1997 Kane County Cougars Roster
Team Record: 70-68
Finished 2nd in the MWL's Central Division
Manager: Lynn Jones (70-68)
Affiliation: Florida Marlins
Location: Geneva, Illinois
Ballpark: Phillip Elfstrom Stadium
Attendance: 436,505, Avg. 6,614 in 66 home dates
Playoffs - Kane County Cougars 2 games, Cedar Rapids Kernels 0
Playoffs - Kane County Cougars 2 games, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 0
Finals - Lansing Lugnuts 3 games, Kane County Cougars 2
The Kane County Cougars of the Midwest League ended the 1997 season with a record of 70 wins and 68 losses, finishing second in the league's Central Division.
The Cougars plated 667 runs and allowed 620 runs. Tyrone Horne paced Kane County with 21 home runs and drove in 91 runs, while leading batters with significant playing time by connecting at a .306 clip. Brent Billingsley topped the team with 14 wins and a team-best 3.01 ERA, leading regular hurlers.
Players from the 1997 Kane County Cougars who spent time in the Majors during their careers included Brent Billingsley, Héctor Almonte, Julio Ramírez, Gary Knotts, Scott Podsednik and Roosevelt Brown.
Lynn Jones served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earl Agnoly | R | R | November 18, 1975 | 6'0" | 210 | Colon, Colon PA |
| Jason Alaimo | R | R | July 31, 1975 | 5'8" | 200 | Hempstead, NY US |
| Héctor Almonte | R | R | October 17, 1975 | 6'2" | 190 | Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional DO |
| Joe Aversa | S | R | May 20, 1968 | 5'10" | 155 | Fullerton, CA US |
| Jorge Bautista | R | R | July 12, 1976 | 5'9" | 185 | San Cristobal, San Cristobal DO |
| Brent Billingsley | L | L | April 19, 1975 | 6'2" | 200 | Downey, CA US |
| Roosevelt Brown | L | R | August 3, 1975 | 5'11" | 195 | Vicksburg, MS US |
| Aaron Cames | R | R | November 21, 1975 | 6'1" | 192 | Hayward, CA US |
| Chris Clark | R | R | November 7, 1973 | 6'3" | 195 | Fayetteville, AR US |
| Adam Danner | R | R | August 1, 1974 | 6'3" | 210 | Brunswick, GA US |
| Geoff Duncan | R | R | April 1, 1975 | 6'2" | 185 | New Kensington, PA US |
| Jason Garrett | R | R | June 10, 1973 | 6'2" | 190 | Chicago, IL US |
| Larry Glozier | R | R | September 2, 1973 | 5'10" | 180 | Chicago, IL US |
| Jon Heinrichs | R | R | November 18, 1974 | 6'0" | 195 | San Diego, CA US |
| Tyrone Horne | L | R | November 2, 1970 | 5'10" | 185 | Troy, NC US |
| Jeff Johannsen | L | L | June 10, 1973 | 6'3" | 200 | Rapid City, SD US |
| Jay Jones | L | R | October 24, 1974 | 6'0" | 195 | Birmingham, AL US |
| Larry Kleinz | R | R | March 3, 1974 | 6'1" | 205 | Bristol, PA US |
| Gary Knotts | R | R | February 12, 1977 | 6'4" | 235 | Decatur, AL US |
| Nelson Lara | R | R | July 11, 1978 | 6'4" | 185 | Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional DO |
| Brandon Leese | R | R | October 8, 1975 | 6'4" | 205 | Lincolnshire, IL US |
| Matt Levan | L | L | June 24, 1975 | 6'3" | 200 | West Chester, PA US |
| Tim McClaskey | S | R | January 11, 1976 | 6'1" | 175 | Port Smith, OH US |
| Alex Melconian | R | R | March 18, 1975 | 5'10" | 190 | Bryn Mawr, PA US |
| Alex Morris | L | R | December 31, 1976 | 6'4" | 220 | Manchester, Manchester GB |
| Scott Podsednik | L | L | March 18, 1976 | 6'0" | 185 | West, TX US |
| Julio Ramírez | R | R | August 10, 1977 | 5'11" | 195 | San Juan de la Maguana, San Juan DO |
| Bobby Rector | R | R | September 24, 1974 | 6'1" | 170 | San Diego, CA US |
| Ismael Reynoso | R | R | June 17, 1978 | 5'10" | 190 | Santa Cruz, DO |
| Mark Richards | R | R | June 19, 1974 | 6'6" | 220 | Sterling Heights, MI US |
| Ryan Robertson | L | R | September 30, 1972 | 6'4" | 210 | Corpus Christi, TX US |
| Bobby Rodgers | R | R | July 22, 1974 | 6'3" | 220 | St. Louis, MO US |
| Larry Rupcich | L | R | January 2, 1975 | 6'0" | 185 | Fresno, CA US |
| Martin Sanchez | R | R | January 19, 1977 | 6'2" | 220 | Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional DO |
| Derek Santiago | R | R | October 10, 1975 | 6'1" | 170 | Sacramento, CA US |
| Dave Townsend | R | R | August 2, 1974 | 6'2" | 225 | Canton, MS US |
| Jeff Venghaus | S | R | September 17, 1974 | 6'0" | 185 | Houston, TX US |
| Jon Widerski | R | R | May 17, 1977 | 6'4" | 190 | St. Paul, MN US |
| Travis Wyckoff | S | L | September 30, 1973 | 6'0" | 180 | Denver, CO US |
| Kevin Zaleski | R | R | August 18, 1973 | 6'2" | 215 | Glendale Heights, IL 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.
