1997 Carolina Mudcats Roster
Team Record: 55-82
Finished 5th in the SL's East Division
Manager: Marc Hill (0-0), Jeff Banister (0-0)
Affiliation: Pittsburgh Pirates
Location: Zebulon, North Carolina
Ballpark: Five County Stadium
Attendance: 265,219, Avg. 4,018 in 66 home dates
The Carolina Mudcats of the Southern League ended the 1997 season with a record of 55 wins and 82 losses, finishing fifth in the league's East Division.
The Mudcats plated 688 runs and yielded 786 runs. Tracy Sanders paced Carolina with 21 home runs, while Chad Hermansen and Freddy García walloped 15 or more, too. Tracy Sanders drove in 78 runs. Chad Hermansen topped all qualifying hitters on the roster by hitting .275. John Dillinger, Jeff Kelly and Mike Halperin led the team with 6 wins each, and Jeff Kelly recorded a 4.67 ERA, leading qualifying pitchers.
Players from the 1997 Carolina Mudcats who spent time in Major League Baseball during their careers included Kris Benson, Kane Davis, Paul Wagner, Abraham Núñez, Jimmy Anderson, Jason Christiansen, Chance Sanford, Blaine Beatty, Kevin Pickford, Scott Fredrickson, Jeff Wallace, Al Martin, Jason Phillips, Dennis Konuszewski, Darrell Whitmore, Freddy García, Kevin Polcovich, Jason Johnson, Carlos Crawford, Chad Hermansen, Gary Wilson, Mark Smith, Adrian Brown and Ricky Jordan.
Marc Hill and Jeff Banister served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Anderson | L | L | January 22, 1976 | 6'1" | 195 | Portsmouth, VA US |
| Mike Asche | R | R | February 13, 1972 | 6'2" | 189 | Springfield, IL US |
| Tony Beasley | R | R | December 5, 1966 | 5'8" | 165 | Fredericksburg, VA US |
| Blaine Beatty | L | L | April 25, 1964 | 6'2" | 185 | Victoria, TX US |
| Kris Benson | R | R | November 7, 1974 | 6'4" | 190 | Kennesaw, GA US |
| Ken Bonifay | L | R | September 1, 1970 | 6'1" | 185 | Kingsport, TN US |
| Kary Bridges | L | R | October 27, 1972 | 5'10" | 170 | Columbus, MS US |
| Adrian Brown | S | R | February 7, 1974 | 6'0" | 175 | McComb, MS US |
| Mike Brown | L | L | November 4, 1971 | 6'7" | 245 | Martinez, CA US |
| John Carter | R | R | February 16, 1972 | 6'1" | 195 | Chicago, IL US |
| Rafael Chaves | R | R | November 1, 1968 | 6'0" | 195 | Isabela, PR |
| Jason Christiansen | R | L | September 21, 1969 | 6'5" | 230 | Omaha, NE US |
| Jeff Conger | L | L | August 6, 1971 | 6'0" | 185 | Philadelphia, PA US |
| O. J. Cook | R | R | December 13, 1976 | 6'3" | 195 | Bethlehem, PA US |
| Carlos Crawford | R | R | October 4, 1971 | 6'1" | 190 | Charlotte, NC US |
| Brandon Cromer | L | R | January 25, 1974 | 6'2" | 175 | Lake City, SC US |
| Kane Davis | R | R | June 25, 1975 | 6'3" | 194 | Ripley, WV US |
| John Dillinger | R | R | August 28, 1973 | 6'5" | 240 | Connellsville, PA US |
| Ramon Espinosa | R | R | February 7, 1972 | 5'10" | 176 | San Pedro de Macoris, San Pedro de Macoris DO |
| Scott Fredrickson | R | R | August 19, 1967 | 6'3" | 220 | Manchester, NH US |
| Mike Freitas | R | R | September 22, 1969 | 6'1" | 160 | Sacramento, CA US |
| Freddy García | R | R | August 1, 1972 | 6'2" | 190 | La Romana, La Romana DO |
| Hal Garrett | R | R | April 27, 1975 | 6'2" | 175 | Nashville, TN US |
| Mike Halperin | L | L | September 8, 1973 | 5'10" | 170 | Naples, FL US |
| Marcus Hanel | R | R | October 19, 1971 | 6'4" | 205 | Racine, WI US |
| Steve Hazlett | R | R | March 30, 1970 | 5'11" | 200 | Longmont, CO US |
| Chad Hermansen | R | R | September 10, 1977 | 6'2" | 185 | Salt Lake City, UT US |
| Elvin Hernandez | R | R | August 20, 1977 | 6'1" | 195 | Ranchete, DO |
| Rickey Holifield | L | L | March 25, 1970 | 6'2" | 165 | Bronx, NY US |
| Jason Johnson | R | R | October 27, 1973 | 6'6" | 225 | Santa Barbara, CA US |
| Ricky Jordan | R | R | May 26, 1965 | 6'5" | 210 | Richmond, CA US |
| Jeff Kelly | L | L | January 11, 1975 | 6'6" | 232 | Staten Island, NY US |
| Dennis Konuszewski | R | R | February 4, 1971 | 6'3" | 210 | Bridgeport, MI US |
| Al Martin | L | L | November 24, 1967 | 6'2" | 220 | West Covina, CA US |
| Joe Maskivish | R | R | August 14, 1971 | 6'4" | 180 | Charleston, SC US |
| Del Mathews | L | L | October 31, 1974 | 6'4" | 224 | Grand Rapids, MI US |
| Sergio Mendez | R | R | October 12, 1973 | 6'2" | 180 | Rio San Juan, Maria Trinidad Sanchez DO |
| Tony Mitchell | S | R | October 14, 1970 | 6'4" | 225 | Detroit, MI US |
| Chris Miyake | R | R | May 18, 1973 | 6'2" | 188 | Los Angeles, CA US |
| Abraham Núñez | S | R | March 16, 1976 | 5'11" | 200 | Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional DO |
| Rick Paugh | L | L | February 6, 1972 | 6'1" | 202 | Clarksburg, WV US |
| Charles Peterson | R | R | May 8, 1974 | 6'3" | 215 | Laurens, SC US |
| Jose Pett | R | R | January 8, 1976 | 6'6" | 200 | Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo BR |
| Jason Phillips | R | R | March 22, 1974 | 6'6" | 225 | Williamsport, PA US |
| Kevin Pickford | L | L | March 12, 1975 | 6'4" | 200 | Fresno, CA US |
| Kevin Polcovich | R | R | June 28, 1970 | 5'9" | 170 | Auburn, NY US |
| Matt Ryan | R | R | March 20, 1972 | 6'5" | 195 | Chattanooga, TN US |
| Tracy Sanders | L | R | July 26, 1969 | 6'1" | 210 | Gastonia, NC US |
| Chance Sanford | L | R | June 2, 1972 | 5'10" | 165 | Houston, TX US |
| Curtis Shaw | L | L | August 16, 1969 | 6'2" | 205 | Charlotte, NC US |
| Mark Smith | R | R | May 7, 1970 | 6'3" | 205 | Pasadena, CA US |
| T. J. Staton | L | L | February 17, 1975 | 6'3" | 210 | Norfolk, VA US |
| Jon Sweet | L | R | November 10, 1971 | 6'0" | 182 | Indianapolis, IN US |
| Steve Thobe | R | R | May 26, 1972 | 6'7" | 237 | Akron, OH US |
| Paul Wagner | R | R | November 14, 1967 | 6'3" | 205 | Milwaukee, WI US |
| Jeff Wallace | L | L | April 12, 1976 | 6'2" | 240 | Wheeling, WV US |
| Darrell Whitmore | L | R | November 18, 1968 | 6'1" | 210 | Front Royal, VA US |
| Jeff Williams | R | R | April 16, 1969 | 6'4" | 230 | Salina, KS US |
| Gary Wilson | R | R | January 1, 1970 | 6'3" | 190 | Arcata, CA US |
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.
