# 1996 Carolina League season

The 1996 Carolina League was a Class A-Advanced baseball season played between April 5 and September 2. 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 Kinston Indians in the final round of the playoffs.

## Teams

1996 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 | Chicago White Sox | G. Richard Pfitzner Stadium |
| Northern | Wilmington Blue Rocks | Wilmington, Delaware | Kansas City Royals | Daniel S. Frawley Stadium |
| Southern | Durham Bulls | Durham, North Carolina | Atlanta Braves | Durham Bulls Athletic Park |
| 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 | Cincinnati Reds | Ernie Shore Field |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Wilmington Blue Rocks finished with the best record in the league for the third consecutive season.

### Standings

Northern division :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Wilmington Blue Rocks | 80 | 60 | .571 | – |
| Frederick Keys | 67 | 72 | .482 | 12.5 |
| Lynchburg Hillcats | 65 | 74 | .468 | 14.5 |
| Prince William Cannons | 58 | 80 | .420 | 21 |
| Southern division |||||
| Kinston Indians | 76 | 62 | .551 | – |
| Winston-Salem Warthogs | 74 | 65 | .532 | 2.5 |
| Durham Bulls | 73 | 66 | .525 | 3.5 |
| Salem Avalanche | 62 | 76 | .449 | 14 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Sean Casey, Kinston Indians | .331 |
| H | José Guillén, Lynchburg Hillcats | 170 |
| R | Juan Thomas, Prince William Cannons | 88 |
| 2B | Freddy García, Lynchburg Hillcats | 39 |
| 3B | Chip Glass, Kinston Indians | 9 |
| HR | Freddy García, Lynchburg Hillcats José Guillén, Lynchburg Hillcats | 21 |
| RBI | Johnny Isom, Frederick Keys | 104 |
| SB | Sergio Nunez, Wilmington Blue Rocks | 44 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | David Caldwell, Kinston Indians | 13 |
| ERA | Nerio Rodríguez, Frederick Keys | 2.26 |
| CG | Carlos Castillo, Prince William Cannons Allen Halley, Prince William Cannons Kevin Pickford, Lynchburg Hillcats | 4 |
| SV | Steve Prihoda, Wilmington Blue Rocks | 25 |
| SO | Russ Herbert, Prince William Cannons | 148 |
| IP | Kevin Pickford, Lynchburg Hillcats | 172.1 |

## Playoffs

* The Wilmington Blue Rocks won their second Carolina League championship, defeating the Kinston Indians in four games.

### Playoff bracket

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| N1 | Wilmington | bye | | | |
| | | | N1 | Wilmington | 3 |
| | | | S1 | Kinston | 1 |
| S1 | Kinston | 2 | S1 | Kinston | 1 |
| S2 | Durham | 1 | | | |

## Awards

Carolina League awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | José Guillén, Lynchburg Hillcats |
| Pitcher of the Year | Noe Najera, Kinston Indians |
| Manager of the Year | Jack Mull, Kinston Indians |