Midwest League 2003

Summary

Midwest League Links

• Midwest League Champion: Lansing Lugnuts (Cubs)
• Team with Best Won/Lost Record: Kane County Cougars (Athletics) 80-59, .576

• Most Valuable Player: Prince Fielder (Beloit/Brewers)
• Prospect of the Year: Prince Fielder (Beloit/Brewers)
• Manager of the Year: Webster Garrison (Kane County/Athletics)
• Executive of the Year:

• League Attendance: 3,375,898
  • 14 teams in two divisions played a 140 game, split-season schedule.
  • The MWL had teams in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

• Best Big League Career: It will be a few years....

Overview

Composite Record for Each Team

                Nickname        Affiliate    Won Lost  Pct (Rank)
Battle Creek    Yankees         Yankees      73  64   .533  (3)
Beloit          Snappers        Brewers      75  61   .551  (2)
Burlington      Bees            Royals       64  74   .464 (12)
Cedar Rapids    Kernels         Angels       66  72   .478 (10)
Clinton         LumberKings     Rangers      69  66   .511  (6T)
Dayton          Dragons         Reds         61  78   .439 (13)
Fort Wayne      Wizards         Padres       71  66   .518  (5)
Kane County     Cougars         Athletics    80  59   .576  (1)
Lansing         Lugnuts         Cubs         69  66   .511  (6T)
Peoria          Chiefs          Cardinals    65  73   .471 (11)
Quad City       River Bandits   Twins        59  78   .431 (14)
South Bend      Silver Hawks    Diamondbacks 72  64   .529  (4)
West Michigan   Whitecaps       Tigers       67  73   .479  (9)
Wisconsin       Timber Rattlers Mariners     69  66   .511  (6T)

First Half

Western Division               Eastern Division
Kane County   41 29 .586  ---  Fort Wayne        40 28 .588  ---
Wisconsin     38 28 .576  1.0  Lansing           38 27 .585  0.5
Beloit        32 35 .478  7.5  West Michigan     37 33 .529  4.0
Quad City     32 36 .471  8.0  Dayton            35 35 .500  6.0
Cedar Rapids  32 37 .464  8.5  Battle Creek      33 35 .485  7.0
Clinton       30 36 .455  9.0  South Bend        28 38 .424 11.0
Peoria        30 39 .435 10.5
Burlington    29 39 .426 11.0  

Second Half

Western Division               Eastern Division
Beloit        43 26 .623  ---  South Bend        44 26 .629  ---
Kane County   39 30 .565  4.0  Battle Creek      40 29 .580  3.5 
Clinton       39 30 .565  4.0  Fort Wayne        31 38 .449 12.5
Peoria        35 34 .507  8.0  Lansing           31 39 .443 13.0
Burlington    35 35 .500  8.5  West Michigan     30 40 .429 14.0
Cedar Rapids  34 35 .493  9.0  Dayton            26 43 .377 17.5
Wisconsin     31 38 .449 12.0  
Quad City     27 42 .391 16.0  

2003 Post-Season

 Round 1:
Lansing d. South Bend, 2-0
Battle Creek d. Fort Wayne, 2-0
Beloit d. Wisconsin, 2-0
Clinton d. Kane County, 2-1 
 Round 2:
Lansing d. Battle Creek, 2-0
Beloit d. Clinton, 2-1
 Championship:
Lansing d. Beloit, 3-0

2003 All Star Game

June 17 at West Michigan
Eastern 5, Western 4
WP: Dale Thayer (Fort Wayne)
LP: Manny Parra (Beloit)
Star of Stars: Keith Butler (Lansing) 3 for 3, game winning RBI

2003 League Changes

• Battle Creek Yankees: Name Change (from Michigan Battle Cats) and affiliation change from Astros to Yankees.
• Kane County Cougars: Affiliation change from Marlins to Athletics.
• Clinton LumberKings: Affiliation change from Expos to Rangers.

Other Highlights

• Beloit Snappers: Infield surface was upgraded/replaced.
• West Michigan Whitecaps: New logo, new uniforms. New party deck in left field.
• Battle Creek Yankees: New logo, new uniforms.
• Clinton LumberKings: New lights were installed at Alliant Energy Field.

Sources

• Baseball America
• 2003 Baseball America Directory
• 2003 Baseball Blue Book
• Team websites
• The Minor League Baseball website
• Assorted correspondents