1996 Knoxville Smokies Roster
Team Record: 75-65
Finished 3rd in the SL's West Division
Manager: Omar Malave (75-65)
Affiliation: Toronto Blue Jays
Location: Knoxville, Tennessee
Ballpark: Smithson Stadium
Attendance: 142,537, Avg. 2,160 in 66 home dates
The Knoxville Smokies of the Southern League ended the 1996 season with a record of 75 wins and 65 losses, finishing third in the league's West Division.
The Smokies plated 708 runs and surrendered 673 runs. Ryan Jones paced Knoxville with 20 home runs, while Chris Weinke, Tom Evans and Lorenzo De La Cruz each walloped 15 or more also. Ryan Jones drove in 97 runs. Jeff Patzke led all regular batters by connecting at a .303 clip. Mike Halperin topped the squad with 13 wins and a team-best 3.48 ERA, leading regular hurlers.
Players from the 1996 Knoxville Smokies who spent time in Major League Baseball during their careers included Sandy Martínez, Roberto Durán, Mike Romano, Brian Smith, Anthony Sanders, Frank Viola, Adam Melhuse, Tom Evans, José Silva, Chris Carpenter, Kelvim Escobar, Julio Mosquera, Rickey Cradle and Carlos Almánzar.
Omar Malave served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Almánzar | R | R | November 6, 1973 | 6'2" | 166 | Santiago, Santiago DO |
| Kurt Bogott | L | L | September 30, 1972 | 6'4" | 195 | Stirling, IL US |
| Derek Brandow | R | R | January 25, 1970 | 6'1" | 200 | London, ON CA |
| Chad Brown | L | L | December 9, 1971 | 6'0" | 185 | Gastonia, NC US |
| Ben Candelaria | L | R | January 29, 1975 | 6'0" | 167 | Philadelphia, PA US |
| Chris Carpenter | R | R | April 27, 1975 | 6'6" | 230 | Exeter, NH US |
| Rickey Cradle | R | R | June 20, 1973 | 6'2" | 180 | Norfolk, VA US |
| Brandon Cromer | L | R | January 25, 1974 | 6'2" | 175 | Lake City, SC US |
| Lorenzo De La Cruz | R | R | September 5, 1971 | 6'1" | 199 | Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional DO |
| Roger Doman | R | R | January 26, 1973 | 6'5" | 190 | Manhattan, KS US |
| Roberto Durán | L | L | March 6, 1973 | 6'0" | 167 | Moca, Espaillat DO |
| Kelvim Escobar | R | R | April 11, 1976 | 6'1" | 205 | La Guaira, Vargas VE |
| Tom Evans | R | R | July 9, 1974 | 6'1" | 200 | Kirkland, WA US |
| Chris Freeman | R | R | August 27, 1972 | 6'4" | 205 | Knoxville, TN US |
| Mike Halperin | L | L | September 8, 1973 | 5'10" | 170 | Naples, FL US |
| Kris Harmes | L | R | June 13, 1971 | 6'2" | 190 | |
| Santiago Henry | R | R | July 27, 1972 | 5'10" | 178 | San Pedro de Macoris, San Pedro de Macoris DO |
| Ryan Jones | R | R | November 5, 1974 | 6'2" | 225 | Torrance, CA US |
| Sandy Martínez | L | R | October 8, 1970 | 6'2" | 200 | Villa Mella, Santo Domingo DO |
| Adam Melhuse | S | R | March 27, 1972 | 6'2" | 185 | Santa Clara, CA US |
| Julio Mosquera | R | R | January 29, 1972 | 6'0" | 185 | Panama, Panama PA |
| Rob Mummau | R | R | August 21, 1971 | 5'11" | 185 | Lancaster, PA US |
| Scotty Pace | L | L | September 16, 1971 | 6'4" | 210 | Millington, TN US |
| Jeff Patzke | S | R | November 19, 1973 | 6'0" | 190 | Klamath Falls, OR US |
| Jose Pett | R | R | January 8, 1976 | 6'6" | 200 | Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo BR |
| Angel Ramirez | R | R | January 24, 1973 | 5'10" | 166 | Azua, Azua DO |
| Kendall Rhine | R | R | November 27, 1970 | 6'7" | 215 | Houston, TX US |
| Lonell Roberts | S | R | June 7, 1971 | 6'0" | 172 | San Bernardino, CA US |
| Mike Romano | S | R | March 3, 1972 | 6'2" | 195 | New Orleans, LA US |
| Anthony Sanders | R | R | March 2, 1974 | 6'2" | 200 | Tucson, AZ US |
| Mark Sievert | L | R | February 16, 1973 | 6'4" | 195 | Janesville, WI US |
| José Silva | R | R | December 19, 1973 | 6'6" | 235 | Tijuana, Baja California MX |
| Brian Smith | R | R | July 19, 1972 | 5'11" | 185 | Salisbury, NC US |
| Frank Viola | L | L | April 19, 1960 | 6'4" | 200 | Hempstead, NY US |
| Chris Weinke | L | L | July 31, 1972 | 6'3" | 205 |
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.
