1997 Rockford Cubbies Roster
Team Record: 66-66
Finished 4th in the MWL's Central Division
Manager: Rubén Amaro (66-66)
Affiliation: Chicago Cubs
Location: Rockford, Illinois
Ballpark: Marinelli Stadium
Attendance: 86,716, Avg. 1,422 in 61 home dates
The Rockford Cubbies of the Midwest League ended the 1997 season with a record of 66 wins and 66 losses, finishing fourth in the league's Central Division.
The Cubbies scored 594 runs and yielded 665 runs. Julio Zuleta drove in 77 runs. Dennys Abreu led all qualifying hitters on the roster by hitting .321. Jose Espinal topped the squad with 10 wins, while Jon Cannon recorded a 3.14 ERA, tops among regular hurlers.
Members of the 1997 Rockford Cubbies who played in Major League Baseball during their careers were Tyler Houston, Chris Gissell, Phil Norton, Scott Downs, Javier Martínez, Chad Meyers, Julio Zuleta, Jason Smith, Nate Teut and Kevin Tapani.
Rubén Amaro served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dennys Abreu | R | R | April 22, 1978 | 6'0" | 203 | , Aragua VE |
| Nelson Abreu | R | R | August 16, 1976 | 5'9" | 185 | Maracay, Aragua VE |
| Ryan Andersen | R | R | July 18, 1973 | 6'1" | 175 | Santa Ana, CA US |
| Roark Birsner | R | R | December 2, 1975 | 6'4" | 180 | Voorhees, NJ US |
| Derrick Bly | R | R | September 19, 1974 | 6'0" | 195 | Tucson, AZ US |
| Casey Brookens | R | R | November 24, 1973 | 6'0" | 185 | Chambersburg, PA US |
| Jon Cannon | R | L | January 1, 1975 | 6'3" | 215 | Sun Valley, ID US |
| Quincy Carter | R | R | October 13, 1977 | 6'3" | 215 | Bloomington, IL US |
| David Catlett | R | R | April 6, 1974 | 6'0" | 195 | Oakland, CA US |
| Blas Cedeno | R | R | November 15, 1972 | 6'0" | 165 | , Carabobo VE |
| Jose Colon | R | R | January 25, 1976 | 6'2" | 205 | New York, NY US |
| Randy Crane | R | R | July 4, 1975 | 6'2" | 180 | Montclair, NJ US |
| Scott Downs | L | L | March 17, 1976 | 6'2" | 215 | Louisville, KY US |
| Tony Ellison | R | R | July 12, 1974 | 6'0" | 195 | Greenville, NC US |
| Jose Espinal | R | R | August 31, 1976 | 6'2" | 175 | Pedernales, DO |
| Chris Gissell | R | R | January 4, 1978 | 6'5" | 210 | Tacoma, WA US |
| Doug Hall | L | L | December 12, 1974 | 6'1" | 190 | Gallatin, TN US |
| Len Hart | L | L | October 8, 1973 | 5'11" | 190 | Oak Ridge, TN US |
| Tyler Houston | L | R | January 17, 1971 | 6'2" | 210 | Las Vegas, NV US |
| Dave Jefferson | R | R | June 18, 1975 | 6'2" | 190 | Mountain View, CA US |
| Gary Johnson | R | R | September 6, 1976 | 6'4" | 210 | West Los Angeles, CA US |
| Jason Kelley | R | R | November 14, 1975 | 6'1" | 230 | Fayetteville, NC US |
| Brad King | R | R | December 3, 1974 | 6'2" | 210 | Philadelphia, PA US |
| Keith Lewis | S | R | July 30, 1974 | 5'10" | 175 | Memphis, TN US |
| Bob Lisanti | R | R | May 28, 1973 | 5'10" | 180 | Chicago, IL US |
| Marcel Longmire | R | R | April 18, 1978 | 6'3" | 215 | Vallejo, CA US |
| Gary Marshall | R | L | September 22, 1973 | 6'5" | 215 | San Diego, CA US |
| Javier Martínez | R | R | February 5, 1977 | 6'2" | 210 | Bayamon, PR |
| Chad Meyers | R | R | August 8, 1975 | 6'0" | 190 | Omaha, NE US |
| Phil Norton | R | L | February 1, 1976 | 6'1" | 185 | Texarkana, TX US |
| Elvis Polanco | R | R | March 10, 1978 | 6'3" | 200 | Puerto Cabello, Carabobo VE |
| Chad Ricketts | R | R | February 12, 1975 | 6'5" | 250 | Waterloo, ON CA |
| Brian Rolocut | R | R | April 8, 1974 | 6'1" | 195 | Suitland, MD US |
| Juan Salazar | S | R | October 31, 1977 | 6'3" | 240 | Valencia, Carabobo VE |
| Trevor Schaffer | R | R | January 13, 1974 | 6'3" | 210 | Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo BR |
| Jason Smith | L | R | July 24, 1977 | 6'3" | 195 | Meridian, MS US |
| Dorian Speed | R | R | March 1, 1974 | 6'3" | 205 | Los Angeles, CA US |
| Kevin Tapani | R | R | February 18, 1964 | 6'0" | 180 | Des Moines, IA US |
| Nate Teut | R | L | March 11, 1976 | 6'7" | 220 | Newton, IA US |
| Byron Tribe | R | R | March 21, 1975 | 6'3" | 210 | Houston, TX US |
| Ron Walker | R | R | December 29, 1975 | 6'2" | 215 | Voorhees, NJ US |
| Brandon Ward | R | R | January 21, 1976 | 6'5" | 170 | Hollywood, CA US |
| Julio Zuleta | R | R | March 28, 1975 | 6'6" | 230 | Panama, Panama PA |
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.
