1997 Peoria Chiefs Roster
Team Record: 70-69
Finished 3rd in the MWL's Central Division
Manager: Joe Cunningham (70-69)
Affiliation: St. Louis Cardinals
Location: Peoria, Illinois
Ballpark: Pete Vonachen Stadium
Attendance: 148,585, Avg. 2,358 in 63 home dates
The Peoria Chiefs of the Midwest League ended the 1997 season with a record of 70 wins and 69 losses, finishing third in the league's Central Division.
The Chiefs scored 662 runs and yielded 746 runs. Joe Freitas walloped 33 home runs for Peoria, while José León, Bryan Britt and Brent Butler each swatted 15 or more, too. Joe Freitas drove in 86 runs. Brent Butler led all qualifying hitters on the roster with a .306 average. Jose DeLeon topped the squad with 11 wins, and Jay Reames recorded a 3.99 ERA, best among regular hurlers.
Players from the 1997 Peoria Chiefs who spent time in the Majors during their careers included José León, Brent Butler, Matt DeWitt, Luis Saturria and Jason Karnuth.
Joe Cunningham served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Abell | R | R | January 13, 1975 | 5'10" | 175 | Jefferson County, KY US |
| Corey Avrard | R | R | December 6, 1976 | 6'4" | 190 | Metairie, LA US |
| Bryan Britt | R | R | April 16, 1975 | 6'2" | 215 | Wilmington, NC US |
| Brent Butler | R | R | February 11, 1978 | 6'0" | 180 | Laurinburg, NC US |
| Ken Cameron | L | L | March 1, 1973 | 6'0" | 185 | El Paso, TX US |
| Kevin Crafton | R | R | May 10, 1974 | 6'1" | 185 | Little Rock, AR US |
| Billy Deck | L | L | September 16, 1976 | 6'0" | 180 | Richmond, VA US |
| Jose DeLeon | R | R | October 2, 1976 | 6'3" | 152 | Azua, Azua DO |
| Matt DeWitt | R | R | September 4, 1977 | 6'4" | 220 | San Bernardino, CA US |
| Joe Freitas | R | R | August 2, 1973 | 6'3" | 215 | Hanford, CA US |
| Keith Gallagher | R | R | November 17, 1973 | 6'2" | 200 | Pittsburgh, PA US |
| Jim Gargiulo | R | R | December 20, 1975 | 6'1" | 190 | New York, NY US |
| Chris Haas | L | R | October 15, 1976 | 6'1" | 200 | Paducah, KY US |
| Rodger Harris | S | R | August 30, 1975 | 5'9" | 165 | Oroville, CA US |
| Todd Hogan | R | R | September 18, 1975 | 6'2" | 180 | Dublin, GA US |
| Jason Karnuth | R | R | May 15, 1976 | 6'2" | 190 | La Grange, IL US |
| José León | R | R | December 8, 1976 | 6'0" | 175 | Cayey, PR |
| Trav McClendon | R | R | October 22, 1972 | 5'11" | 185 | Cottonwood, AZ US |
| Pepe McNeal | R | R | August 11, 1975 | 6'3" | 205 | Tampa, FL US |
| Greg Montgomery | R | R | May 19, 1975 | 6'2" | 210 | North Little Rock, AR US |
| Mark Nussbeck | L | R | May 25, 1974 | 6'4" | 205 | Kansas City, MO US |
| Tim Onofrei | L | R | November 1, 1974 | 6'2" | 195 | Spokane, WA US |
| Jay Reames | R | R | October 31, 1974 | 6'1" | 205 | Seneca, SC US |
| Steve Reed | R | R | September 24, 1975 | 6'2" | 205 | Norwood, MA US |
| Tim Riegert | L | L | June 29, 1974 | 6'0" | 180 | Fairfax, VA US |
| Mickey Rivera | R | R | April 14, 1974 | 5'10" | 175 | Miami, FL US |
| Luis Saturria | R | R | July 21, 1976 | 6'2" | 165 | San Pedro de Macoris, San Pedro de Macoris DO |
| Todd Schmidt | S | R | October 12, 1974 | 6'3" | 225 | St. Louis, MO US |
| Paul Tanner | R | R | September 11, 1974 | 6'0" | 175 | Albuquerque, NM US |
| Jose Villafana | R | R | April 22, 1974 | 6'3" | 195 | Valle de Santiago, MX |
| Adam West | L | L | October 10, 1973 | 6'1" | 190 | Thousand Oaks, 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.
