# 1998 Carolina League season

The 1998 Carolina League was a Class A-Advanced baseball season played between April 2 and August 30. Eight teams played a 140-game schedule, with the winners of each half of the season competing in the playoffs.
The Wilmington Blue Rocks won the Carolina League championship, defeating the Winston-Salem Warthogs in the final round of the playoffs.

## Team changes

* The Durham Bulls relocated to Danville, Virginia and were renamed the Danville 97s. The club remained affiliated with the Atlanta Braves.

## Teams

1998 Carolina League :
| Division | Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| Northern | Frederick Keys | Frederick, Maryland | Baltimore Orioles | Harry Grove Stadium |
| Northern | Lynchburg Hillcats | Lynchburg, Virginia | Pittsburgh Pirates | City Stadium |
| Northern | Prince William Cannons | Woodbridge, Virginia | St. Louis Cardinals | G. Richard Pfitzner Stadium |
| Northern | Wilmington Blue Rocks | Wilmington, Delaware | Kansas City Royals | Daniel S. Frawley Stadium |
| Southern | Danville 97s | Danville, Virginia | Atlanta Braves | American Legion Field |
| Southern | Kinston Indians | Kinston, North Carolina | Cleveland Indians | Grainger Stadium |
| Southern | Salem Avalanche | Salem, Virginia | Colorado Rockies | Salem Memorial Ballpark |
| Southern | Winston-Salem Warthogs | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | Chicago White Sox | Ernie Shore Field |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Wilmington Blue Rocks finished with the best record in the league for the first time since 1996.

### Standings

Northern division :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Wilmington Blue Rocks | 86 | 54 | .614 | – |
| Prince William Cannons | 72 | 67 | .518 | 13.5 |
| Lynchburg Hillcats | 69 | 71 | .493 | 17 |
| Frederick Keys | 64 | 76 | .457 | 22 |
| Southern division |||||
| Winston-Salem Warthogs | 79 | 60 | .568 | – |
| Kinston Indians | 69 | 71 | .493 | 10.5 |
| Salem Avalanche | 62 | 78 | .443 | 17.5 |
| Danville 97s | 58 | 82 | .414 | 21.5 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Joe Crede, Winston-Salem Warthogs | .315 |
| H | Cordell Farley, Prince William Cannons | 159 |
| R | Joe Crede, Winston-Salem Warthogs Cordell Farley, Prince William Cannons | 92 |
| 2B | Rod Bair, Salem Avalanche | 42 |
| 3B | Juan Sosa, Salem Avalanche | 12 |
| HR | Mike Glavine, Kinston Indians | 22 |
| RBI | Joe Crede, Winston-Salem Warthogs | 88 |
| SB | Juan Sosa, Salem Avalanche | 64 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Jake Chapman, Wilmington Blue Rocks Luis Colmenares, Salem Avalanche Mario Iglesias, Winston-Salem Warthogs Aaron Lineweaver, Wilmington Blue Rocks | 13 |
| ERA | Jason Karnuth, Prince William Cannons | 1.67 |
| CG | Chandler Martin, Salem Avalanche | 7 |
| SV | José De León, Prince William Cannons | 26 |
| SO | Rob Bell, Danville 97s | 197 |
| IP | Rob Bell, Danville 97s | 178.1 |

## Playoffs

* The Wilmington Blue Rocks won their third Carolina League championship, defeating the Winston-Salem Warthogs in four games.

### Playoff bracket

| Finals | Finals | Finals |
| N1 | Wilmington | 3 |
| S1 | Winston-Salem | 1 |

## Awards

Carolina League awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Joe Crede, Winston-Salem Warthogs |
| Pitcher of the Year | Rick Ankiel, Prince William Cannons |
| Manager of the Year | Chris Cron, Winston-Salem Warthogs |