1998 Bakersfield Blaze Roster
Team Record: 49-91
Finished 5th in the CL's Freeway Division
Manager: Frank Reberger (49-91)
Affiliation: San Francisco Giants
Location: Bakersfield, California
Ballpark: Sam Lynn Ballpark
Attendance: 78,027, Avg. 1,131 in 69 home dates
The Bakersfield Blaze of the California League ended the 1998 season with a record of 49 wins and 91 losses, finishing fifth in the league's Freeway Division.
The Blaze scored 642 runs and surrendered 823 runs, most in the circuit. Tim Flaherty led Bakersfield with 24 home runs and drove in 90 runs. Dan McKinley paced batters with significant playing time by connecting at a .301 clip. Ryan Jensen topped the squad with 11 wins and a team-best 3.37 ERA, best among pitchers with enough qualifying appearances.
Players from the 1998 Bakersfield Blaze who spent time in the Majors during their careers included Ryan Jensen, Kevin Rogers, Shawn Estes, Chris Magruder, Erasmo Ramirez and Kevin Joseph.
Frank Reberger served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| José Alguacil | L | R | August 9, 1972 | 6'2" | 200 | Caracas, Distrito Federal VE |
| Art Baeza | R | R | March 31, 1974 | 6'2" | 205 | Hollywood, CA US |
| Phil Bailey | L | L | October 4, 1973 | 6'1" | 190 | Little Rock, AR US |
| Eric Brown | R | R | February 28, 1977 | 6'1" | 205 | Lafayette, LA US |
| Brett Casper | R | R | November 24, 1975 | 6'3" | 215 | Omaha, NE US |
| Reymundo Delgado | L | L | December 29, 1975 | 5'11" | 200 | Santurce, PR |
| Don Denbow | R | R | April 30, 1973 | 6'4" | 215 | Midland, TX US |
| Shawn Estes | R | L | February 18, 1973 | 6'2" | 185 | San Bernardino, CA US |
| Jake Esteves | R | R | July 31, 1975 | 6'1" | 200 | Auburn, CA US |
| Chad Faircloth | L | R | April 25, 1975 | 6'0" | 190 | Winston-Salem, NC US |
| Tim Flaherty | R | R | July 11, 1976 | 6'4" | 220 | North Adams, MA US |
| Chad Frontera | R | R | November 22, 1972 | 6'2" | 200 | Brooklyn, NY US |
| Joel Fuentes | S | R | May 27, 1976 | 6'0" | 180 | Aibonito, PR |
| Clay Greene | R | R | November 10, 1974 | 6'1" | 190 | Christiansburg, VA US |
| Mark Hutchings | R | R | September 18, 1976 | 6'4" | 200 | Farmington, MO US |
| Jeff Hutzler | R | R | December 5, 1972 | 6'6" | 225 | San Antonio, TX US |
| Ryan Jensen | R | R | September 17, 1975 | 6'0" | 205 | Salt Lake City, UT US |
| Kevin Joseph | R | R | August 1, 1976 | 6'4" | 200 | Camp Hill, PA US |
| Guillermo Larreal | R | R | February 3, 1976 | 5'11" | 191 | Maracaibo, Zulia VE |
| Shawn Lindsey | L | L | April 9, 1977 | 6'3" | 195 | Seattle, WA US |
| Gabriel Luckert | R | R | July 2, 1975 | 6'1" | 165 | Barquisimeto, Lara VE |
| Fausto Macey | R | R | October 9, 1975 | 6'4" | 195 | Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional DO |
| Chris Magruder | S | R | April 26, 1977 | 5'11" | 200 | Tacoma, WA US |
| Will Malerich | L | L | October 25, 1975 | 6'0" | 180 | Alexandria, VA US |
| Dan McKinley | L | R | May 15, 1976 | 6'0" | 180 | Phoenix, AZ US |
| Angel Melendez | R | R | October 21, 1975 | 6'0" | 192 | Caguas, PR |
| Cesar Morillo | S | R | July 21, 1973 | 5'11" | 180 | Caracas, Distrito Federal VE |
| Pedro Mota | L | L | February 28, 1978 | 6'2" | 195 | San Pedro de Macoris, San Pedro de Macoris DO |
| Tom Nielsen | R | L | July 28, 1976 | 6'2" | 170 | Port Jefferson, NY US |
| William Otero | R | R | September 30, 1974 | 5'11" | 175 | San Juan, PR |
| Marco Pernalete | S | R | October 12, 1978 | 6'0" | 155 | Barquisimeto, Lara VE |
| Jeff Poor | R | R | May 23, 1974 | 6'1" | 195 | Inglewood, CA US |
| Matt Priess | R | R | November 24, 1974 | 6'2" | 190 | Pomona, CA US |
| Teo Prospero | R | R | February 12, 1977 | 5'11" | 160 | San Pedro de Macoris, San Pedro de Macoris DO |
| Erasmo Ramirez | L | L | April 29, 1976 | 6'0" | 180 | Santa Ana, CA US |
| Peto Ramirez | R | R | September 10, 1972 | 6'2" | 215 | Brooklyn, NY US |
| Nathan Rice | L | L | April 19, 1974 | 6'5" | 215 | Visalia, CA US |
| Mike Riley | L | L | January 2, 1975 | 6'1" | 162 | Milford, DE US |
| Kevin Rogers | L | L | August 20, 1968 | 6'2" | 190 | Cleveland, MS US |
| Scott Smith | R | R | October 14, 1971 | 6'3" | 215 | Wichita, KS US |
| Fred Soriano | S | R | August 5, 1974 | 5'9" | 160 | Bani, Peravia DO |
| Kurt Takahashi | R | R | February 22, 1974 | 6'4" | 215 | Porterville, CA US |
| Andy Taulbee | R | R | October 5, 1972 | 6'4" | 210 | Atlanta, GA US |
| Travis Thurmond | R | R | December 8, 1973 | 6'2" | 180 | Garden Grove, CA US |
| Kevin Tommasini | R | R | January 18, 1975 | 6'1" | 205 | Eugene, OR US |
| Jesse Travis | R | R | November 4, 1974 | 6'1" | 195 | Seattle, WA US |
| Josh Tyler | R | R | September 6, 1973 | 6'1" | 185 | Sellersville, PA US |
| Jon Valenti | R | R | November 26, 1973 | 6'1" | 195 | Bakersfield, CA US |
| Jason Verdugo | R | R | March 28, 1975 | 6'2" | 195 | Kearney, AZ US |
| Matt Wells | R | R | May 25, 1975 | 6'3" | 215 | Reno, NV US |
| Zach Wells | R | R | February 23, 1977 | 6'4" | 205 | Concord, 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.
