1997 Kingsport Mets Roster
Team Record: 37-31
Finished 3rd in the AL's West Division
Manager: Ken Berry (37-31)
Affiliation: New York Mets
Location: Kingsport, Tennessee
Ballpark: Hunter Wright Stadium
Attendance: 48,396, Avg. 1,467 in 33 home dates
The Kingsport Mets of the Appalachian League ended the 1997 season with a record of 37 wins and 31 losses, finishing third in the league's West Division.
The Mets scored 414 runs and conceded 418 runs. Rob Stratton led Kingsport with 15 home runs and drove in 50 runs. Jerson Perez paced all regular hitters by hitting .267. Ray Lovingood topped the team with 6 wins, while Dicky Gonzalez registered a 4.36 earned run average, tops among regular hurlers.
Players from the 1997 Kingsport Mets who spent time in Major League Baseball during their careers included Endy Chávez, Tim Corcoran, Alex Escobar and Dicky Gonzalez.
Ken Berry served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rob Borkowski | R | R | November 10, 1976 | 6'2" | 190 | Wilmington, DE US |
| Jason Bowring | R | R | May 10, 1977 | 6'1" | 192 | San Bernardino, CA US |
| Jason Brett | R | R | April 28, 1977 | 6'0" | 175 | Milledgeville, GA US |
| Mo Bruce | R | R | May 1, 1975 | 5'10" | 190 | Kansas City, MO US |
| Pat Burns | S | L | September 16, 1977 | 6'1" | 212 | Dallas, TX US |
| Endy Chávez | L | L | February 7, 1978 | 5'11" | 170 | Valencia, Carabobo VE |
| Josh Cook | R | R | September 30, 1975 | 6'1" | 215 | Plainville, IL US |
| Brandon Copeland | R | R | March 31, 1977 | 6'0" | 205 | Topeka, KS US |
| Tim Corcoran | R | R | April 15, 1978 | 6'2" | 205 | Baton Rouge, LA US |
| Rob Cox | R | R | November 11, 1975 | 6'1" | 176 | Los Angeles, CA US |
| Ynocencio De La Cruz | R | R | February 28, 1977 | 6'2" | 165 | Puerto Plata, Puerto Plata DO |
| Chad Durick | R | R | December 28, 1976 | 6'0" | 175 | Stuart, FL US |
| Mark Enloe | L | L | February 5, 1977 | 6'3" | 200 | Conroe, TX US |
| Alex Escobar | R | R | September 6, 1978 | 6'1" | 185 | Valencia, Carabobo VE |
| Adam Garmon | R | R | August 5, 1977 | 6'4" | 210 | Charlotte, NC US |
| Dicky Gonzalez | R | R | December 21, 1978 | 5'10" | 200 | Bayamon, PR |
| Randy Hamilton | L | L | January 1, 1976 | 6'3" | 190 | Covington, KY US |
| Tony Johnson | S | R | October 11, 1977 | 5'10" | 210 | Oakland, CA US |
| Ray Lovingood | L | L | April 8, 1978 | 6'6" | 200 | Cleveland, TN US |
| Mark Maberry | R | R | July 31, 1974 | 6'3" | 200 | Cookeville, TN US |
| John Mattson | R | R | October 1, 1976 | 6'4" | 210 | Bremerton, WA US |
| Sean McGrath | R | R | April 4, 1976 | 6'0" | 202 | North Adams, MA US |
| Joaquin Montada | R | R | August 19, 1977 | 6'2" | 175 | Caracas, Distrito Federal VE |
| Jose Nunez | R | R | October 3, 1976 | 5'10" | 155 | New York, NY US |
| Tony Payne | R | L | October 11, 1977 | 6'1" | 180 | Athens, GA US |
| Juan Penalver | R | R | July 15, 1975 | 6'1" | 175 | Maturin, Monagas VE |
| Jerson Perez | R | R | January 20, 1976 | 5'10" | 180 | Duverge, DO |
| Kelly Ramos | S | R | October 15, 1976 | 6'0" | 220 | San Pedro de Macoris, San Pedro de Macoris DO |
| Mark Rodriguez | R | R | February 4, 1974 | 5'11" | 215 | Miami, FL US |
| Humberto Santana | L | L | March 25, 1977 | 5'11" | 181 | Puerto Plata, Puerto Plata DO |
| Shane Smith | R | R | May 18, 1975 | 6'3" | 220 | Knoxville, TN US |
| Rob Stratton | R | R | October 7, 1977 | 6'4" | 250 | Santa Barbara, 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.
