1997 Fort Wayne Wizards Roster
Team Record: 68-67
Finished 4th in the MWL's East Division
Manager: Mike Boulanger (68-67)
Affiliation: Minnesota Twins
Location: Fort Wayne, Indiana
Ballpark: Memorial Stadium
Attendance: 230,210, Avg. 3,336 in 69 home dates
Playoffs - Lansing Lugnuts 2 games, Fort Wayne Wizards 0
Playoffs - Fort Wayne Wizards 2 games, West Michigan Whitecaps 0
The Fort Wayne Wizards of the Midwest League ended the 1997 season with a record of 68 wins and 67 losses, finishing fourth in the league's East Division.
The Wizards plated 627 runs and conceded 638 runs. Jake Patterson paced Fort Wayne with 20 home runs and accounted for 80 RBI. Tommy Peterman topped all regular hitters by connecting at a .293 clip. Nate Yeskie and Dave Hooten led the squad with 11 wins each, while Dave Hooten recorded a 2.62 ERA, leading pitchers with enough qualifying appearances.
Members of the 1997 Fort Wayne Wizards who played in Major League Baseball during their careers were Chad Moeller, Luis Rivas and Cleatus Davidson.
Mike Boulanger served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Bauder | L | L | May 13, 1975 | 5'9" | 171 | Las Vegas, NV US |
| Papo Bolivar | R | R | October 18, 1978 | 5'11" | 214 | La Guaira, Vargas VE |
| Tom Buchman | R | R | December 4, 1974 | 5'11" | 205 | Clearwater, FL US |
| Matt Carnes | R | R | August 18, 1975 | 6'2" | 207 | Joplin, MO US |
| Greg Clark | R | R | August 19, 1977 | 6'4" | 194 | Sydney, New South Wales AU |
| Cleatus Davidson | S | R | November 1, 1976 | 5'10" | 170 | Bartow, FL US |
| Gary Dose | R | R | August 22, 1973 | 5'10" | 184 | Rochester, MN US |
| Anthony Felston | L | L | November 26, 1974 | 5'9" | 180 | Mound Bayou, MS US |
| Darren Fidge | R | R | November 12, 1974 | 6'2" | 210 | Tanunda, South Australia AU |
| Josh Gandy | R | L | October 12, 1975 | 6'1" | 203 | Ringgold, GA US |
| Chris Garza | L | L | July 23, 1975 | 5'11" | 180 | Los Angeles, CA US |
| Charlie Gillian | R | R | May 29, 1974 | 6'2" | 196 | Beckley, WV US |
| Shane Gunderson | R | R | October 16, 1973 | 6'0" | 205 | Faribault, MN US |
| Dave Hooten | R | R | May 8, 1975 | 6'0" | 185 | Fort Smith, AR US |
| Steve Huls | R | R | October 11, 1974 | 6'0" | 178 | St. Cloud, MN US |
| Heath Johnson | L | R | August 25, 1976 | 6'3" | 210 | Lakefield, MN US |
| Tom Knauss | R | R | June 16, 1974 | 6'2" | 218 | Chicago, IL US |
| Fred Lindberg | L | L | November 19, 1973 | 6'6" | 215 | Sydney, New South Wales AU |
| Rick Loonam | R | R | November 7, 1975 | 6'4" | 215 | Camden, NJ US |
| Manny Lopez | R | R | March 20, 1978 | 5'9" | 188 | Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional DO |
| Juan Lorenzo | S | R | November 10, 1978 | 6'0" | 189 | Cambita Garabito, San Cristobal DO |
| Ryan Lynch | L | L | August 10, 1974 | 6'4" | 220 | La Jolla, CA US |
| Bryan Malko | R | R | January 23, 1977 | 6'3" | 220 | Anderson, SC US |
| Rodney McBride | R | R | November 15, 1974 | 6'1" | 205 | Memphis, TN US |
| Brad Meyer | L | R | October 23, 1975 | 6'0" | 165 | Minneapolis, MN US |
| Chad Moeller | R | R | February 18, 1975 | 6'3" | 207 | Upland, CA US |
| Rick Moss | L | R | September 18, 1975 | 6'2" | 197 | Hinsdale, IL US |
| Mario Opipari | S | R | January 24, 1975 | 6'2" | 185 | Detroit, MI US |
| Jake Patterson | L | L | August 1, 1973 | 6'0" | 239 | Denver, CO US |
| Tommy Peterman | L | L | May 21, 1975 | 6'0" | 228 | Springfield, OH US |
| Scott Poepard | S | R | August 26, 1974 | 6'2" | 195 | St. Paul, MN US |
| Nelson Prada | R | R | February 22, 1976 | 6'0" | 205 | Maracay, Aragua VE |
| Freddy Reyes | R | R | April 8, 1976 | 5'11" | 188 | Santurce, PR |
| Kasey Richardson | L | L | August 27, 1976 | 6'3" | 191 | Washington, DC US |
| Luis Rivas | R | R | August 30, 1979 | 5'10" | 175 | La Guaira, Vargas VE |
| Corey Spiers | L | L | June 19, 1975 | 6'0" | 204 | Joliet, IL US |
| Scott Tanksley | S | R | November 1, 1973 | 5'11" | 185 | Dallas, TX US |
| Nate Yeskie | R | R | August 13, 1974 | 6'3" | 201 | La Crosse, WI 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.
