Baseball in Appleton, Wisconsin

known as Fox Cities
known as Appleton
known as Wisconsin

Overview

The record of the Midwest League franchise in Appleton, Wisconsin.

In terms of wins and championships, the Appleton franchise is probably the most successful in the league's history. As befits that record, their managers have often walked off with manager of the year awards. No Appleton player's been MVP, though.

These pages show a few remarkable pitching performances; take especial note of Wayne McCauley's incredible week in the middle of the 1972 season....

Summary

• Midwest League seasons: 45
• Won/Lost overall: 3077/2887, .516
• Best season: 97/40, .708 (1978)
• Championship Playoffs Won: 7 (plus 1 non-playoff championship)
• Best MWL Won/Lost Record: 9 seasons

Appleton joined the MWL in 1962 as an expansion team; they were a refugee from the collapsed Three-I League. Appleton (now known as Wisconsin) is still represented in the Midwest League.

Seasonal Results
Other Leagues

Team Names

• Appleton Foxes (1962)
• Fox Cities Foxes (1963-66)
• Appleton Foxes (1967-94)
• Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (1995-present)

Affiliations

• Baltimore Orioles (1962-65)
• Chicago White Sox (1966-86)
• Kansas City Royals (1987-92)
• Seattle Mariners (1993-present)

Officers, Managers, & Coaches

Ballparks

• Goodland Field (built 1940)
• Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium (opened 1995; called Fox Cities Stadium through 2006.)

Attendance record

• 233,797 (1996)

Ballparks & Attendance

Best Seasons

• Hitter: Deacon Jones (1966) .353 with 80 RBI
• Pitcher: Don Eddy (1969) 18 wins, 1.81 ERA

Best Big League Career

• Alex Rodriguez (1994)
  • A reasonable person might prefer Rich Gossage (1970-71)

Awards

• 1962 Cal Ripken Sr (Manager of the Year)
• 1966 Ed Holtz (Midwest League Executive of the Year)
• 1967 Ed Holtz (Midwest League Executive of the Year)
• 1967 Alex Cosmidis (Manager of the Year)
• 1969 Tom Saffell (Manager of the Year)
• 1969 Ed Holtz (Midwest League Executive of the Year)
• 197o Ed Holtz (Midwest League Executive of the Year)
• 1971 Joe Sparks (Manager of the Year)
• 1971 Ed Holtz (TSN Class A Executive of the Year, Midwest League Executive of the Year)
• 1978 Gordon Lund (tied for Manager of the Year)
• 1992 Tom Poquette (Manager of the Year)
• 1996 Timber Rattlers (Bob Frietas Award)

Appleton Highlights

Team Records

Hitters

• Batting: David May (1964) .368
• Home Runs: Lamar Johnson (1972) 26
• Runs Batted In: Juan Silvestre (1999) 107

Seasonal Hitting Leaders

Pitchers

• Wins: Don Eddy (1966), Rich Gossage (1971), LaMarr Hoyt (1978), & Rich DeVincenzo (1983) 18
• Won/Lost (10 decisions): Alfornia Jones (1983) 11/1, .917
• Earned Run Average: Donald Eddy (1969) 1.81
• Strikeouts: Michael Abaranel (1966) 206

Seasonal Pitching Leaders

Notes

The team was called both Appleton and Fox Cities in the early 1960s.

The League's records tend to treat Appleton and Fox Cities as one franchise. They treat Wisconsin as a different franchise. As you can see, I don't make this division.

This summary originated as the November 13, 1998, Midwest League Tidbit on the Midwest League Mailing List.

Sources

These pages draw heavily on several sources:

• Lloyd Johnson & Miles Wolff, eds, The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Durham: Baseball America, 1997)
• Midwest League Media Guide and Record Book (Beloit: Midwest League, various years; title varies)
• Kevin Saldana, Today in Minor League Baseball History (???: SalFam Books, 1999)
• Baseball America's Almanac (Durham: Baseball America, various years)
• News sources.