# 1997 Carolina League season

The 1997 Carolina League was a Class A-Advanced baseball season played between April 4 and August 30. Eight teams played a 140-game schedule, with the winners of each half of the season competing in the playoffs.
The Lynchburg Hillcats won the Carolina League championship, defeating the Kinston Indians in the final round of the playoffs.

## Team changes

* The Prince William Cannons ended their affiliation with the Chicago White Sox and began a new affiliation with the St. Louis Cardinals.
* The Winston-Salem Warthogs ended their affiliation with the Cincinnati Reds and began a new affiliation with the Chicago White Sox.

## Teams

1997 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 | 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 | Chicago White Sox | Ernie Shore Field |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Kinston Indians finished with the best record in the league for the first time since 1991.

### Standings

Northern division :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Lynchburg Hillcats | 82 | 58 | .586 | – |
| Prince William Cannons | 69 | 70 | .496 | 12.5 |
| Frederick Keys | 69 | 71 | .493 | 13 |
| Wilmington Blue Rocks | 62 | 78 | .443 | 20 |
| Southern division |||||
| Kinston Indians | 87 | 53 | .621 | – |
| Salem Avalanche | 63 | 75 | .457 | 23 |
| Durham Bulls | 63 | 76 | .453 | 23.5 |
| Winston-Salem Warthogs | 63 | 77 | .450 | 24 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Rick Short, Frederick Keys | .319 |
| H | Carlos Lee, Winston-Salem Warthogs | 173 |
| R | Scott Morgan, Kinston Indians | 86 |
| 2B | Carlos Lee, Winston-Salem Warthogs | 50 |
| 3B | Ramon Gomez, Winston-Salem Warthogs | 12 |
| HR | Danny Peoples, Kinston Indians | 34 |
| RBI | Aramis Ramírez, Lynchburg Hillcats | 114 |
| SB | Ramon Gomez, Winston-Salem Warthogs | 53 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Bronson Arroyo, Lynchburg Hillcats Clint Weibl, Prince William Cannons | 12 |
| ERA | Cliff Politte, Prince William Cannons | 2.24 |
| CG | Tom Stepka, Salem Avalanche | 4 |
| SV | Armando Almanza, Prince William Cannons | 36 |
| SO | Carlos Chantres, Winston-Salem Warthogs | 158 |
| IP | Top Stepka, Salem Avalanche | 182.1 |

## Playoffs

* The Lynchburg Hillcats won their fourth Carolina League championship, defeating the Kinston Indians in four games.

### Playoff bracket

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| N1 | Lynchburg | 2 | | | |
| N2 | Frederick | 0 | | | |
| N2 | Frederick | 0 | N1 | Lynchburg | 3 |
| | | | S1 | Kinston | 1 |
| S1 | Kinston | bye | S1 | Kinston | 1 |

## Awards

Carolina League awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Aramis Ramírez, Lynchburg Hillcats |
| Pitcher of the Year | Cliff Politte, Prince William Cannons |
| Manager of the Year | Joel Skinner, Kinston Indians |