1998 West Michigan Whitecaps Roster
Team Record: 83-57
Finished 1st in the MWL's East Division
Manager: Bruce Fields (83-57)
Affiliation: Detroit Tigers
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Ballpark: Fifth Third Ballpark
Attendance: 500,083, Avg. 7,144 in 70 home dates
Playoffs - West Michigan Whitecaps 2 games, Clinton LumberKings 0
Playoffs - West Michigan Whitecaps 2 games, Michigan Battle Cats 1
Finals - West Michigan Whitecaps 3 games, Rockford Cubbies 1
The West Michigan Whitecaps of the Midwest League ended the 1998 season with a record of 83 wins and 57 losses, finishing first in the league's East Division.
The Whitecaps led the league with just 511 runs allowed. West Michigan scored 660 runs. Alexis Zapata paced the team with 11 home runs Antuan Bunkley accounted for 91 RBI and topped all regular hitters with a .297 average. Craig Johnson paced the squad with 14 wins and a team-best 2.8 ERA, best among qualifying pitchers.
Shane Loux, Matt Miller, Jeff Weaver, Adam Pettyjohn, Mike Rivera, Pedro Santana and Rod Lindsey were all players from the 1998 West Michigan Whitecaps who played in the Majors during their careers.
Bruce Fields served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antuan Bunkley | R | R | September 20, 1975 | 6'1" | 205 | West Palm Beach, FL US |
| Ron Bush | R | R | October 10, 1976 | 6'1" | 170 | Richmond, VA US |
| Jose Castillo | R | R | June 12, 1977 | 6'2" | 170 | Azua, Azua DO |
| Ryan Grimmett | R | R | March 4, 1975 | 5'9" | 165 | Cincinnati, OH US |
| Mandy Jacomino | L | R | June 1, 1974 | 6'2" | 210 | Miami, FL US |
| Craig Johnson | R | R | November 8, 1975 | 6'3" | 200 | Wolfeboro, NH US |
| Dan Lauterhahn | R | R | April 23, 1976 | 6'1" | 175 | Pompton Plains, NJ US |
| Jeremiah Lignitz | L | R | May 18, 1977 | 6'2" | 210 | Lapeer, MI US |
| Rod Lindsey | R | R | January 28, 1976 | 5'8" | 175 | Opelika, AL US |
| Shane Loux | R | R | August 31, 1979 | 6'2" | 225 | Rapid City, SD US |
| Antonio McKinney | R | R | January 2, 1978 | 5'10" | 175 | Portland, OR US |
| Matt Miller | L | L | August 2, 1974 | 6'3" | 175 | Lubbock, TX US |
| Juan Mora | L | L | November 26, 1977 | 5'11" | 170 | Santurce, PR |
| Rich Ozarowski | S | R | October 19, 1974 | 5'9" | 175 | Boca Raton, FL US |
| Mark Persails | R | R | October 25, 1975 | 6'3" | 180 | Lapeer, MI US |
| Adam Pettyjohn | R | L | June 11, 1977 | 6'3" | 190 | Phoenix, AZ US |
| Jose Ramirez | L | L | September 1, 1975 | 6'1" | 170 | San Francisco de Macoris, Duarte DO |
| Brian Rios | R | R | July 25, 1974 | 6'3" | 215 | Santa Ana, CA US |
| Mike Rivera | R | R | September 8, 1976 | 6'1" | 220 | Rio Piedras, PR |
| Greg Romo | L | R | May 14, 1975 | 6'2" | 175 | Bakersfield, CA US |
| Pedro Santana | R | R | September 21, 1976 | 5'11" | 160 | San Pedro de Macoris, San Pedro de Macoris DO |
| Heath Schesser | R | R | January 7, 1976 | 6'1" | 190 | Manhattan, KS US |
| Chad Schroeder | R | R | September 21, 1973 | 6'1" | 195 | Grand Rapids, MI US |
| Bobby Sismondo | L | L | November 14, 1976 | 6'1" | 200 | Steubenville, OH US |
| Bill Snyder | R | R | January 29, 1975 | 6'0" | 190 | Oswego, NY US |
| Alex Steele | R | R | December 9, 1975 | 6'3" | 225 | Englewood, NJ US |
| Randy Viegas | L | L | August 22, 1975 | 6'2" | 175 | Roseville, CA US |
| Jeff Weaver | R | R | August 22, 1976 | 6'5" | 200 | Northridge, CA US |
| Alan Webb | L | L | September 26, 1979 | 6'0" | 185 | Las Vegas, NV US |
| Mark Zamarripa | R | R | July 28, 1974 | 6'0" | 175 | Los Angeles, CA US |
| Alexis Zapata | R | R | May 20, 1977 | 6'3" | 190 | Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional DO |
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.
