1996 West Michigan Whitecaps Roster
Team Record: 77-61
Finished 1st in the MWL's East Division
Manager: Mike Quade (77-61)
Affiliation: Oakland Athletics
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Ballpark: Fifth Third Ballpark
Attendance: 547,401, Avg. 7,933 in 69 home dates
Playoffs - West Michigan Whitecaps 2 games, Rockford Cubbies 0
Playoffs - West Michigan Whitecaps 2 games, Lansing Lugnuts 1
Finals - West Michigan Whitecaps 3 games, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 1
The West Michigan Whitecaps of the Midwest League ended the 1996 season with a record of 77 wins and 61 losses, finishing first in the league's East Division.
The Whitecaps tallied 639 runs and allowed 561 runs. Ramón Hernández paced West Michigan with 12 home runs Duane Filchner accounted for 82 RBI. Dane Walker led all regular batters with a .277 average. Todd Abbott topped the squad with 11 wins, while Kevin Mlodik recorded a 2.78 ERA, leading pitchers with enough qualifying appearances.
Benito Báez, Ryan Christenson, Jeff DaVanon, Mario Encarnación, Ramón Hernández, Juan Moreno and Derrick White were all players from the 1996 West Michigan Whitecaps who played in the Majors during their careers.
Mike Quade served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Todd Abbott | R | R | September 13, 1973 | 6'4" | 200 | Little Rock, AR US |
| Benito Báez | L | L | May 6, 1977 | 6'0" | 160 | Bonao, Monsenor Nouel DO |
| Tom Bennett | R | R | May 13, 1976 | 6'4" | 190 | Oakland, CA US |
| Ryan Christenson | R | R | March 28, 1974 | 5'11" | 175 | Redlands, CA US |
| Jeff DaVanon | S | R | December 8, 1973 | 6'0" | 185 | San Diego, CA US |
| Mario Encarnación | R | R | September 24, 1975 | 6'2" | 210 | Bani, Peravia DO |
| Joe Espada | R | R | August 30, 1975 | 5'10" | 175 | Santurce, PR |
| Duane Filchner | L | L | February 28, 1973 | 6'1" | 185 | Allentown, PA US |
| Kevin Gunther | R | R | February 6, 1973 | 6'0" | 200 | Portland, OR US |
| Ramón Hernández | R | R | May 20, 1976 | 6'0" | 220 | Caracas, Distrito Federal VE |
| Bob Kazmirski | R | R | June 24, 1972 | 6'3" | 200 | Van Nuys, CA US |
| Eddie Lara | R | R | October 30, 1975 | 5'10" | 180 | Bani, Peravia DO |
| Alex Miranda | L | L | May 14, 1972 | 6'2" | 205 | Miami Beach, FL US |
| Kevin Mlodik | R | R | August 21, 1974 | 6'1" | 205 | Stevens Point, WI US |
| Juan Moreno | L | L | February 28, 1975 | 6'1" | 205 | Maiquetia, Vargas VE |
| Chris Morrison | R | R | April 3, 1972 | 6'0" | 195 | Albany, NY US |
| Chris Nelson | S | R | January 26, 1973 | 6'2" | 180 | San Diego, CA US |
| Randy Ortega | R | R | July 5, 1972 | 6'1" | 205 | |
| Arturo Paulino | R | R | July 18, 1974 | 5'11" | 170 | San Cristobal, San Cristobal DO |
| Jamey Price | L | R | February 11, 1972 | 6'7" | 220 | Pine Bluff, AR US |
| Troy Rauer | R | R | November 18, 1972 | 6'4" | 225 | St. Joseph, MO US |
| Scott Rivette | S | R | February 8, 1974 | 6'2" | 200 | Montclair, CA US |
| Alex Rondon | R | R | July 4, 1974 | 6'0" | 175 | |
| Andy Smith | R | R | January 29, 1975 | 6'5" | 210 | Kannapolis, NC US |
| Jose Soriano | R | R | April 20, 1974 | 6'1" | 190 | Bani, Peravia DO |
| Jon Valenti | R | R | November 26, 1973 | 6'1" | 195 | Bakersfield, CA US |
| Dane Walker | L | R | November 16, 1969 | 5'10" | 180 | Portland, OR US |
| Todd Weinberg | R | L | June 13, 1972 | 6'3" | 235 | Fall River, MA US |
| Derrick White | R | R | October 12, 1969 | 6'1" | 220 | San Rafael, 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.
