Midwest League History

A Midwest Spring

Minor league teams have Spring Training, too. Here's a list, with some gaps, of Spring Training locations for teams in the Midwest League and its predecessors since the Illinois State League was formed in 1947.

MWL teams with major league affiliations have, for the most part, trained in or near the training complex of their affiliate. Unaffiliated MWL teams, on the other hand, have made do with whatever facility they could find....

Spring Training Sites

Appleton

aka Fox Cities; Wisconsin

• 1962-65 Thomasville, GA
• 1966-87 Sarasota, FL
• 1988-92 Baseball City, FL
• 1993-present Peoria, AZ

Battle Creek

aka Michigan

• 1995-98 Fort Myers, FL
• 1999-2002 Kissimmee, FL
• 2003-present Tampa, FL

Beloit

• 1982-91 Peoria, AZ
• 1992-97 Chandler, AZ
• 1998-present Phoenix, AZ

Burlington

• 1962-66 Daytona Beach, FL
• 1967-68 Waycross, GA
• 1969-74 Mesa, AZ
• 1975-77 Tempe, AZ
• 1978-81 Peoria, AZ
• 1982-85 Plant City, FL
• 1986-87 Lantana, FL
• 1988-90 West Palm Beach, FL
• 1991-92 Kissimmee, FL
• 1993-94 Lantana, FL
• 1995-96 Scottsdale, AZ
• 1997 Plant City, FL
• 1998 Sarasota, FL
• 1999-2000 Tucson, AZ
• 2001-2002 Baseball City, FL
• 2003-present Surprise, AZ

Belleville

• 1947-48 Not known.
• 1949 Home

Cedar Rapids

• 1962 Waycross, GA
• 1963-64 Tampa, FL
• 1965-72 Saint Petersburg, FL
• 1973-74 Cocoa, FL
• 1975-79 Casa Grande, AZ
• 1980-87 Tampa, FL
• 1988-92 Plant City, FL
• 1993-present Mesa, AZ

Centralia

• 1947 Home
• 1948-49 Not known.
• 1950-52 Home

Clinton

• 1954 Not known.
• 1955-56 Brunswick, GA
• 1957-58 Jacksonville Beach, FL
• 1959-62 Hollywood, FL
• 1963-65 Sarasota, FL
• 1966-68 Daytona Beach, FL
• 1969-70 Tempe, AZ
• 1971-75 Lakeland, FL
• 1976 Not known.
• 1977-79 Vero Beach, FL
• 1980-81 Casa Grande, AZ
• 1982-94 Scottsdale, AZ
• 1995-98 Peoria, AZ
• 1999-2000 Sarasota, FL
• 2001-2002 Jupiter, FL
• 2003-present Surprise, AZ

Danville

• 1951 Home
• 1952 Myrtle Beach, SC
• 1953 Not known.
• 1954 Melbourne, FL
• 1970 Not known.
• 1971 Tempe, AZ
• 1972 Phoenix, AZ
• 1973 Shreveport, LA
• 1974 Tempe, AZ
• 1975-76 Vero Beach, FL
• 1982 Casa Grande, AZ

Davenport

aka Quad Cities, Quad City

• 1960-61 Waycross, GA
• 1962-64 Anaheim, CA
• 1965 Brawley, CA
• 1966-78 Holtville, CA
• 1979-92 Mesa, AZ
• 1993-98 Kissimmee, FL
• 1999-present Fort Myers, FL

Dayton

• 2000-07 Sarasota, FL

Decatur

• 1952 Home
• 1953-54 Not known.
• 1955-57 Albany, GA
• 1958-61 Lakeland, FL
• 1962 Not known.
• 1963-74 Casa Grande, AZ

Dubuque

• 1954 Not known.
• 1955 Madisonville, KY
• 1956-58 Hollywood, FL
• 1959-60 Jacksonville Beach, FL
• 1961 Daytona Beach, FL
• 1962-66 Tucson, AZ
• 1967 Vero Beach, FL
• 1968 Not known.
• 1974 Not known.
• 1975-76 Cocoa, FL

Fort Wayne

• 1993-98 Fort Myers, FL
• 1999-present Peoria, AZ

Geneva

aka Kane County

• 1991-92 Sarasota, FL
• 1993-2002 Viera, FL
• 2003-present Phoenix, AZ

Grand Rapids

aka West Michigan

• 1994 Scottsdale, AZ
• 1995-96 Phoenix, AZ
• 1997-present Lakeland, FL

Hannibal

• 1952 Home
• 1953 Not known.
• 1954 Albany, GA
• 1955 Home

Kenosha

• 1984-89 Melbourne, FL
• 1990-92 Fort Myers, FL

Keokuk

• 1958-59 Albany, GA
• 1960-61 Homestead, FL
• 1962 Vero Beach, FL

Kokomo

• 1955 Home
• 1956-61 Vero Beach, FL

Lafayette

• 1955 Daytona Beach, FL
• 1956-57 Ocala, FL

Lansing

• 1996-98 Baseball City, FL
• 1999-present Mesa, AZ

Madison

• 1982-93 Scottsdale, AZ
• 1994 Saint Petersburg, FL

Mattoon

• 1947-48 Not known.
• 1949 Home
• 1950 Crossville, TN
• 1951-52 Home
• 1953-54 Not known.
• 1955-56 Laurinburg, NC
• 1957 Huntsville, TX

Michigan City

• 1956 Melbourne, FL
• 1957-59 Sanford, FL

Mount Vernon

• 1947-48 Not known.
• 1949 Home
• 1950 Not known.
• 1951-52 Home
• 1953-54 Not known.

Paducah

• 1949 Not known.
• 1950 Home

Paris

• 1950 Crossville, TN
• 1951-52 Home
• 1953-54 Not known.
• 1955-56 Lafayette, LA
• 1957-59 Mesa, AZ

Peoria

• 1983 Casa Grande, AZ
• 1984-94 Mesa, AZ
• 1995-97 Saint Petersburg, FL
• 1998-present Jupiter, FL

Quincy

• 1960 Sanford, FL
• 1961 Casa Grande, AZ
• 1962 Not known.
• 1963 Columbus, GA
• 1964 Not known.
• 1965 Mesa, AZ
• 1966 Escogdido, CA
• 1967-70 Scottsdale, AZ

Rockford

• 1988-92 Lantana, FL
• 1993-94 Baseball City, FL
• 1995-98 Mesa, AZ
• 1999 Sarasota, FL

South Bend

• 1988-96 Sarasota, FL
• 1997-present Tucson, AZ

Springfield

• 1950 Home
• 1982-94 Saint Petersburg, FL
• 1995 Peoria, AZ

Vincennes

• 1950-52 Home

Waterloo

• 1958-68 Ocala, FL
• 1969 Fort Myers, FL
• 1970 Not known.
• 1971-76 Sarasota, FL
• 1977-88 Tucson, AZ
• 1989-93 Yuma, AZ

Wausau

• 1975-78 Saint Petersburg, FL
• 1979-80 Not known.
• 1981-89 Tempe, AZ
• 1990 Sarasota, FL

West Frankfort

• 1947 Not known.
• 1948-50 Albany, GA

Wisconsin Rapids

• 1963 Pensacola, FL
• 1964 Fernandina Beach, FL
• 1965-83 Melbourne, FL

Notes

The information on this page was contributed by Kevin Saldana, chairman of SABR's Spring Training committee. He also contributed the title. My thanks!

If you can fill in any of the gaps in Kevin's information, drop me a line and I'll pass it along. Thanks.