Midwest League

Last updated

Midwest League
Midwest League logo.svg
Classification High-A (2021–present)
Class A (1963–2020)
Class D (1947–1962)
Sport Baseball
Founded1947(77 years ago) (1947)
No. of teams12
CountryUnited States
Most recent
champion(s)		 Lake County Captains (2024)
Most titles Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and Lansing Lugnuts (9)

The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues.

Contents

The Midwest League began as the Illinois State League (1947–1948) and then became the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League (1949–1955). In 1956, the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League was renamed the Midwest League. [1] [2] The circuit temporarily operated for the 2021 season as the High-A Central before reassuming its original moniker in 2022.

The Lansing Lugnuts and Wisconsin Timber Rattlers franchises jointly have won the most Midwest League championships, with nine each.

History

The Midwest League directly evolved from two earlier leagues in the region. In 1947, the Class D Illinois State League (ISL) began operation with six Illinois teams: the Belleville Stags, Centralia Cubs, Marion Indians, Mattoon Indians, Mount Vernon Braves, and West Frankfort Cardinals. In 1949, the ISL changed its name to the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League after Marion moved their franchise to Kentucky and became the Paducah Chiefs. In 1954, the Mississippi-Ohio Valley League expanded, adding teams in Clinton and Dubuque, Iowa. The Mississippi-Ohio Valley League was then renamed Midwest League in 1956.

The original teams in 1956, the first year of Midwest League play, were: Clinton Pirates, Decatur Commodores, Dubuque Packers, Kokomo Dodgers, Lafayette Red Sox, Mattoon Phillies, Michigan City White Caps and the Paris Lakers. Mattoon is the oldest franchise in the MWL, evolving into today's Fort Wayne TinCaps, while Clinton is the oldest MWL locale. [3]

In 1960, the Davenport, Iowa based Quad City Braves joined the league as an expansion team. In 1962, Appleton, Burlington, and Cedar Rapids joined the Midwest League from the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League which folded operations when those franchises switched leagues. [2] All those franchised remain in the league today. In 1963, the Midwest League was designated as a Class A league, after the minor league classification structure was reorganized. [4]

The 1975 Waterloo Royals, led by future MLB All-Stars Willie Wilson and Dan Quisenberry, are ranked #60 on MiLB.com's Top 100 Teams. The Royals finished the season 93–35. [5]

In 1976, the Midwest League contracted from ten teams to eight, as franchises in Danville and Dubuque were eliminated. In 1982, the league expanded from 8 to 12 teams, adding the Beloit Brewers, the Danville Suns, the Madison Muskies, and the Springfield Cardinals. The Peoria Suns relocated from Danville in 1983, and acquired their current name, Peoria Chiefs, the following year. In 1988, the league began splitting its season into two halves and expanded from 12 to 14 teams, with the addition of franchises in South Bend, Indiana, and Rockford, Illinois. During the 1990s several teams changed cities as Major League Baseball placed higher standards on minor league baseball facilities; franchises in smaller cities were sold to new owners who moved those teams to new ballparks in larger cities. Kenosha, Madison, Rockford, Springfield, Waterloo, and Wausau lost teams during this decade while Battle Creek, Dayton, Fort Wayne, Grand Rapids (West Michigan), Kane County, and Lansing gained teams. [2]

The 1978 Appleton Foxes are ranked #93 on the Top-100 All Time teams by MiLB.com. [6] Led by future Cy Young Award winner LaMarr Hoyt, the team finished 97–40. Harry Chappas, Ross Baumgarten and Britt Burns were all called up to the parent Chicago White Sox at the conclusion of the MWL season. The 97 wins by the Foxes remains a Midwest League record. [6]

The Fort Wayne TinCaps are the oldest franchise in the league, having begun as the Mattoon Indians in 1947 and playing in Keokuk, Iowa; Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin; and Kenosha, Wisconsin, before moving to Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1993. The Clinton LumberKings have been in one city longer than any Midwest League team, having called Clinton, Iowa, home since 1954.

The Southwest Michigan Devil Rays moved to Midland, Michigan, and became the Great Lakes Loons prior to the 2007 season.

On September 2, 2008, Minor League Baseball announced that two teams would transfer from the fellow Class A South Atlantic League to the Midwest League: the Lake County Captains (an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians playing in Eastlake, Ohio) and the Bowling Green Hot Rods (an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays playing in Bowling Green, Kentucky). [7]

The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic before ultimately being cancelled on June 30. [8] [9]

As part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues, the Midwest League was promoted to High-A, reduced to 12 teams, and temporarily renamed the "High-A Central" for the 2021 season. [10] Following MLB's acquisition of the rights to the names of the historical minor leagues, the High-A Central was renamed the Midwest League effective with the 2022 season. [11]

Current teams

DivisionTeamMLB affiliationCityStadiumCapacity
East Dayton Dragons Cincinnati Reds Dayton, Ohio Day Air Ballpark 7,230
Fort Wayne TinCaps San Diego Padres Fort Wayne, Indiana Parkview Field 8,100
Great Lakes Loons Los Angeles Dodgers Midland, Michigan Dow Diamond 5,200
Lake County Captains Cleveland Guardians Eastlake, Ohio Classic Auto Group Park 7,273
Lansing Lugnuts Athletics Lansing, Michigan Jackson Field 9,500
West Michigan Whitecaps Detroit Tigers Comstock Park, Michigan LMCU Ballpark 9,281
West Beloit Sky Carp Miami Marlins Beloit, Wisconsin ABC Supply Stadium 3,850
Cedar Rapids Kernels Minnesota Twins Cedar Rapids, Iowa Veterans Memorial Stadium 5,300
Peoria Chiefs St. Louis Cardinals Peoria, Illinois Dozer Park 7,377
Quad Cities River Bandits Kansas City Royals Davenport, Iowa Modern Woodmen Park 7,140
South Bend Cubs Chicago Cubs South Bend, Indiana Four Winds Field at Coveleski Stadium 5,000
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Milwaukee Brewers Appleton, Wisconsin Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium 5,900
Midwest League
Invisible Square.svg
Invisible Square.svg
Mapscaleline.svg
100km
62miles
Timber Rattlers
12
Cubs
11
River Bandits
10
Chiefs
9
Kernels
8
Sky Carp
7
Whitecaps
6
Lugnuts
5
Captains
4
Loons
3
TinCaps
2
Current team locations:
  East Division
  West Division

1
Dayton Dragons
2
Fort Wayne TinCaps
3
Great Lakes Loons
4
Lake County Captains
5
Lansing Lugnuts
6
West Michigan Whitecaps
7
Beloit Sky Carp
8
Cedar Rapids Kernels
9
Peoria Chiefs
10
Quad Cities River Bandits
11
South Bend Cubs
12
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

League champions

Teams since 1956

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quad Cities River Bandits</span> American Minor League baseball team

The Quad Cities River Bandits are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. Their home games are played at Modern Woodmen Park in Davenport, Iowa, one of the Quad Cities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burlington Bees</span> American Minor League baseball team

The Burlington Bees are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Prospect League. They are located in Burlington, Iowa, and have played their home games at Community Field since 1947. Founded in 1889, the Bees played in Minor League Baseball's Midwest League from 1962 to 2020. With Major League Baseball's reorganization of the minor leagues after the 2020 season, Burlington was not selected to continue in affiliated baseball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wisconsin Timber Rattlers</span> American Minor League baseball team

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Grand Chute, Wisconsin, a town on the outskirts of Appleton in the Fox Cities, and are named for the timber rattlesnake, which is more commonly found in southwest Wisconsin. The team plays their home games at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium, which opened in 1995. They previously played at Goodland Field from their founding in 1958 until the end of the 1994 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Wayne TinCaps</span> American Minor League baseball team

The Fort Wayne TinCaps are a Minor League Baseball team based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The TinCaps compete in the Midwest League as the High-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Parkview Field. The TinCaps won the Midwest League championship in 2009.

The Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League was a low-level Minor League Baseball organization that operated for the better part of 60 seasons, with teams based in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and Wisconsin. The league began play in 1901 and disbanded after the 1961 season. It was popularly known as the Three–I League and sometimes as the Three–Eye League.

The Mississippi Valley Conference is a high-school athletic conference whose members are located in the metropolitan areas of eastern region of the U.S. state of Iowa, including Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Iowa City and Waterloo-Cedar Falls.

The Central Association was an American minor league baseball league. It began operations in 1908, as it was essentially renamed from the 1907 Iowa State League. The Central Association ran continuously through 1917. It was reorganized thirty years later, operating as a Class-C league from 1947-1949, with major league affiliates for most teams. Baseball Hall of Fame members Grover Cleveland Alexander (Galesburg), Jake Beckley (Hannibal), Burleigh Grimes (Ottumwa) and Sam Rice are league alumni.

The Mississippi–Ohio Valley League was a Class D level American minor league baseball league. Evolving from the renamed Illinois State League (1947-1948), the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League operated for seven seasons, from 1949 through 1955. In 1956 the league was renamed the Midwest League, which still exists today.

The Kokomo Dodgers were a Minor League Baseball team based in Kokomo, Indiana, between 1955 and 1961. After playing the 1955 season as the Kokomo Giants, a New York Giants, the 1956 "Dodgers" became charter members of the Midwest League, as the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League, as the changed Mississippi–Ohio Valley League names following the 1955 season. The Dodgers were an affiliate of the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 1956 to 1961. The Kokomo teams hosted minor league home games at Highland Park Stadium.

The Rockford Expos was the initial moniker of the minor league baseball teams located in Rockford, Illinois, from 1988 to 1999. The Expos were Rockford's first entity in the Midwest League and Rockford teams were minor league affiliates of the Montreal Expos (1988–1992), Kansas City Royals (1993–1994), Chicago Cubs (1995–1998) and Cincinnati Reds (1999), hosting home games at Marinelli Field.

The Mississippi Valley League (MVL) was a baseball Class D level minor league that operated from 1922 through 1933. Playing its last year as a Class B level league, the league franchises were based in Iowa and Illinois. Like many leagues at the time, the Great Depression led to its demise. The Mississippi Valley League was founded by Michael H. Sexton, of Rock Island, Illinois, who was then president of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues.

The Rockford Rox was the primary moniker of the minor league baseball teams based in Rockford, Illinois, between 1871 and 1949. In an era of early baseball, Rockford hosted teams in numerous leagues beginning in 1871. From 1916 to 1923, the Rox played in the Class B level Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League, and from 1947 to 1949, they played in the Class C level Central Association. The Rockford Rox were preceded by the Rockford Red Sox (1901–1904) and Rockford Wakes (1914–1916) in the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League. Several other Rockford teams played in various leagues leading up to the Rox. The Rockford Rox were an affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds from 1947 to 1949.

The Rock Island Islanders was the primary name of the minor league baseball teams based in Rock Island, Illinois, one of the Quad Cities, between 1892 and 1937. Rock Island teams played as members of the Illinois–Iowa League (1892), Western Association (1894), Eastern Iowa League (1895), Western Association (1898–1899), Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League (1901–1911), Central Association (1914), Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League, Mississippi Valley League (1922–1933) and Western League (1934–1937).

The Keokuk Indians was a primary nickname of the various minor league baseball teams based in Keokuk, Iowa between 1875 and 1962.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dubuque, Iowa minor league baseball</span> Minor league baseball team

Minor league baseball teams have operated in the city of Dubuque, Iowa under a variety of names in various leagues, playing in 52 seasons between 1879 and 1976. Dubuque teams were an affiliate of the Houston Astros (1975–1976), Kansas City Royals (1968), Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Indians (1961–1966), Pittsburgh Pirates (1959–1960) and Chicago White Sox (1954–1958).

The Davenport Cubs were a minor league baseball team based in Davenport, Iowa. In 1946, the "Cubs" began play as members of the Class B level Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League, continuing the tenure of Davenport teams in the league. The Cubs were a minor league affiliate of the Chicago Cubs and played through 1947. The Davenport "Pirates", Davenport "Quads," Davenport "Tigers" and Davenport "DavSox" teams completed Davenport's membership in the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League through 1957. Davenport won the 1946 league pennant and 1949 league championship. The Davenport Braves team resumed play beginning in 1960, as Davenport joined the Midwest League.

The Eastern Iowa League was a minor league baseball league that played in the 1890 and 1895 seasons. The eight–team Independent level Eastern Iowa League consisted of teams based in Iowa and Illinois. The Eastern Iowa League permanently folded following the 1895 season.

Minor league baseball teams were based in Lafayette, Indiana in various seasons between 1909 and 1994. Lafayette teams played as members of the Northern State of Indiana League from 1909 to 1911, the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League in 1955, the Midwest League in 1956 and 1957 and 1994 Great Central League, winning two league championships. Lafayette was a minor league affiliate of the Cleveland Indians in 1955 and Boston Red Sox in 1956 and 1957.

The Midwest League Manager of the Year Award is an annual award given to the best manager in Minor League Baseball's Midwest League based on their regular-season performance as voted on by league managers. Broadcasters, Minor League Baseball executives, and members of the media have previously voted as well. The award was created in the league's inaugural 1947 season. The circuit was known as the Illinois State League from 1947 to 1948 and as the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League from 1949 to 1955 before becoming the Midwest League in 1956. After the cancellation of the 2020 season, the league was known as the High-A Central in 2021 before reverting to the Midwest League name in 2022.

References

  1. ↑ "Mississippi-Ohio Valley League (D) Encyclopedia and History". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 "Midwest League (A) Encyclopedia and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  3. ↑ "1956 Midwest League". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  4. ↑ Cronin, John (Spring 2013). "Truth in the Minor League Class Structure: The Case for the Reclassification of the Minors - Society for American Baseball Research". sabr.org. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  5. ↑ Weiss, Bill; Wright, Marshall (2001). "Top 100 Teams - MiLB.com History - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com . Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  6. 1 2 Weiss, Bill; Wright, Marshall (2001). "Top 100 Teams - MiLB.com History - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  7. ↑ Czerwinski, Kevin T. (September 2, 2008). "Lake County, Bowling Green shifting to MWL". MiLB.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  8. ↑ "A Message From Pat O'Conner". Minor League Baseball. March 13, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  9. ↑ "2020 Minor League Baseball Season Shelved". Minor League Baseball. June 30, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  10. ↑ Mayo, Jonathan (February 12, 2021). "MLB Announces New Minors Teams, Leagues". Major League Baseball. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Historical League Names to Return in 2022". Minor League Baseball. March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.