1997 Columbus Clippers Roster
Team Record: 79-63
Finished 1st in the IL's West Division
Manager: Stump Merrill (79-63)
Affiliation: New York Yankees
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Ballpark: Harold Cooper Stadium
Attendance: 507,810, Avg. 7,694 in 66 home dates
Playoffs - Columbus Clippers 3 games, Charlotte Knights 1
Finals - Rochester Red Wings 3 games, Columbus Clippers 2
The Columbus Clippers of the International League ended the 1997 season with a record of 79 wins and 63 losses, finishing first in the league's West Division.
The Clippers paced the circuit with 768 runs. Columbus surrendered 654 runs. Shane Spencer walloped 30 home runs for the team, while Iván Cruz and Mike Lowell swatted 15 or more also. Iván Cruz drove in 95 runs. Matt Howard led batters with significant playing time by connecting at a .312 clip. Willie Banks topped the team with 14 wins, and Mike Jerzembeck registered a 3.6 earned run average, leading pitchers with enough qualifying appearances.
Members of the 1997 Columbus Clippers who played in Major League Baseball during their careers were Ricky Ledée, Bubba Carpenter, Clay Bellinger, Shawn Hare, Pat Kelly, Mike Buddie, Mike Figga, Brian Buchanan, René Arocha, Tom Wilson, David Weathers, Frank Lankford, Hideki Irabu, Mike Gardiner, Carlos Reyes, Kevin Lomon, Tim Raines, Pete Incaviglia, Matt Luke, Ryan Bowen, Dave Pavlas, José Alberro, Ken Edenfield, Iván Cruz, D'Angelo Jimenez, Dave Eiland, Dale Polley, Mike Jerzembeck, Jim Converse, Danny Rios, Jim Mecir, Darryl Strawberry, Marc Ronan, Mike Lowell, Shane Spencer, Ramiro Mendoza, Dwight Gooden, Scott Pose, Matt Howard, Homer Bush, Willie Banks and Andy Fox.
Stump Merrill served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| José Alberro | R | R | June 29, 1969 | 6'2" | 190 | San Juan, PR |
| René Arocha | R | R | February 24, 1964 | 6'0" | 180 | La Habana, La Habana CU |
| Willie Banks | R | R | February 27, 1969 | 6'1" | 190 | Jersey City, NJ US |
| Tim Barker | R | R | June 30, 1968 | 6'0" | 175 | Baltimore, MD US |
| Clay Bellinger | R | R | November 18, 1968 | 6'3" | 195 | Oneonta, NY US |
| Ryan Bowen | R | R | February 10, 1968 | 6'0" | 185 | Hanford, CA US |
| Ron Brown | R | R | January 17, 1970 | 6'3" | 185 | Tampa, FL US |
| Brian Buchanan | R | R | July 21, 1973 | 6'4" | 230 | Miami, FL US |
| Mike Buddie | R | R | December 12, 1970 | 6'3" | 210 | Berea, OH US |
| Homer Bush | R | R | November 12, 1972 | 5'10" | 180 | East St. Louis, IL US |
| Bubba Carpenter | L | L | July 23, 1968 | 6'1" | 195 | Dallas, TX US |
| Jim Converse | L | R | August 17, 1971 | 5'9" | 180 | San Francisco, CA US |
| Iván Cruz | L | L | May 3, 1968 | 6'3" | 210 | Fajardo, PR |
| Nick Delvecchio | L | R | January 23, 1970 | 6'5" | 203 | Natick, MA US |
| Ken Edenfield | R | R | March 18, 1967 | 6'1" | 165 | Jesup, GA US |
| Dave Eiland | R | R | July 5, 1966 | 6'3" | 210 | Dade City, FL US |
| Mike Figga | R | R | July 31, 1970 | 6'0" | 200 | Tampa, FL US |
| Andy Fox | L | R | January 12, 1971 | 6'4" | 205 | Sacramento, CA US |
| Mike Gardiner | S | R | October 19, 1965 | 6'0" | 185 | Sarnia, ON CA |
| Dwight Gooden | R | R | November 16, 1964 | 6'2" | 190 | Tampa, FL US |
| Shawn Hare | L | L | March 26, 1967 | 6'2" | 190 | St. Louis, MO US |
| Matt Howard | R | R | September 22, 1967 | 5'10" | 165 | Fall River, MA US |
| Pete Incaviglia | R | R | April 2, 1964 | 6'1" | 225 | Pebble Beach, CA US |
| Hideki Irabu | R | R | May 5, 1969 | 6'4" | 240 | Hyogo, JP |
| Mike Jerzembeck | R | R | May 18, 1972 | 6'1" | 185 | Queens, NY US |
| D'Angelo Jimenez | S | R | December 21, 1977 | 6'0" | 190 | Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional DO |
| Pat Kelly | R | R | October 14, 1967 | 6'0" | 180 | Philadelphia, PA US |
| 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 |
| Kevin Lomon | R | R | November 20, 1971 | 6'1" | 195 | Fort Smith, AR US |
| R. D. Long | S | R | April 2, 1971 | 6'1" | 183 | Albany, NY US |
| Mike Lowell | R | R | February 24, 1974 | 6'4" | 195 | San Juan, PR |
| Matt Luke | L | L | February 26, 1971 | 6'5" | 220 | Long Beach, CA US |
| Jim Mecir | S | R | May 16, 1970 | 6'1" | 195 | Bayside, NY US |
| Ramiro Mendoza | R | R | June 15, 1972 | 6'2" | 154 | Los Santos, PA |
| Dave Pavlas | R | R | August 12, 1962 | 6'7" | 180 | Frankfurt, DE |
| Dale Polley | R | L | August 9, 1965 | 6'0" | 165 | Georgetown, KY US |
| Scott Pose | L | R | February 11, 1967 | 5'11" | 165 | Davenport, IA US |
| Tim Raines | S | R | September 16, 1959 | 5'8" | 160 | Sanford, FL US |
| Carlos Reyes | R | R | April 4, 1969 | 6'1" | 190 | Miami, FL US |
| Ray Ricken | R | R | August 11, 1973 | 6'5" | 225 | Detroit, MI US |
| Danny Rios | R | R | November 11, 1972 | 6'2" | 190 | Madrid, ES |
| Marc Ronan | L | R | September 19, 1969 | 6'2" | 190 | Ozark, AL US |
| Scott Rose | R | R | May 12, 1970 | 6'3" | 200 | Tampa, FL US |
| Tim Rumer | L | L | August 8, 1969 | 6'3" | 205 | Philadelphia, PA US |
| Paul Russo | R | R | August 26, 1969 | 5'11" | 215 | Tampa, FL US |
| Shane Spencer | R | R | February 20, 1972 | 5'11" | 210 | Key West, FL US |
| Darryl Strawberry | L | L | March 12, 1962 | 6'6" | 190 | Los Angeles, CA US |
| Jason Troilo | R | R | September 7, 1972 | 6'1" | 195 | West Chester, PA US |
| Sal Urso | R | L | January 19, 1972 | 5'11" | 195 | Tampa, FL US |
| David Weathers | R | R | September 25, 1969 | 6'3" | 205 | Lawrenceburg, TN US |
| Tom Wilson | R | R | December 19, 1970 | 6'3" | 220 | Fullerton, 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.
