1997 Lynchburg Hillcats Roster
Team Record: 82-58
Finished 1st in the CL's North Division
Manager: Jeff Banister (0-0), Jeff Richardson (0-0)
Affiliation: Pittsburgh Pirates
Location: Lynchburg, Virginia
Ballpark: City Stadium
Attendance: 112,363, Avg. 1,652 in 68 home dates
Playoffs - Lynchburg Hillcats 2 games, Frederick Keys 0
Finals - Lynchburg Hillcats 3 games, Kinston Indians 1
The Lynchburg Hillcats of the Carolina League ended the 1997 season with a record of 82 wins and 58 losses, finishing first in the league's North Division.
The Hillcats scored 683 runs and conceded 607 runs. Aramis Ramírez led Lynchburg with 29 home runs, while Craig Wilson and Shon Walker walloped 15 or more as well. Aramis Ramírez accounted for 114 RBI. Mike Asche paced all regular batters by connecting at a .306 clip. Bronson Arroyo topped the squad with 12 wins and a team-best 3.32 earned run average, best among pitchers with enough qualifying appearances.
Players from the 1997 Lynchburg Hillcats who spent time in Major League Baseball during their careers included Kevin Pickford, Aramis Ramírez, Danny Young, Jason Phillips, Luis Figueroa, Jeff Wallace, Jason Johnson, Alex Hernández, Abraham Núñez, Brian O'Connor, Bronson Arroyo, Craig Wilson, Kris Benson and Tike Redman.
Jeff Banister and Jeff Richardson served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Ah Yat | R | L | October 13, 1974 | 6'1" | 192 | Honolulu, HI US |
| Nilson Antigua | R | R | December 14, 1975 | 6'2" | 175 | Monte Plata, DO |
| Bronson Arroyo | R | R | February 24, 1977 | 6'3" | 185 | Key West, FL US |
| Mike Asche | R | R | February 13, 1972 | 6'2" | 189 | Springfield, IL US |
| Mike Ayers | L | L | December 23, 1973 | 5'10" | 206 | Cincinnati, OH US |
| Kris Benson | R | R | November 7, 1974 | 6'4" | 190 | Kennesaw, GA US |
| Derek Bullock | R | R | February 24, 1973 | 6'2" | 186 | Yuba City, CA US |
| Jeff Conger | L | L | August 6, 1971 | 6'0" | 185 | Philadelphia, PA US |
| Chris Corn | R | R | October 4, 1971 | 6'3" | 170 | Louisville, KY US |
| Dave Daniels | R | R | July 25, 1973 | 6'2" | 182 | New York, NY US |
| Albert Davis | R | R | October 5, 1976 | 5'9" | 175 | Maryville, TN US |
| Mark Farris | L | R | February 9, 1975 | 6'3" | 190 | Harlingen, TX US |
| Luis Figueroa | S | R | February 16, 1974 | 5'9" | 165 | Bayamon, PR |
| Hal Garrett | R | R | April 27, 1975 | 6'2" | 175 | Nashville, TN US |
| Julio Germosen | R | R | September 28, 1976 | 6'0" | 150 | Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional DO |
| Jason Haynie | L | L | March 29, 1974 | 6'0" | 194 | Savannah, GA US |
| Alex Hernández | L | L | May 28, 1977 | 6'4" | 190 | San Juan, PR |
| Elvin Hernandez | R | R | August 20, 1977 | 6'1" | 195 | Ranchete, DO |
| Jason Johnson | R | R | October 27, 1973 | 6'6" | 225 | Santa Barbara, CA US |
| Erskine Kelley | R | R | February 27, 1971 | 6'4" | 220 | Freeport, NY US |
| Garrett Long | R | R | October 5, 1976 | 6'3" | 207 | Houston, TX US |
| Jeff Martin | R | R | January 25, 1977 | 6'0" | 200 | Kailua, HI US |
| Joe Maskivish | R | R | August 14, 1971 | 6'4" | 180 | Charleston, SC US |
| Del Mathews | L | L | October 31, 1974 | 6'4" | 224 | Grand Rapids, MI US |
| Craig Mattson | R | R | November 25, 1973 | 6'4" | 205 | Belvidere, IL US |
| Neal McDade | R | R | June 16, 1976 | 6'3" | 190 | Naples, FL US |
| Sergio Mendez | R | R | October 12, 1973 | 6'2" | 180 | Rio San Juan, Maria Trinidad Sanchez DO |
| Chris Miyake | R | R | May 18, 1973 | 6'2" | 188 | Los Angeles, CA US |
| Abraham Núñez | S | R | March 16, 1976 | 5'11" | 200 | Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional DO |
| Brian O'Connor | L | L | January 4, 1977 | 6'2" | 190 | Cincinnati, OH US |
| Rick Paugh | L | L | February 6, 1972 | 6'1" | 202 | Clarksburg, WV US |
| Jason Phillips | R | R | March 22, 1974 | 6'6" | 225 | Williamsport, PA US |
| Kevin Pickford | L | L | March 12, 1975 | 6'4" | 200 | Fresno, CA US |
| Aramis Ramírez | R | R | June 25, 1978 | 6'1" | 205 | Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional DO |
| Tike Redman | L | L | March 10, 1977 | 5'11" | 175 | Tuscaloosa, AL US |
| Jose Reyes | R | R | May 1, 1973 | 6'1" | 188 | Villa Vasquez, Monte Cristi DO |
| Charles Rice | L | R | August 31, 1975 | 6'1" | 230 | Birmingham, AL US |
| Tony Robinson | R | R | June 11, 1976 | 6'0" | 185 | Cleveland, OH US |
| Derek Swafford | L | R | January 21, 1975 | 5'10" | 175 | Ventura, CA US |
| Jason Temple | R | R | November 8, 1974 | 6'1" | 197 | Dearborn, MI US |
| Steve Thobe | R | R | May 26, 1972 | 6'7" | 237 | Akron, OH US |
| John Turlais | L | R | December 30, 1973 | 6'3" | 200 | DeKalb, IL US |
| Morgan Walker | R | L | August 7, 1974 | 6'3" | 230 | Kalamazoo, MI US |
| Shon Walker | L | L | June 9, 1974 | 6'1" | 180 | Cynthiana, KY US |
| Jeff Wallace | L | L | April 12, 1976 | 6'2" | 240 | Wheeling, WV US |
| Craig Wilson | R | R | November 30, 1976 | 6'2" | 217 | Fountain Valley, CA US |
| Danny Young | R | L | November 3, 1971 | 6'4" | 210 | Smyrna, TN 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.
