Introducing the Midwest League

In 2010, the Hot Rods will have a new home as they move from the South Atlantic League to the Midwest League. Joining the Hot Rods in the move will be the Lake County Captains, the Class A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. This will reduce the number of teams in the South Atlantic League to 14 while raising the Midwest total to 16. The following is a brief overview of the Midwest League.

THE LEAGUE

The league took on its current name for the 1956 season as a Class D member of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues. Originally it featured eight teams playing in Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana. It expanded to ten teams in 1962 before being classified as a Class A team in 1963, a classification the league still holds today. The league expanded two more times over the next two decades, eventually bulging to 14 teams in 1988. It remained a 14-team league until the Hot Rods and Captains joined the mix this fall. Currently the league has teams in Kentucky (Bowling Green), Indiana (Fort Wayne, South Bend), Illinois (Kane County, Peoria), Iowa (Burlingon, Cedar Rapids, Clinton, Quad Cities), Michigan (Great Lakes, Lansing, West Michigan), Ohio (Dayton, Lake County), and Wisconsin (Beloit, Wisconsin).

The League also has two features unique among Class A teams. First, there is a four-day All-Star Break scheduled for June 21-24, 2010. Secondly, eight teams make the playoffs, competing in three rounds of post-season series. (The SAL featured four teams and two rounds of competition). Fort Wayne took home the 2009 championship, sweeping Burlington in a best-of-five series.

The 2010 season will be the third for a Rays affiliated team in the Midwest League. In 2005 and 2006, the Rays were affiliated with the now-defunct Southwest Michigan Devil Rays.

THE TEAMS

While the Hot Rods are familiar with Lake County, 14 new teams are on the docket for 2010. Notably, the Hot Rods face the Dayton Dragons, the Class A affiliate for the Cincinnati Reds. The soon-to-be rivals meet a total of 20 times next season, including the Hot Rods' home-opening series beginning Sunday, April 11. Bowling Green also meets affiliates for the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, and Los Angeles Dodgers. A look at the 16-team league divided into two divisions:

EASTERN

Bowling Green Hot Rods (Tampa Bay Rays)

Dayton Dragons (Cincinnati Reds)

Fort Wayne TinCaps (San Diego Padres)

Great Lakes Loons (Los Angeles Dodgers)

Lake County Captains (Cleveland Indians)

Lansing Lugnuts (Toronto Blue Jays)

South Bend Silver Hawks (Arizona Diamondbacks)

West Michigan Whitecatps (Detroit Tigers)

WESTERN

Beloit Snappers (Minnesota Twins)

Burlington Bees (Kansas City Royals)

Cedar Rapids Kernels (Los Angeles Angels)

Clinton LumberKings (Seattle Mariners)

Kane County Cougars (Oakland Athletics)

Peoria Chiefs (Chicago Cubs)

Quad Cities River Bandits (St. Louis Cardinals)

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Milwaukee Brewers)

THE ALUMNI

In South Central Kentucky, folks are already accustomed to the Midwest League, at least folks that are fans of Joe Blanton. The Edmonson County native played with Kane County in 2003 as a member of the Oakland A's organization. Blanton had a great year with the Cougars, going 8-7 with a 2.57 ERA and 144 strikeouts in 133.0 innings.

Beginning in the 1950's with Matty Alou and Juan Marichal (Michigan City White Caps), a litany of all-stars, MVP's, and Cy Young winners have come out of the MWL. Hot Rods coach Hector Torres and Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk played in the MWL in the sixties. The seventies continued with Goose Gossage, Bruce Sutter, and Paul Molitor. In the eighties, the league was graced by the likes of Omar Vizquel, Greg Maddux, and a young Albert Belle. A decade later, Trevor Hoffman, Roy Oswalt, and Adam Dunn set the stage for the stars of the 2000's: Josh Beckett, Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder, Albert Pujols, and many, many more.