1997 Jacksonville Suns Roster
Team Record: 66-73
Finished 3rd in the SL's East Division
Manager: Dave Anderson (66-73)
Affiliation: Detroit Tigers
Location: Jacksonville, Florida
Ballpark: Sam M. Wolfson Park
Attendance: 238,238, Avg. 3,504 in 68 home dates
The Jacksonville Suns of the Southern League ended the 1997 season with a record of 66 wins and 73 losses, finishing third in the league's East Division.
The Suns tallied 699 runs and allowed 741 runs. Juan Encarnación paced Jacksonville with 26 home runs, and Jesse Ibarra walloped 15 or more, too. Jesse Ibarra drove in 91 runs. Juan Encarnación topped hitters with significant playing time by connecting at a .323 clip. Brandon Reed led the squad with 11 wins and a team-best 4.55 ERA, leading pitchers with enough qualifying appearances.
Members of the 1997 Jacksonville Suns who played in Major League Baseball during their careers were Dave Roberts, Luis Garcia, Roberto Durán, Willis Roberts, Marino Santana, Bryan Corey, Orlando Miller, Jimmy Hurst, Seth Greisinger, Juan Encarnación and Glen Barker.
Dave Anderson served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rich Almanzar | R | R | April 3, 1976 | 5'10" | 165 | San Francisco de Macoris, Duarte DO |
| Glen Barker | S | R | May 10, 1971 | 5'10" | 180 | Albany, NY US |
| Scott Bream | S | R | November 4, 1970 | 6'1" | 170 | Omaha, NE US |
| Julio Bruno | R | R | October 15, 1972 | 5'11" | 190 | Puerto Plata, Puerto Plata DO |
| Decomba Conner | R | R | July 17, 1973 | 5'10" | 185 | Mooresville, NC US |
| Bryan Corey | R | R | October 21, 1973 | 5'10" | 170 | Thousand Oaks, CA US |
| Matt Drews | R | R | August 29, 1974 | 6'8" | 230 | Sarasota, FL US |
| Mike Drumright | L | R | April 19, 1974 | 6'4" | 217 | Salina, KS US |
| Roberto Durán | L | L | March 6, 1973 | 6'0" | 167 | Moca, Espaillat DO |
| Juan Encarnación | R | R | March 8, 1976 | 6'2" | 160 | Las Matas de Farfan, San Juan DO |
| Kevin Gallaher | R | R | August 1, 1968 | 6'3" | 190 | Fairfax, VA US |
| Luis Garcia | R | R | May 20, 1975 | 6'0" | 175 | San Francisco de Macoris, Duarte DO |
| Scott Gentile | R | R | December 21, 1970 | 5'10" | 205 | New Britain, CT US |
| Gary Goldsmith | R | R | July 4, 1971 | 6'2" | 205 | Alamogordo, NM US |
| Seth Greisinger | R | R | July 29, 1975 | 6'3" | 200 | Kansas City, KS US |
| Jimmy Hurst | R | R | March 1, 1972 | 6'6" | 225 | Tuscaloosa, AL US |
| Jesse Ibarra | S | R | July 12, 1972 | 6'3" | 195 | Los Angeles, CA US |
| Earl Johnson | S | R | October 3, 1971 | 5'10" | 165 | Detroit, MI US |
| Steve Lackey | R | R | September 25, 1974 | 5'11" | 159 | Corona, CA US |
| Kevin Lidle | R | R | March 22, 1972 | 5'11" | 170 | Hollywood, CA US |
| Del Marine | R | R | October 18, 1971 | 6'0" | 205 | Santa Monica, CA US |
| Jesus Marquez | L | L | March 12, 1973 | 6'0" | 175 | Caracas, Distrito Federal VE |
| Kenny Marrero | R | R | May 13, 1970 | 6'3" | 208 | Bronx, NY US |
| Dave Melendez | S | R | June 25, 1976 | 6'0" | 170 | Caguas, PR |
| Orlando Miller | R | R | January 13, 1969 | 6'1" | 180 | Changuinola, PA |
| Brandon Reed | R | R | December 18, 1974 | 6'4" | 195 | Flint, MI US |
| Dave Roberts | L | L | May 31, 1972 | 5'10" | 172 | Naha, Okinawa JP |
| Willis Roberts | R | R | June 19, 1975 | 6'3" | 175 | San Cristobal, San Cristobal DO |
| Adam Rodriguez | R | R | March 16, 1971 | 5'10" | 195 | Tucson, AZ US |
| Marino Santana | R | R | May 10, 1972 | 6'1" | 175 | Los Llanos, San Pedro de Macoris DO |
| Tom Schmidt | R | R | February 12, 1973 | 6'3" | 200 | Towson, MD US |
| Chad Schroeder | R | R | September 21, 1973 | 6'1" | 195 | Grand Rapids, MI US |
| Ira Smith | R | R | August 4, 1967 | 5'11" | 185 | Chestertown, MD 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.
