Introducing the Beloit Snappers

In this edition, we wrap up our two-week stay in the state of Wisconsin by taking a look at the Beloit Snappers, a team that has all the good stuff for a MWL preview: big names, a connection to the Rays, and good food.

TEAM: Beloit Snappers

MLB AFFILIATE: Minnesota Twins (2005)

LOCATION: Beloit, WI

FIRST SEASON: 1982 (originally named Beloit Brewers)

STADIUM (CAPACITY): Harry C. Pohlman Field (3,501)

2009 RECORD: 57-83, 8th place in Western Division

LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS: 1 (1995); 12 playoff appearances

NOTABLE MLB ALUMNI: 120; BJ Surhoff (1985), Prince Fielder (2003), Tony Gwynn Jr (2003), Matt Garza (2005)

VS. BOWLING GREEN: 3 (June 11-13 at Beloit)

Beloit seems to be a rarity in the Midwest League in that it had just one team in one league for one season before the Midwest League arrived. That team played in the Wisconsin Association in 1905; after that, baseball was gone until the Midwest League placed an expansion franchise into brand-new Pohlman Field for the 1982 season.

Originally named after their parent club based in Milwaukee, the Beloit Brewers played .500 baseball over their first two seasons. In 1984, with the arrival of first round draft pick Jim Morris, the Brewers began a stretch of four seasons in which they saw top draft picks and above .500 records. Morris, who we'll elaborate on later, won eight games that season, helping the Brewers make their first postseason appearance. A year later it was top overall pick B.J. Surhoff who led the Brewers to 79 wins, but ultimately another first-round playoff exit.

Two years after that, in 1987, another first round pick took the league by storm. Greg Vaughn, drafted 4th overall in 1986, put together one of the best seasons in franchise history. With a .305 average, 33 home runs (a current team record), 105 RBI, and 120 runs scored (another record), Vaughn earned co-MVP honors, propelling the Brewers to 76 wins and another (unsuccessful) postseason appearance.

It wasn't until 1992 that the Brewers won their first playoff series after a 77-win season. The Brewers knocked off in-state rival Appleton in the first round before falling to Cedar Rapids in five games for the championship. That club was led by eventual 14-year big leaguer Jeff Cirillo, who smacked 27 doubles with a .304 average.

The Brewers name was rubbed out for the 1995 season, as the team changed to the Beloit Snappers. The new moniker was based on snapping turtles, as Beloit was once known as Turtle Village. The city is also close to Turtle, WI, and sees Turtle Creek dump into the Rock River.

Once the team began to honor the local reptilian species, their playoff luck immediately changed for the better. Rattling off a current franchise-record 88 wins, the Snappers were 12 games better then the next closest team in the regular season. They lost just one game in the postseason, winning their first championship as the MWL switched to a three-tiered playoff system. As opposed to years past, a pitcher stole headlines for the Beloit franchise. A first-round pick in 1993, right-hander Jeff D'Amico finished with a league-best 13-3 record (.813 winning percentage); his 2.39 ERA just missed leading the league.

The Snappers stayed affiliated with the Brewers through the 2004 season, producing a few more playoff appearances along with a few more big names before giving way to the Twins. In a unique twist, the '03 Snappers featured two prospects whose fathers had both starred in the big leagues. Prince Fielder, son of former Tiger and Yankee Cecil Fielder, joined up with Tony Gwynn Jr. to lead the Snappers to 75-61 season that ended with a championship loss.

Gwynn, drafted in June of '03, hit .280 over 61 games, but it was Fielder who made the lasting impression. After playing 32 forgettable games in Beloit in his rookie season of 2002, Fielder rocked the league as a 19-year-old: .313 average, 27 homers, and 112 RBI en route to winning the league's MVP award. He was also named the top prospect that season, something that has since been confirmed with two all-star appearances, an all-star Home Run Derby trophy, and three straight seasons with at least 34 homers and 102 RBI in Milwaukee.

An affiliation change took place in 2005, bringing in the Minnesota Twins to replace the Brewers. The Snappers made the playoffs in their first year with the Twins, despite having just 69 regular season wins. Over the next two years, their win total kept climbing as both seasons culminated with postseason baseball. It was the first time in franchise history a Snappers club made three straight playoffs.

While the last two seasons haven't been as fruitful in the 'win' department, the outlook is healthy when it comes to prospects. In 2008, OF Ben Revere won league MVP thanks to a franchise-record .379 batting average. He was joined by pitchers Michael Tarsi and David Bromberg, league leaders in complete games and strikeouts, respectively.

Now, for this week's connections to the Rays. In 2005, the Twins drafted right-hander Matt Garza in the first round of 2005, then shipped him to the Rays before the 2008 season. In two years in a Rays uniform Garza has won 19 games with a 3.83 ERA.

The other connection is a true feel-good story. In fact, Disney felt the same way. Do you remember Jim Morris, from our opening paragraphs? Injuries cut short his career with the Brewers system after the 1989 season. A decade later, at 35 years old, he was rediscovered by the Rays, coaching youth baseball. They signed him in '99, he pitched in the big leagues in '99 and '00, and was the topic of the movie The Rookie, starring Dennis Quaid in 2002.

Lastly, it wouldn't be Wisconsin if we didn't have a bratwurst-related item. If you follow the Hot Rods to Beloit in June, try the Snappy Burger. It's a hamburger cut down the middle with a brat on top of it. According to Beloit broadcaster Marcus Jacobs, "it's actually pretty good."

NEXT WEEK: South Bend Silver Hawks (Arizona Diamondbacks)