1997 Trenton Thunder Roster
Team Record: 71-70
Finished 4th in the EL's South Division
Manager: DeMarlo Hale (71-70)
Affiliation: Boston Red Sox
Location: Trenton, New Jersey
Ballpark: ARM & HAMMER Park
Attendance: 446,527, Avg. 6,567 in 68 home dates
The Trenton Thunder of the Eastern League ended the 1997 season with a record of 71 wins and 70 losses, finishing fourth in the league's South Division.
The Thunder plated 766 runs and allowed 760 runs. Pat Bryant paced Trenton with 19 home runs, and Joe Depastino walloped 15 or more, too. Dave Gibralter accounted for 86 RBI. Michael Coleman topped all regular batters by hitting .301. Jim Farrell and Brian Barkley led the squad with 12 wins each, while Jim Farrell recorded a 4.38 ERA, tops among regular hurlers.
Bret Saberhagen, Brian Barkley, Rod Correia, Lou Merloni, Cole Liniak, Walt McKeel, Juan Peña, Heath Haynes, Pete Walker, Andy Abad, Peter Munro, Jared Fernández, Joe Depastino, Ron Mahay, Bill Haselman, Michael Coleman and Robinson Checo were all players from the 1997 Trenton Thunder who played in the Majors during their careers.
DeMarlo Hale served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andy Abad | L | L | August 25, 1972 | 6'1" | 184 | Palm Beach, FL US |
| Brian Barkley | L | L | December 8, 1975 | 6'2" | 180 | Conroe, TX US |
| Rick Betti | R | L | September 16, 1973 | 5'11" | 170 | Natick, MA US |
| Mike Blais | R | R | October 2, 1971 | 6'5" | 226 | Norwich, CT US |
| Richie Borrero | R | R | January 5, 1973 | 6'1" | 195 | Mayaguez, PR |
| Randy Brown | R | R | May 1, 1970 | 5'11" | 160 | Dallas, TX US |
| Pat Bryant | R | R | October 27, 1972 | 5'11" | 182 | Lexington, KY US |
| Kevan Cannon | L | L | August 24, 1974 | 6'1" | 222 | Columbus, OH US |
| Brett Cederblad | S | R | March 6, 1973 | 6'5" | 195 | Sydney, New South Wales AU |
| Robinson Checo | R | R | September 9, 1971 | 6'1" | 165 | Santiago, Santiago DO |
| Michael Coleman | R | R | August 16, 1975 | 5'11" | 180 | Nashville, TN US |
| Rod Correia | R | R | September 13, 1967 | 5'11" | 185 | Providence, RI US |
| Joe Depastino | R | R | September 4, 1973 | 6'2" | 210 | Philadelphia, PA US |
| Tony Derosso | R | R | November 7, 1975 | 6'3" | 226 | Waukesha, WI US |
| Chad Epperson | L | R | March 26, 1972 | 6'3" | 215 | Elizabethtown, KY US |
| Ethan Faggett | L | L | August 21, 1974 | 6'0" | 190 | Fort Worth, TX US |
| Jim Farrell | R | R | November 1, 1973 | 6'1" | 180 | Akron, OH US |
| Jared Fernández | R | R | February 2, 1972 | 6'2" | 223 | Salt Lake City, UT US |
| Aaron Fuller | S | R | September 7, 1971 | 5'10" | 180 | Fresno, CA US |
| Dave Gibralter | R | R | June 19, 1975 | 6'3" | 224 | Dallas, TX US |
| Frank Gonzales | R | L | March 12, 1968 | 6'0" | 185 | La Junta, CO US |
| Chad Hale | R | L | August 3, 1971 | 6'6" | 245 | Newark, OH US |
| Bill Haselman | R | R | May 25, 1966 | 6'3" | 205 | Long Branch, NJ US |
| Heath Haynes | R | R | November 30, 1968 | 6'0" | 175 | Wheeling, WV US |
| Doug Hecker | R | R | January 21, 1971 | 6'4" | 210 | Syosset, NY US |
| Gavin Jackson | R | R | July 19, 1973 | 5'10" | 170 | Sylvester, GA US |
| Cole Liniak | R | R | August 23, 1976 | 6'1" | 181 | Encinitas, CA US |
| Chris Madonna | L | R | March 13, 1973 | 5'11" | 190 | Smithtown, NY US |
| Ron Mahay | L | L | June 28, 1971 | 6'2" | 200 | Crestwood, IL US |
| Walt McKeel | R | R | January 17, 1972 | 6'2" | 200 | Wilson, NC US |
| Lou Merloni | R | R | April 6, 1971 | 5'10" | 188 | Framingham, MA US |
| Peter Munro | R | R | June 14, 1975 | 6'2" | 200 | Flushing, NY US |
| Rafael Orellano | L | L | April 28, 1973 | 6'2" | 160 | Hamacao, PR |
| Nick Ortiz | R | R | July 9, 1973 | 6'0" | 180 | Cidra, PR |
| Juan Peña | R | R | June 27, 1977 | 6'5" | 210 | Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional DO |
| Dean Peterson | R | R | August 3, 1972 | 6'3" | 200 | Peru, IN US |
| Felix Ramirez | L | L | January 7, 1975 | 5'11" | 170 | Villa Mella, Santo Domingo DO |
| Brian Rose | R | R | October 7, 1972 | 6'1" | 190 | Malone, NY US |
| Bret Saberhagen | R | R | April 11, 1964 | 6'1" | 160 | Chicago Heights, IL US |
| Steve Smetana | L | L | April 14, 1973 | 6'0" | 205 | Chardon, OH US |
| Nate Tebbs | S | R | December 14, 1972 | 5'10" | 170 | Salt Lake City, UT US |
| Brad Tweedlie | R | R | December 9, 1971 | 6'2" | 210 | Long Beach, CA US |
| Pete Walker | R | R | April 8, 1969 | 6'2" | 195 | Beverly, MA US |
| Juan Williams | L | R | October 9, 1972 | 6'0" | 180 | Los Angeles, CA US |
| Jay Yennaco | R | R | November 17, 1975 | 6'1" | 220 | Lawrence, MA 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.
