Midwest League 2007

Summary

• Midwest League Champion: West Michigan Whitecaps (Tigers)
• Team with Best Won/Lost Record: West Michigan Whitecaps (Tigers) 83-57; .593

• Most Valuable Player: Gorkys Hernandez (West Michigan/Tigers)
• Prospect of the Year: Clayton Kershaw (Great Lakes/Dodgers)
• Manager of the Year: Tom Brookens (West Michigan/Tigers)
• Executive of the Year: Rob Zerjav (Wisconsin)

• League Attendance: 3,530,410.
  • 14 teams in two divisions played a 140 game, split-season schedule which began on April 5 and ended on September 3. A three-tier post-season playoff determined the league champion.
  • The MWL had teams in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin during the 2007 season.

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

Overview

Composite Record for Each Team

                   Nickname        Affiliate    Won Lost  Pct (Rank)
Beloit             Snappers        Twins        79  61   .564  (2)
Burlington         Bees            Royals       61  77   .442 (11)
Cedar Rapids       Kernels         Angels       78  61   .561  (3T)
Clinton            LumberKings     Rangers      70  67   .511  (7)
Dayton             Dragons         Reds         78  62   .557  (6)
Fort Wayne         Wizards         Padres       55  84   .396 (13)
Great Lakes        Loons           Dodgers      57  82   .410 (12)
Kane County        Cougars         Athletics    63  76   .453 (10)
Lansing            Lugnuts         Blue Jays    78  61   .561  (3)
Peoria             Chiefs          Cubs         71  68   .511  (8)
Quad Cities        Swing           Cardinals    78  61   .561  (3T)
South Bend         Silver Hawks    Diamondbacks 68  70   .493  (9)
West Michigan      Whitecaps       Tigers       83  57   .593  (1)
Wisconsin          Timber Rattlers Mariners     53  85   .384 (14)

First Half

West           W  L  Pct   GB  East             W  L  Pct   GB
Beloit        44 26 .629  ---  Dayton          44 26 .629  ---
Clinton       41 26 .612  1.5  West Michigan   38 32 .543  6.0
Cedar Rapids  38 31 .551  5.5  Lansing         35 34 .507  8.5
Quad Cities   38 31 .551  5.5  Great Lakes     34 36 .486 10.0
Peoria        31 38 .449 12.5  South Bend      34 36 .486 10.0
Burlington    30 39 .435 13.5  Fort Wayne      31 38 .449 12.5
Kane County   24 45 .348 19.5  
Wisconsin     22 46 .324 21.0

First half ended on June 17.

Second Half

West           W  L  Pct   GB  East             W  L  Pct   GB
Cedar Rapids  40 30 .571  ---  West Michigan   45 25 .643  ---
Quad Cities   40 30 .571  ---  Lansing         43 27 .614  2.0
Peoria        40 30 .571  ---  South Bend      34 34 .500 10.0
Kane County   39 31 .557  1.0  Dayton          34 36 .486 11.0
Beloit        35 35 .500  5.0  Fort Wayne      24 46 .343 21.0
Burlington    31 38 .449  8.5  Great Lakes     23 46 .333 21.5
Wisconsin     31 39 .443  9.0  
Clinton       29 41 .414 11.0

2007 Post-Season

 Round 1:
West Michigan d. Lansing, 2-0
South Bend d. Dayton, 2-1
Beloit d. Quad Cities, 2-0
Clinton d. Cedar Rapids, 2-1
 Round 2:
Beloit d. Clinton, 2-0
West Michigan d. South Bend, 2-0
 Championship:
West Michigan d. Beloit, 3-2

2007 All Star Game

June 19 @ Geneva (Kane County), Illinois
East 8, West 2

         East    103 002 002 - 8 15 1
         West    011 000 000 - 2  5 1

WP: Clayton Kershaw (Great Lakes/Dodgers)
LP: Omar Poveda (Clinton/Rangers)
MVP: Deik Scram (West Michigan/Tigers)

Box Score and Details

2007 League Changes

• Great Lakes Loons: Team moved (from Battle Creek to Midland, Michigan), name change (from Southwest Michigan Devil Rays) and affiliation change (from Devil Rays to Dodgers).

Other Highlights

• Burlington Bees: New logo and new uniforms.
• Cedar Rapids Kernels: New logo and new uniforms.
• Great Lakes Loons: New ballpark (Dow Diamond).
• Lansing Lugnuts: Significant ballpark renovations.
• Wisconsin Timber Rattlers: Right field party deck added; ballpark renamed to Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium.

Sources

• Baseball America
• 2007 Baseball America Directory
• 2007 Baseball Blue Book
• 2008 Baseball America Almanac
• 2008 Emerald Guide to Baseball
• Team websites
• The Minor League Baseball website
• Assorted correspondents
• 2007 & 2008 Programs/Yearbooks:
  • 2007 & 2008 Lansing Lugnuts
  • 2007 Great Lakes Loons
  • 2008 Clinton LumberKings