1996 Fort Myers Miracle Roster
Team Record: 79-58
Finished 2nd in the FSL's West Division
Manager: John Russell (79-58)
Affiliation: Minnesota Twins
Location: Fort Myers, Florida
Ballpark: W.H. Hammond Stadium
Attendance: 77,181, Avg. 1,225 in 63 home dates
The Fort Myers Miracle of the Florida State League ended the 1996 season with a record of 79 wins and 58 losses, finishing second in the league's West Division.
The Miracle scored 641 runs and allowed 541 runs. Doug Mientkiewicz recorded 79 runs batted in and topped all regular batters by connecting at a .291 clip. Will Rushing and Dan Perkins led the squad with 13 wins each, while Trevor Cobb recorded a 2.64 ERA, best among hurlers with significant time on the mound.
Players from the 1996 Fort Myers Miracle who spent time in the Majors during their careers included Jacque Jones, Gus Gandarillas, Benj Sampson, Mike Lincoln, Doug Mientkiewicz, Javier Valentín, Corey Koskie, Rob Radlosky, Matt Walbeck, Dan Perkins, Fred Rath, Rick Aguilera, Torii Hunter, Mark Redman and Mike Moriarty.
John Russell served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rick Aguilera | R | R | December 31, 1961 | 6'4" | 195 | San Gabriel, CA US |
| Rafael Alvarez | L | L | January 22, 1977 | 6'0" | 220 | Valencia, Carabobo VE |
| Jason Bell | R | R | September 30, 1974 | 6'3" | 210 | Ocala, FL US |
| Ramon Borrego | S | R | June 7, 1978 | 5'6" | 170 | Maracay, Aragua VE |
| Armann Brown | R | R | September 10, 1972 | 6'1" | 163 | Austin, TX US |
| Trevor Cobb | L | L | July 13, 1973 | 6'2" | 190 | Everett, WA US |
| Joey Cranford | R | R | February 10, 1975 | 6'0" | 192 | Macon, GA US |
| Deron Dowhower | R | R | February 14, 1972 | 6'2" | 195 | |
| Troy Fortin | R | R | February 24, 1975 | 5'11" | 209 | Winnipeg, MB CA |
| Gus Gandarillas | R | R | July 19, 1971 | 6'0" | 190 | Coral Gables, FL US |
| Carlos Garcia | R | R | May 21, 1976 | 5'11" | 165 | La Guaira, Vargas VE |
| Tom Gourdin | R | R | May 24, 1973 | 6'3" | 220 | Price, UT US |
| Shane Gunderson | R | R | October 16, 1973 | 6'0" | 205 | Faribault, MN US |
| Torii Hunter | R | R | July 18, 1975 | 6'2" | 220 | Pine Bluff, AR US |
| Ben Jones | R | R | September 15, 1973 | 5'10" | 175 | Alexandria, LA US |
| Ivory Jones | L | L | February 28, 1973 | 5'10" | 160 | |
| Jacque Jones | L | L | April 25, 1975 | 5'10" | 175 | San Diego, CA US |
| Tom Knauss | R | R | June 16, 1974 | 6'2" | 218 | Chicago, IL US |
| Dom Konieczki | R | L | June 16, 1969 | 6'1" | 170 | Erie, PA US |
| Corey Koskie | L | R | June 28, 1973 | 6'3" | 215 | Anola, MB CA |
| Ryan Lane | R | R | July 6, 1974 | 6'1" | 185 | Bellefontaine, OH US |
| Keith Legree | L | R | December 26, 1971 | 6'2" | 195 | Statesboro, GA US |
| Mike Lincoln | R | R | April 10, 1975 | 6'2" | 211 | Carmichael, CA US |
| Jim McCalmont | R | R | October 6, 1971 | 6'0" | 185 | |
| Doug Mientkiewicz | L | R | June 19, 1974 | 6'2" | 195 | Toledo, OH US |
| Mike Moriarty | R | R | March 8, 1974 | 6'0" | 195 | Camden, NJ US |
| Paul Morse | R | R | February 27, 1973 | 6'2" | 185 | Mount Vernon, OH US |
| Tom Mott | R | R | October 9, 1973 | 6'3" | 217 | San Luis Obispo, CA US |
| Kelcey Mucker | L | R | February 17, 1975 | 6'4" | 250 | Washington, IN US |
| Paul Pavicich | L | L | January 10, 1973 | 6'2" | 190 | |
| Dan Perkins | R | R | March 15, 1975 | 6'2" | 193 | Miami, FL US |
| Tim Peters | L | L | December 1, 1972 | 6'0" | 190 | |
| Rob Radlosky | R | R | January 7, 1974 | 6'2" | 192 | West Palm Beach, FL US |
| Fred Rath | R | R | January 5, 1973 | 6'3" | 220 | Dallas, TX US |
| Mark Redman | L | L | January 5, 1974 | 6'5" | 220 | San Diego, CA US |
| Kasey Richardson | L | L | August 27, 1976 | 6'3" | 191 | Washington, DC US |
| Will Rushing | L | L | November 8, 1972 | 6'3" | 193 | Statesboro, GA US |
| Benj Sampson | R | L | April 27, 1975 | 6'2" | 210 | Des Moines, IA US |
| Jason Tatar | R | R | August 15, 1974 | 6'0" | 175 | |
| Javier Valentín | S | R | September 19, 1975 | 5'10" | 198 | Manati, PR |
| Matt Walbeck | S | R | October 2, 1969 | 5'11" | 195 | Sacramento, 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.
