1997 Knoxville Smokies Roster

Southern League (SL) - Class: AA
Team Record: 75-63
Finished 1st in the SL's East Division
Manager: Omar Malave (75-63)
Affiliation: Toronto Blue Jays
Location: Knoxville, Tennessee
Ballpark: Smithson Stadium
Attendance: 138,389, Avg. 2,097 in 66 home dates
1997 Knoxville Smokies Statistics

Playoffs - Greenville Braves 3 games, Knoxville Smokies 1

The Knoxville Smokies of the Southern League ended the 1997 season with a record of 75 wins and 63 losses, finishing first in the league's East Division.

The Smokies plated 727 runs and surrendered 723 runs. Kevin Witt walloped 30 home runs for Knoxville, while Andy Thompson, Anthony Sanders and Ben Candelaria each swatted 15 or more as well. Kevin Witt drove in 91 runs. Ben Candelaria paced all regular hitters by connecting at a .294 clip. Jason Stevenson topped the squad with 12 wins and a team-best 4.28 earned run average, leading pitchers with enough qualifying appearances.

Players from the 1997 Knoxville Smokies who spent time in the Majors during their careers included Kelvim Escobar, Rickey Cradle, Julio Mosquera, Tom Davey, Beiker Graterol, Carlos Almánzar, Brian Smith, Anthony Sanders, Mark Lukasiewicz, Andy Thompson, Ryan Freel, Jim Czajkowski, Roy Halladay, Kevin Witt and Adam Melhuse.

Omar Malave served as manager.


Click on column headings to sort.

Player Bats Throws Birth Date Height Weight Hometown
Sharnol AdrianaRRNovember 13, 19705'10"205Willemstad, CW
Carlos AlmánzarRRNovember 6, 19736'2"166Santiago, Santiago DO
Kurt BogottLLSeptember 30, 19726'4"195Stirling, IL US
Chad BrownLLDecember 9, 19716'0"185Gastonia, NC US
Ben CandelariaLRJanuary 29, 19756'0"167Philadelphia, PA US
Rickey CradleRRJune 20, 19736'2"180Norfolk, VA US
John CurlLRNovember 10, 19726'3"205Logansport, IN US
Jim CzajkowskiSRDecember 18, 19636'4"215Parma, OH US
Tom DaveyRRSeptember 11, 19736'7"215Garden City, MI US
Lorenzo De La CruzRRSeptember 5, 19716'1"199Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional DO
Cesar DiazRRJuly 12, 19746'3"185Maracay, Aragua VE
Roger DomanRRJanuary 26, 19736'5"190Manhattan, KS US
Kelvim EscobarRRApril 11, 19766'1"205La Guaira, Vargas VE
Ken FolkersRROctober 11, 19746'3"205Naperville, IL US
Ryan FreelRRMarch 8, 19765'10"185Jacksonville, FL US
Chris FreemanRRAugust 27, 19726'4"205Knoxville, TN US
Anton FrenchLRJuly 25, 19755'11"170St. Louis, MO US
Mike GordonLRNovember 30, 19726'2"210Quincy, FL US
Beiker GraterolRRNovember 9, 19746'2"165, Lara VE
Roy HalladayRRMay 14, 19776'6"225Denver, CO US
D. J. HarrisRRApril 11, 19715'10"190Moultrie, GA US
Santiago HenryRRJuly 27, 19725'10"178San Pedro de Macoris, San Pedro de Macoris DO
Jason JarvisRROctober 27, 19736'1"170Salt Lake City, UT US
Ryan JonesRRNovember 5, 19746'2"225Torrance, CA US
Benny LoweLLJune 13, 19745'10"200Key West, FL US
Mark LukasiewiczLLMarch 8, 19736'5"240Jersey City, NJ US
Chris McBrideLROctober 13, 19736'5"210Wilmington, NC US
Doug MeinersRRMay 16, 19746'8"200Oak Park, IL US
Adam MeinershagenRRJuly 25, 19736'4"190St. Louis, MO US
Adam MelhuseSRMarch 27, 19726'2"185Santa Clara, CA US
Dave MorganRRNovember 19, 19716'4"215Newton, MA US
Julio MosqueraRRJanuary 29, 19726'0"185Panama, Panama PA
Angel RamirezRRJanuary 24, 19735'10"166Azua, Azua DO
Kendall RhineRRNovember 27, 19706'7"215Houston, TX US
Lonell RobertsSRJune 7, 19716'0"172San Bernardino, CA US
Luis RodriguezRRJanuary 3, 19745'11"195Caracas, Distrito Federal VE
Anthony SandersRRMarch 2, 19746'2"200Tucson, AZ US
Will SkettRRMay 22, 19745'11"190Tarzana, CA US
Brian SmithRRJuly 19, 19725'11"185Salisbury, NC US
Fausto SolanoRRJune 19, 19745'10"155Villa Mella, Santo Domingo DO
Fred SorianoSRAugust 5, 19745'9"160Bani, Peravia DO
Jason StevensonRRAugust 11, 19746'3"180Columbus, GA US
Mike StrangeRRApril 21, 19746'0"172Tampa, FL US
Andy ThompsonRROctober 8, 19756'3"210Oconomowoc, WI US
Jay VeniardLLAugust 16, 19746'4"215Syracuse, NY US
Kevin WittLRJanuary 5, 19766'4"195High Point, NC US
Joe YoungRRApril 28, 19756'4"210Fort McMurray, AB CA

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.




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