1996 Norwich Navigators Roster
Team Record: 71-70
Finished 3rd in the EL's North Division
Manager: Jim Essian (71-70)
Affiliation: New York Yankees
Location: Norwich, Connecticut
Ballpark: Senator Thomas J. Dodd Stadium
Attendance: 269,029, Avg. 4,139 in 65 home dates
The Norwich Navigators of the Eastern League ended the 1996 season with a record of 71 wins and 70 losses, finishing third in the league's North Division.
The Navigators scored 675 runs and surrendered 633 runs. Shane Spencer paced Norwich with 29 home runs, and Kinnis Pledger walloped 15 or more also. Shane Spencer drove in 89 runs. Kevin Riggs led all regular batters by connecting at a .290 clip. Andy Croghan topped the team with 9 wins, while Mike Buddie recorded a 4.47 ERA, tops among qualifying pitchers.
Players from the 1996 Norwich Navigators who spent time in Major League Baseball during their careers included Matt Dunbar, Rafael Medina, Rafael Quirico, Shane Spencer, Tim Raines, Melido Perez, Mike Jerzembeck, Danny Rios, Mike Buddie, David Cone, Ricky Ledée, Pat Kelly, Frank Lankford and Jason Beverlin.
Jim Essian served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Beverlin | L | R | November 27, 1973 | 6'5" | 220 | Ashtabula, OH US |
| Russ Brock | R | R | October 13, 1969 | 6'5" | 210 | |
| Charlie Brown | R | R | September 13, 1973 | 6'3" | 178 | Vero Beach, CA US |
| Mike Buddie | R | R | December 12, 1970 | 6'3" | 210 | Berea, OH US |
| David Cone | L | R | January 2, 1963 | 6'1" | 180 | Kansas City, MO US |
| Andy Croghan | R | R | October 26, 1969 | 6'5" | 220 | Fullerton, CA US |
| Chris Cumberland | R | L | January 15, 1973 | 6'1" | 189 | Clearwater, FL US |
| Joe De Berry | L | L | June 30, 1970 | 6'2" | 195 | Spartanburg, SC US |
| Wil Delafield | R | R | February 15, 1972 | 6'2" | 185 | Baton Rouge, LA US |
| Nick Delvecchio | L | R | January 23, 1970 | 6'5" | 203 | Natick, MA US |
| Danny Donato | L | R | November 15, 1972 | 6'1" | 205 | Boston, MA US |
| Matt Drews | R | R | August 29, 1974 | 6'8" | 230 | Sarasota, FL US |
| Matt Dunbar | L | L | October 15, 1968 | 6'0" | 170 | Tallahassee, FL US |
| Grant Fithian | R | R | November 20, 1971 | 6'0" | 185 | DuQuoin, IL US |
| Carlton Fleming | S | R | August 25, 1971 | 5'11" | 175 | Queens, NY US |
| Kevin Henthorne | S | R | December 9, 1969 | 6'2" | 185 | Phoenix, AZ US |
| Rob Hinds | R | R | April 26, 1971 | 6'0" | 185 | Jamaica, NY US |
| Mark Hubbard | L | L | February 2, 1970 | 6'2" | 190 | Clearwater, FL US |
| Jason Imrisek | R | R | June 10, 1974 | 5'11" | 185 | Chicago, IL US |
| Mike Jerzembeck | R | R | May 18, 1972 | 6'1" | 185 | Queens, NY US |
| Rob Katzaroff | L | R | July 29, 1968 | 5'8" | 160 | Long Beach, CA US |
| Pat Kelly | R | R | October 14, 1967 | 6'0" | 180 | Philadelphia, PA US |
| Eric Knowles | R | R | October 21, 1973 | 6'0" | 190 | Fort Wayne, IN US |
| Mike Kotarski | L | L | September 18, 1970 | 6'1" | 195 | |
| Frank Lankford | R | R | March 26, 1971 | 6'2" | 190 | Atlanta, GA US |
| Ricky Ledée | L | L | November 22, 1973 | 6'2" | 190 | Ponce, PR |
| R. D. Long | S | R | April 2, 1971 | 6'1" | 183 | Albany, NY US |
| Katsuhiro Maeda | R | R | June 23, 1971 | 6'2" | 215 | Kobe, Hyogo JP |
| Fred McNair | R | R | January 31, 1970 | 6'4" | 215 | Cochran, GA US |
| Rafael Medina | R | R | February 15, 1975 | 6'3" | 194 | Panama, Panama PA |
| David Meyer | L | L | December 15, 1971 | 6'5" | 215 | Austin, TX US |
| Jeff Motuzas | R | R | October 1, 1971 | 6'2" | 205 | |
| Jim Musselwhite | R | R | October 25, 1971 | 6'1" | 190 | Pompano Beach, FL US |
| Kevin Northrup | R | R | January 27, 1970 | 6'1" | 190 | Kingston, NY US |
| Chris Norton | R | R | September 21, 1970 | 6'2" | 215 | Greenville, MS US |
| Melido Perez | R | R | February 15, 1966 | 6'4" | 180 | San Cristobal, San Cristobal DO |
| Sandy Pichardo | S | R | November 26, 1974 | 5'11" | 173 | Santiago, Santiago DO |
| Kinnis Pledger | L | R | July 17, 1968 | 6'4" | 220 | Little Rock, AR US |
| Rafael Quirico | L | L | September 7, 1969 | 6'3" | 170 | Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional DO |
| Tim Raines | S | R | September 16, 1959 | 5'8" | 160 | Sanford, FL US |
| Greg Resz | L | R | December 25, 1971 | 6'5" | 215 | San Diego, CA US |
| Ray Ricken | R | R | August 11, 1973 | 6'5" | 225 | Detroit, MI US |
| Kevin Riggs | L | R | February 3, 1969 | 5'11" | 190 | Hartford, CT US |
| Danny Rios | R | R | November 11, 1972 | 6'2" | 190 | Madrid, ES |
| Scott Romano | R | R | August 3, 1971 | 6'1" | 185 | Tampa, FL US |
| Tim Rumer | L | L | August 8, 1969 | 6'3" | 205 | Philadelphia, PA US |
| Tate Seefried | L | R | April 22, 1972 | 6'4" | 180 | Seattle, WA US |
| Sloan Smith | S | R | November 29, 1972 | 6'4" | 215 | Cincinnati, OH US |
| Shane Spencer | R | R | February 20, 1972 | 5'11" | 210 | Key West, FL US |
| John Sutherland | R | R | October 11, 1968 | 6'3" | 180 | |
| Jaime Torres | R | R | March 12, 1971 | 6'0" | 176 | , Aragua VE |
| Jason Troilo | R | R | September 7, 1972 | 6'1" | 195 | West Chester, PA US |
| Kent Wallace | L | R | August 22, 1970 | 6'3" | 192 | Paducah, KY 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.
