1997 Norwich Navigators Roster
Team Record: 73-69
Finished 2nd in the EL's North Division
Manager: Trey Hillman (73-69)
Affiliation: New York Yankees
Location: Norwich, Connecticut
Ballpark: Senator Thomas J. Dodd Stadium
Attendance: 244,246, Avg. 3,877 in 63 home dates
Playoffs - Portland Sea Dogs 3 games, Norwich Navigators 2
The Norwich Navigators of the Eastern League ended the 1997 season with a record of 73 wins and 69 losses, finishing second in the league's North Division.
The Navigators scored 784 runs and allowed 681 runs. Chris Ashby led Norwich with 24 home runs, while Kurt Bierek, Tom Wilson and Mike Lowell each walloped 15 or more as well. Chris Ashby drove in 82 runs. Brian Buchanan paced all qualifying hitters on the roster by connecting at a .309 clip. Chris Cumberland topped the squad with 11 wins, and Kevin Lomon recorded a 3.21 ERA, tops among hurlers with significant time on the mound.
Mike Lowell, Luis de los Santos, Tim Raines, Larry Mitchell, Darryl Strawberry, Mike Jerzembeck, Hideki Irabu, Kevin Lomon, Frank Lankford, Jason Beverlin, Tom Wilson, Brian Buchanan, Mike Buddie, Ben Ford, Jay Tessmer, Eric Milton and Dwight Gooden were all players from the 1997 Norwich Navigators who played in the Majors during their careers.
Trey Hillman served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Ashby | R | R | December 15, 1974 | 6'3" | 195 | Phoenix, AZ US |
| Jason Beverlin | L | R | November 27, 1973 | 6'5" | 220 | Ashtabula, OH US |
| Kurt Bierek | L | R | September 13, 1972 | 6'4" | 220 | Portland, OR US |
| Randy Brown | R | R | May 1, 1970 | 5'11" | 160 | Dallas, TX US |
| Ron Brown | R | R | January 17, 1970 | 6'3" | 185 | Tampa, FL US |
| Brian Buchanan | R | R | July 21, 1973 | 6'4" | 230 | Miami, FL US |
| Mike Buddie | R | R | December 12, 1970 | 6'3" | 210 | Berea, OH US |
| Andy Croghan | R | R | October 26, 1969 | 6'5" | 220 | Fullerton, CA US |
| Chris Cumberland | R | L | January 15, 1973 | 6'1" | 189 | Clearwater, FL US |
| Francisco De La Cruz | R | R | July 9, 1973 | 6'2" | 175 | La Romana, La Romana DO |
| Luis de los Santos | R | R | November 1, 1977 | 6'2" | 216 | Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional DO |
| Les Dennis | R | R | June 3, 1973 | 6'0" | 175 | Portland, OR US |
| Danny Donato | L | R | November 15, 1972 | 6'1" | 205 | Boston, MA US |
| Duke Dukart | L | R | August 17, 1971 | 6'4" | 205 | Portland, OR US |
| Grant Fithian | R | R | November 20, 1971 | 6'0" | 185 | DuQuoin, IL US |
| Ben Ford | R | R | August 15, 1975 | 6'7" | 200 | Cedar Rapids, IA US |
| Rudy Gomez | R | R | September 14, 1974 | 5'11" | 187 | Miami, FL US |
| Dwight Gooden | R | R | November 16, 1964 | 6'2" | 190 | Tampa, FL US |
| Kraig Hawkins | R | R | December 4, 1971 | 6'2" | 170 | Lake Charles, LA US |
| Kevin Henthorne | S | R | December 9, 1969 | 6'2" | 185 | Phoenix, AZ US |
| Rob Hinds | R | R | April 26, 1971 | 6'0" | 185 | Jamaica, NY US |
| Mark Hubbard | L | L | February 2, 1970 | 6'2" | 190 | Clearwater, FL US |
| Hideki Irabu | R | R | May 5, 1969 | 6'4" | 240 | Hyogo, JP |
| Mike Jerzembeck | R | R | May 18, 1972 | 6'1" | 185 | Queens, NY US |
| Frank Lankford | R | R | March 26, 1971 | 6'2" | 190 | Atlanta, GA US |
| Jose Lobaton | R | R | March 29, 1974 | 5'11" | 168 | , Portuguesa VE |
| Kevin Lomon | R | R | November 20, 1971 | 6'1" | 195 | Fort Smith, AR US |
| R. D. Long | S | R | April 2, 1971 | 6'1" | 183 | Albany, NY US |
| Mike Lowell | R | R | February 24, 1974 | 6'4" | 195 | San Juan, PR |
| Katsuhiro Maeda | R | R | June 23, 1971 | 6'2" | 215 | Kobe, Hyogo JP |
| Gabby Martinez | R | R | January 7, 1974 | 6'2" | 190 | San Juan, PR |
| Eric Milton | L | L | August 4, 1975 | 6'3" | 200 | State College, PA US |
| Larry Mitchell | R | R | October 16, 1971 | 6'1" | 220 | Flint, MI US |
| Tim Raines | S | R | September 16, 1959 | 5'8" | 160 | Sanford, FL US |
| Angel Ramirez | R | R | January 24, 1973 | 5'10" | 166 | Azua, Azua DO |
| Greg Resz | L | R | December 25, 1971 | 6'5" | 215 | San Diego, CA US |
| Ray Ricken | R | R | August 11, 1973 | 6'5" | 225 | Detroit, MI US |
| Scott Rose | R | R | May 12, 1970 | 6'3" | 200 | Tampa, FL US |
| Brett Schlomann | R | R | July 31, 1974 | 6'0" | 180 | Tulsa, OK US |
| Sloan Smith | S | R | November 29, 1972 | 6'4" | 215 | Cincinnati, OH US |
| Darryl Strawberry | L | L | March 12, 1962 | 6'6" | 190 | Los Angeles, CA US |
| Jay Tessmer | R | R | December 26, 1971 | 6'3" | 190 | Meadville, PA US |
| Sal Urso | R | L | January 19, 1972 | 5'11" | 195 | Tampa, FL US |
| Luke Wilcox | L | R | November 15, 1973 | 6'4" | 190 | Lansing, MI US |
| Tom Wilson | R | R | December 19, 1970 | 6'3" | 220 | Fullerton, 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.
