
| Runners-up | Jacksonville Suns |
The 1983 Southern League was a Class AA baseball season played between April 8 and August 31. Ten teams played a 146-game schedule, with the top team in each division in each half of the season qualifying for the post-season.
The Birmingham Barons won the Southern League championship, as they defeated the Jacksonville Suns in the playoffs.
Team changes
- The Chattanooga Lookouts ended their affiliation with the Cleveland Indians and began a new affiliation with the Seattle Mariners.
Teams
Map of teams
East Division 
West Division
Regular season
Summary
- The Birmingham Barons finished the season with the best record in the league for the first time since 1967.
Standings
| East Division | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Savannah Braves | 81 | 64 | .559 | – |
| Jacksonville Suns | 77 | 68 | .531 | 4 |
| Charlotte Orioles | 69 | 77 | .473 | 12.5 |
| Columbus Astros | 64 | 79 | .448 | 16 |
| Orlando Twins | 62 | 83 | .428 | 19 |
| West Division | ||||
| Birmingham Barons | 91 | 54 | .628 | – |
| Nashville Sounds | 88 | 58 | .603 | 4 |
| Chattanooga Lookouts | 68 | 75 | .476 | 22 |
| Knoxville Blue Jays | 64 | 82 | .438 | 27.5 |
| Memphis Chicks | 61 | 85 | .418 | 30.5 |
League Leaders
Batting leaders
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Iván Calderón, Chattanooga Lookouts | .311 |
| H | Iván Calderón, Chattanooga Lookouts | 170 |
| R | George Foussianes, Birmingham Barons | 106 |
| 2B | Larry Sheets, Charlotte Orioles | 37 |
| 3B | Iván Calderón, Chattanooga Lookouts | 15 |
| HR | Glenn Davis, Columbus Astros Larry Sheets, Charlotte Orioles |
25 |
| RBI | Miguel Sosa, Savannah Braves | 93 |
| SB | Mike Cole, Savannah Braves | 75 |
Pitching leaders
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Don Heinkel, Birmingham Barons | 19 |
| ERA | Roger Mason, Birmingham Barons | 2.06 |
| CG | Don Heinkel, Birmingham Barons | 13 |
| SHO | John Cerutti, Knoxville Blue Jays Keith Comstock, Birmingham Barons Jeff Heathcock, Columbus Astros Kelly Scott, Nashville Sounds Mark Shiflett, Nashville Sounds Benny Snyder, Columbus Astros |
3 |
| SV | Dave Shipanoff, Knoxville Blue Jays | 18 |
| IP | Don Heinkel, Birmingham Barons | 207.1 |
| SO | Mark Gubicza, Jacksonville Suns | 146 |
Playoffs
- The Birmingham Barons won their second Southern League championship, defeating the Jacksonville Suns in four games.
Playoff bracket
| Division finals | Finals | ||||||||
| E1 | Jacksonville | 3 | |||||||
| E2 | Savannah | 1 | |||||||
| E1 | Jacksonville | 1 | |||||||
| W1 | Birmingham | 3 | |||||||
| W1 | Birmingham | 3 | |||||||
| W2 | Nashville | 2 | |||||||
Awards
| Southern League awards | |
|---|---|
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | John Morris, Jacksonville Suns |
| Pitcher of the Year | Don Heinkel, Birmingham Barons |
| Manager of the Year | Roy Majtyka, Birmingham Barons |
See also
References
- ^ 1983 SOUL Standings at stats-crew.com, URL accessed March 4, 2025
- ^ 1983 SL Batting Leaders at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed March 4, 2025
- ^ 1983 SL Pitching Leaders at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed March 4, 2025