1997 Omaha Royals Roster
Team Record: 61-83
Finished 4th in the AA's West Division
Manager: Mike Jirschele (61-83)
Affiliation: Kansas City Royals
Location: Omaha, Nebraska
Ballpark: Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium
Attendance: 449,753, Avg. 6,713 in 67 home dates
The Omaha Royals of the American Association ended the 1997 season with a record of 61 wins and 83 losses, finishing fourth in the league's West Division.
The Royals scored 663 runs and conceded 807 runs, most in the circuit. Pork Chop Pough led Omaha with 22 home runs, while Ryan Long, Larry Sutton, Jon Nunnally and Yamil Benítez each walloped 15 or more also. Larry Sutton drove in 72 runs. Ryan Long topped all qualifying hitters on the roster with a .265 average. Brian Harrison paced the squad with 10 wins and a team-best 5.05 earned run average, best among hurlers with significant time on the mound.
Members of the 1997 Omaha Royals who played in Major League Baseball during their careers were Scott Watkins, Larry Sutton, Sal Fasano, Allen McDill, Brian Bevil, Gregg Olson, Andy Stewart, Mitch Williams, Jed Hansen, Jermaine Dye, Craig Paquette, Jim Pittsley, Héctor Ortiz, Jason Grimsley, Brad Pennington, Todd Van Poppel, Glendon Rusch, Joe Vitiello, Ryan Long, Rick Huisman, Félix Martínez, Jim Converse, Hipólito Pichardo, Chris Stynes, Jamie Brewington, Randy Veres, Mike Williams, Mike Pérez, Steve Sisco, Shane Halter, Mike Sweeney, Jon Nunnally, Ken Ray, Rudy Seánez, Mendy López, Scott Service, Ken Patterson, Yamil Benítez, Jeff Montgomery, Doug Johns, Chris Haney, Rod Myers and Chris Hatcher.
Mike Jirschele served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yamil Benítez | R | R | October 5, 1972 | 6'2" | 195 | San Juan, PR |
| Brian Bevil | R | R | September 5, 1971 | 6'3" | 190 | Houston, TX US |
| Jamie Brewington | R | R | September 28, 1971 | 6'4" | 180 | Greenville, NC US |
| Ramy Brooks | R | R | April 12, 1970 | 6'2" | 180 | Norman, OK US |
| Jeremy Carr | R | R | March 30, 1971 | 5'9" | 180 | El Segundo, CA US |
| Jim Converse | L | R | August 17, 1971 | 5'9" | 180 | San Francisco, CA US |
| Jermaine Dye | R | R | January 28, 1974 | 6'4" | 210 | Oakland, CA US |
| Sal Fasano | R | R | August 10, 1971 | 6'2" | 220 | Chicago, IL US |
| Pat Flury | R | R | March 14, 1973 | 6'1" | 220 | Reno, NV US |
| Jason Grimsley | R | R | August 7, 1967 | 6'3" | 180 | Cleveland, TX US |
| Shane Halter | R | R | November 8, 1969 | 5'10" | 160 | La Plata, MD US |
| Chris Haney | L | L | November 16, 1968 | 6'3" | 185 | Baltimore, MD US |
| Jed Hansen | R | R | August 19, 1972 | 6'1" | 195 | Tacoma, WA US |
| Brian Harrison | R | R | December 18, 1968 | 6'1" | 185 | Bryan, TX US |
| Chris Hatcher | R | R | January 7, 1969 | 6'3" | 220 | Anaheim, CA US |
| Rick Huisman | R | R | May 17, 1969 | 6'3" | 200 | Oak Park, IL US |
| Doug Johns | R | L | December 19, 1967 | 6'2" | 185 | South Bend, IN US |
| Ryan Long | R | R | February 3, 1973 | 6'2" | 215 | Houston, TX US |
| Mendy López | R | R | October 15, 1973 | 6'2" | 200 | Pimentel, Duarte DO |
| Félix Martínez | S | R | May 18, 1974 | 6'0" | 170 | Nagua, Maria Trinidad Sanchez DO |
| Allen McDill | L | L | August 23, 1971 | 6'0" | 155 | Greenville, MS US |
| Tony Medrano | R | R | December 8, 1974 | 5'10" | 170 | Bellflower, CA US |
| Mark Merchant | S | R | January 23, 1969 | 6'2" | 220 | Dunkirk, NY US |
| Jeff Montgomery | R | R | January 7, 1962 | 5'11" | 170 | Wellston, OH US |
| Rod Myers | L | L | January 14, 1973 | 6'0" | 190 | Conroe, TX US |
| Jon Nunnally | L | R | November 9, 1971 | 5'10" | 190 | Pelham, NC US |
| Steve Olsen | R | R | November 2, 1969 | 6'4" | 225 | Louisville, KY US |
| Gregg Olson | R | R | October 11, 1966 | 6'4" | 210 | Scribner, NE US |
| Héctor Ortiz | R | R | October 14, 1969 | 6'0" | 205 | Rio Piedras, PR |
| Craig Paquette | R | R | March 28, 1969 | 6'0" | 190 | Long Beach, CA US |
| Ken Patterson | L | L | July 8, 1964 | 6'4" | 210 | Costa Mesa, CA US |
| Brad Pennington | L | L | April 14, 1969 | 6'5" | 205 | Salem, IN US |
| Mike Pérez | R | R | October 19, 1964 | 6'0" | 185 | Yauco, PR |
| Hipólito Pichardo | R | R | August 22, 1969 | 6'1" | 160 | Esperanza, Valverde DO |
| Jim Pittsley | R | R | April 3, 1974 | 6'7" | 215 | Du Bois, PA US |
| Pork Chop Pough | R | R | December 25, 1969 | 6'0" | 200 | Sebring, FL US |
| Ken Ray | R | R | November 27, 1974 | 6'2" | 200 | Atlanta, GA US |
| Glendon Rusch | L | L | November 7, 1974 | 6'2" | 170 | Seattle, WA US |
| Rudy Seánez | R | R | October 20, 1968 | 5'10" | 185 | Brawley, CA US |
| Brad Seitzer | R | R | February 2, 1970 | 6'2" | 195 | Springfield, IL US |
| Scott Service | R | R | February 26, 1967 | 6'6" | 230 | Cincinnati, OH US |
| Steve Sisco | R | R | December 2, 1969 | 5'10" | 190 | Thousand Oaks, CA US |
| Toby Smith | R | R | November 16, 1971 | 6'6" | 225 | Bartlesville, OK US |
| Andy Stewart | R | R | December 5, 1970 | 5'11" | 205 | Oshawa, ON CA |
| Chris Stynes | R | R | January 19, 1973 | 5'9" | 175 | Queens, NY US |
| Larry Sutton | L | L | May 14, 1970 | 5'11" | 175 | West Covina, CA US |
| Mike Sweeney | R | R | July 22, 1973 | 6'1" | 195 | Orange, CA US |
| Robert Toth | R | R | July 30, 1972 | 6'2" | 180 | Gardena, CA US |
| Todd Van Poppel | R | R | December 9, 1971 | 6'5" | 210 | Hinsdale, IL US |
| Randy Veres | R | R | November 25, 1965 | 6'3" | 190 | San Francisco, CA US |
| Joe Vitiello | R | R | April 11, 1970 | 6'2" | 215 | Cambridge, MA US |
| Scott Watkins | L | L | May 15, 1970 | 6'3" | 180 | Tulsa, OK US |
| Mike Williams | R | R | July 29, 1968 | 6'2" | 190 | Radford, VA US |
| Mitch Williams | L | L | November 17, 1964 | 6'3" | 180 | Santa Ana, CA US |
| Mike Zimmerman | R | R | February 6, 1969 | 6'0" | 180 | Brooklyn, NY 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.
