1996 Salem Avalanche Roster
Team Record: 62-76
Finished 4th in the CL's South Division
Manager: Bill McGuire (62-76)
Affiliation: Colorado Rockies
Location: Salem, Virginia
Ballpark: Salem Memorial Stadium
Attendance: 173,703, Avg. 2,632 in 66 home dates
The Salem Avalanche of the Carolina League ended the 1996 season with a record of 62 wins and 76 losses, finishing fourth in the league's South Division.
The Avalanche scored 585 runs, worst in the league, and yielded 656 runs. Nate Holdren and John Giudice paced Salem with 16 home runs apiece. Blake Barthol and John Giudice each drove in 67 runs. Chad Gambill led all qualifying hitters on the roster by hitting .296. Mike Vavrek topped the squad with 10 wins, while Matt Pool earned a 4.66 ERA, tops among pitchers with enough qualifying appearances.
Elvis Peña, Luther Hackman, David Nied, Bill Swift, Eric Young, David Lee, John Burke and Larry Walker were all players from the 1996 Salem Avalanche who played in the Majors during their careers.
Bill McGuire served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keith Barnes | L | L | August 9, 1974 | 6'0" | 187 | Chattanooga, TN US |
| Blake Barthol | R | R | April 7, 1973 | 5'11" | 200 | Bethlehem, PA US |
| Steve Bernhardt | R | R | October 9, 1970 | 6'0" | 180 | Baltimore, MD US |
| John Burke | S | R | February 9, 1970 | 6'4" | 220 | Durango, CO US |
| Luis Colmenares | R | R | November 25, 1976 | 5'11" | 190 | Valencia, Carabobo VE |
| Brent Crowther | R | R | May 15, 1972 | 6'4" | 220 | |
| Brian Culp | R | R | July 5, 1970 | 6'0" | 195 | Kansas City, MO US |
| Earl Cunningham | R | R | June 3, 1970 | 6'2" | 250 | Lancaster, SC US |
| Bill Eden | L | L | April 4, 1973 | 6'2" | 205 | Effingham, IL US |
| John Fantauzzi | L | L | November 26, 1971 | 6'6" | 215 | Brooklyn, NY US |
| Chad Gambill | R | R | November 27, 1974 | 6'2" | 190 | Clearwater, FL US |
| Neil Garrett | R | R | July 4, 1974 | 6'1" | 170 | Joliet, IL US |
| Todd Genke | R | R | April 8, 1971 | 6'1" | 190 | Milwaukee, WI US |
| John Giudice | R | R | June 19, 1971 | 6'1" | 205 | New Haven, CT US |
| Gary Gordon | R | R | December 13, 1976 | 5'10" | 190 | Trenton, NJ US |
| Keith Grunewald | S | R | October 15, 1971 | 6'1" | 185 | Terre Haute, IN US |
| Luther Hackman | R | R | October 10, 1974 | 6'4" | 195 | Columbus, MS US |
| Ronnie Hall | R | R | October 14, 1975 | 6'4" | 215 | San Diego, CA US |
| Mark Hamlin | R | R | February 9, 1974 | 6'3" | 220 | Augusta, GA US |
| Mike Higgins | R | R | June 3, 1971 | 6'0" | 210 | |
| Nate Holdren | R | R | December 8, 1971 | 6'4" | 240 | Moscow, ID US |
| Kyle Houser | R | R | January 21, 1975 | 6'0" | 150 | Dallas, TX US |
| Link Jarrett | S | R | January 26, 1972 | 5'10" | 165 | Tallahassee, FL US |
| Pookie Jones | R | R | July 13, 1971 | 6'2" | 195 | |
| Mike Kusiewicz | R | L | November 1, 1976 | 6'2" | 185 | Montreal, QC CA |
| Scott LaRock | R | R | September 17, 1972 | 6'1" | 195 | New Haven, CT US |
| David Lee | R | R | March 12, 1973 | 6'1" | 200 | Pittsburgh, PA US |
| Tal Light | R | R | November 28, 1973 | 6'3" | 205 | Beaumont, TX US |
| Chandler Martin | R | R | October 23, 1973 | 6'1" | 195 | Salem, OR US |
| Chan Mayber | R | R | October 7, 1972 | 5'11" | 160 | |
| Pat McClinton | L | L | August 9, 1971 | 6'5" | 210 | Louisville, KY US |
| Doug Million | L | L | October 13, 1975 | 6'4" | 175 | Fort Thomas, KY US |
| Sean Murphy | R | R | December 7, 1972 | 6'1" | 180 | Macomb, IL US |
| Garrett Neubart | R | R | November 7, 1973 | 5'10" | 160 | Summit, NJ US |
| David Nied | R | R | December 22, 1968 | 6'2" | 175 | Dallas, TX US |
| Elvis Peña | S | R | September 15, 1976 | 5'11" | 164 | San Pedro de Macoris, San Pedro de Macoris DO |
| Matt Pool | R | R | July 8, 1973 | 6'5" | 190 | Corpus Christi, TX US |
| Brian Rose | R | R | October 7, 1972 | 6'1" | 190 | Malone, NY US |
| Zack Sawyer | R | R | March 19, 1973 | 6'3" | 215 | |
| Will Scalzitti | R | R | August 29, 1972 | 6'0" | 190 | |
| Steve Shoemaker | L | R | February 3, 1973 | 6'1" | 214 | Phoenixville, PA US |
| Jeff Sobkoviak | R | R | August 22, 1971 | 6'7" | 225 | Watseka, IL US |
| Bill Swift | R | R | October 27, 1961 | 6'0" | 170 | Portland, ME US |
| Mike Vavrek | L | L | April 23, 1974 | 6'2" | 185 | Winfield, IL US |
| Larry Walker | L | R | December 1, 1966 | 6'2" | 185 | Maple Ridge, BC CA |
| Doug Walls | L | R | March 21, 1974 | 6'2" | 204 | Dayton, OH US |
| Eric Young | R | R | May 18, 1967 | 5'9" | 180 | New Brunswick, NJ 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.
