1997 Cedar Rapids Kernels Roster
Team Record: 62-76
Finished 3rd in the MWL's West Division
Manager: Mario Mendoza (62-76)
Affiliation: Anaheim Angels
Location: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Ballpark: Veterans Memorial Stadium
Attendance: 124,629, Avg. 1,947 in 64 home dates
Playoffs - Cedar Rapids Kernels 2 games, Burlington Bees 0
Playoffs - Kane County Cougars 2 games, Cedar Rapids Kernels 0
The Cedar Rapids Kernels of the Midwest League ended the 1997 season with a record of 62 wins and 76 losses, finishing third in the league's West Division.
The Kernels scored 685 runs and yielded 756 runs, most in the circuit. Eric Gillespie paced Cedar Rapids with 18 home runs, while Kevin Ham, Shawn Wooten and Rob Sasser each walloped 15 or more as well. Rob Sasser drove in 77 runs. Kevin Ham and Juan Rodriguez topped all qualifying hitters on the roster with a .281 average. Tommy Darrell led the squad with 12 wins, and Ramón Ortiz recorded a 3.58 ERA, tops among pitchers with enough qualifying appearances.
Players from the 1997 Cedar Rapids Kernels who spent time in the Majors during their careers included Ramón Ortiz, Brandon Puffer, Jerrod Riggan, Rob Sasser and Shawn Wooten.
Mario Mendoza served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evert Jan 't Hoen | R | R | November 8, 1975 | 6'2" | 190 | Alphen aan den Rijn, NL |
| Chuck Abbott | R | R | January 26, 1975 | 6'1" | 180 | Chicago, IL US |
| Cale Carter | L | R | September 18, 1973 | 5'10" | 185 | Orange, CA US |
| Jose Cintron | S | R | September 12, 1975 | 6'2" | 185 | Humacao, PR |
| Brendon Cowsill | R | R | January 7, 1975 | 6'3" | 190 | Hollywood, CA US |
| Matt Curtis | S | R | August 14, 1974 | 6'0" | 195 | Visalia, CA US |
| Tommy Darrell | R | R | July 21, 1976 | 6'6" | 220 | Mount Pleasant, PA US |
| Fernando De La Cruz | R | R | January 25, 1971 | 6'0" | 225 | La Romana, La Romana DO |
| Theo Fefee | L | L | April 26, 1974 | 6'3" | 190 | Chicago, IL US |
| Chris Gadway | R | R | January 19, 1974 | 5'10" | 175 | Stoneham, MA US |
| Matt Garrick | R | R | August 19, 1975 | 6'0" | 185 | Dallas, TX US |
| Cesar Geronimo | R | R | December 19, 1975 | 6'0" | 180 | Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional DO |
| Eric Gillespie | L | R | June 6, 1975 | 5'10" | 200 | Milwaukee, WI US |
| Bryan Graves | R | R | October 8, 1974 | 6'0" | 220 | Bogalusa, LA US |
| Danny Greene | R | R | February 24, 1973 | 6'3" | 220 | Derry, NH US |
| Jeff Guiel | L | R | January 12, 1974 | 5'11" | 195 | North Vancouver, BC CA |
| Kevin Ham | R | R | September 14, 1974 | 6'1" | 195 | El Paso, TX US |
| Mark Harriger | R | R | April 29, 1975 | 6'2" | 196 | Inglewood, CA US |
| Juan Henderson | R | R | April 17, 1974 | 5'10" | 175 | Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional DO |
| Kevin Humphreys | R | R | August 21, 1973 | 6'0" | 180 | Panama City, FL US |
| Edgar Leyva | R | R | July 27, 1977 | 5'11" | 196 | Guasave, Sinaloa MX |
| Jose Monzon | R | R | November 8, 1968 | 6'2" | 210 | La Guaira, Vargas VE |
| Nate Murphy | L | L | April 15, 1975 | 6'0" | 190 | Northampton, MA US |
| Jimmy O'Quinn | L | L | August 27, 1973 | 6'0" | 190 | Tallahassee, FL US |
| Ramón Ortiz | R | R | May 23, 1973 | 6'0" | 175 | Cotui, Sanchez Ramirez DO |
| Allan Parker | R | R | May 27, 1972 | 5'11" | 165 | Tampa, FL US |
| Brandon Puffer | R | R | October 5, 1975 | 6'3" | 190 | Downey, CA US |
| Jerrod Riggan | R | R | May 16, 1974 | 6'3" | 197 | Brewster, WA US |
| Hector Rodriguez | R | R | March 21, 1975 | 6'2" | 225 | Santurce, PR |
| Juan Rodriguez | S | L | December 16, 1974 | 5'10" | 190 | Arecibo, PR |
| Rob Sasser | R | R | March 9, 1975 | 6'3" | 205 | Philadelphia, PA US |
| Brian Scutero | R | R | August 15, 1973 | 6'1" | 190 | Syosset, NY US |
| Jacobo Soriano | S | R | November 28, 1974 | 5'11" | 175 | San Pedro de Macoris, San Pedro de Macoris DO |
| Jason Stockstill | L | L | November 13, 1976 | 6'4" | 210 | Bellflower, CA US |
| Brian Ussery | S | R | February 25, 1974 | 6'0" | 180 | Albany, GA US |
| Gar Vallone | S | R | May 9, 1973 | 6'0" | 190 | New York, NY US |
| Keith Volkman | L | L | January 13, 1976 | 6'2" | 225 | Glen Burnie, MD US |
| Robby Welles | R | R | August 17, 1972 | 6'4" | 195 | Los Angeles, CA US |
| Shawn Wooten | R | R | July 24, 1972 | 5'10" | 205 | Glendora, 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.
