The Mississippi–Ohio Valley League was a Class D level American minor league baseball league. Evolving from the renamed Illinois State League (1947-1948), the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League operated for seven seasons, from 1949 through 1955. In 1956 the league was renamed the Midwest League , which still exists today.
18-555: The Centralia Sterlings were a Mississippi–Ohio Valley League baseball team based in Centralia, Illinois , USA that played in 1950. They played their home games at Fan's Field . They finished first in the league in their only year of existence, however the finals for the league playoffs against the Paducah Chiefs were canceled. This article about a baseball team in Illinois is
36-609: A stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Mississippi%E2%80%93Ohio Valley League In 1947, the Illinois State League was formed. Charter franchises were in the Illinois cities of Belleville, Centralia, Marion, Mattoon, Mount Vernon and West Frankfort. After the 1948 season, the Marion Indians moved out of Illinois to Kentucky. This necessitated a name change for the league. The league changed names in 1949 to
54-656: The Commodores in Decatur, Illinois and Cardinals in Hannibal, Missouri , while Vincennes relocated to Canton, Ohio . In 1953, the Canton and Centralia franchises both folded and the league returned to six teams. There was expansion again in 1954, as two Iowa teams, the Clinton Pirates and Dubuque Packers returned the league to eight members. In the final season of the league,
72-1880: The Danville Dans moved to Kokomo, Indiana and became the Kokomo Giants and Mount Vernon moved to Lafayette, Indiana as the Lafayette Red Sox . Following the 1955 season, Hannibal moved to become the Michigan City White Caps , joining Kokomo, Lafayette, Clinton, Dubuque, Decatur, Mattoon and Paris in the renamed Midwest League . The Midwest League still exists today, with 16 teams. 1949 Mississippi–Ohio Valley League Playoffs : Mattoon 3 games, Centralia 0; Paducah 3 games, West Frankfort 0; Finals : Paducah 4 games, Mattoon 3. 1950 Mississippi–Ohio Valley League - schedule Playoffs : Centralia 3 games, Mattoon 1; Paducah 3 games, West Frankfort 0; Finals : Cancelled; Bad Weather & Military Call–up. 1951 Mississippi–Ohio Valley League Playoffs : Mt. Vernon 2 games, Centralia 0. Danville 2 games, Paris 1. Finals : Danville 2 games, Mt. Vernon 0. 1952 Mississippi–Ohio Valley League - schedule Vincennes moved to Canton June 7. Playoffs : Hannibal 3 games, Danville 1. Decatur 3 games, Paris 2. Finals : Decatur 3 games, Hannibal 1. 1953 Mississippi–Ohio Valley League - schedule Playoffs : Decatur 3 games, Hannibal 0. Paris 3 games, Mattoon 0. Finals : Decatur 3 games, Paris 2. 1954 Mississippi–Ohio Valley League - schedule Playoffs : Clinton 2 games, Decatur 0. Danville 2 games, Dubuque 1. . Finals : Danville 3 games, Clinton 1. 1955 Mississippi–Ohio Valley League - schedule Playoffs : Dubuque 2 games, Clinton 0. Mattoon 2 games, Kokomo 0. . Finals : Dubuque 3 games, Mattoon 0. Hannibal folded and all other teams from
90-742: The Mississippi–Ohio Valley League . The league incorporated the new Paducah Chiefs and the five former Illinois State League teams, the Belleville Stags , Centralia Cubs , Mattoon Indians , Mount Vernon Kings , and West Frankfort Cardinals as 1949 charter members. In 1950, a Springfield, Illinois franchise left the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League , the join the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League. The Mississippi–Ohio Valley League added expansion teams in
108-545: The Paducah Chiefs . In 1954, the Mississippi-Ohio Valley League expanded, adding teams in Clinton and Dubuque, Iowa . The Mississippi-Ohio Valley League was then renamed Midwest League in 1956. The original teams in 1956, the first year of Midwest League play, were: Clinton Pirates , Decatur Commodores , Dubuque Packers , Kokomo Dodgers , Lafayette Red Sox , Mattoon Phillies , Michigan City White Caps and
126-619: The Paris Lakers and Vincennes Velvets . The Belleville franchise folded. There was more movement in 1951, as the Springfield Giants and West Frankfort Cardinals both folded and the Paducah Chiefs left to join the Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League . The league played 1951 with six teams, as Danville Dans joined from the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League . In 1952, the league again expanded to eight teams, adding
144-686: The Paris Lakers . Mattoon is the oldest franchise in the MWL, evolving into today's Fort Wayne TinCaps , while Clinton is the oldest MWL locale. In 1960, the Davenport, Iowa based Quad City Braves joined the league as an expansion team. In 1962, Appleton , Burlington , and Cedar Rapids joined the Midwest League from the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League which folded operations when those franchises switched leagues. All those franchised remain in
162-502: The 1990s several teams changed cities as Major League Baseball placed higher standards on minor league baseball facilities; franchises in smaller cities were sold to new owners who moved those teams to new ballparks in larger cities. Kenosha , Madison, Rockford, Springfield, Waterloo , and Wausau lost teams during this decade while Battle Creek , Dayton , Fort Wayne , Grand Rapids (West Michigan), Kane County , and Lansing gained teams. The 1978 Appleton Foxes are ranked #93 on
180-815: The 2007 season. On September 2, 2008, Minor League Baseball announced that two teams would transfer from the fellow Class A South Atlantic League to the Midwest League: the Lake County Captains (an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians playing in Eastlake, Ohio ) and the Bowling Green Hot Rods (an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays playing in Bowling Green, Kentucky ). The start of the 2020 season
198-623: The Mattoon Indians in 1947 and playing in Keokuk, Iowa ; Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin ; and Kenosha, Wisconsin , before moving to Fort Wayne, Indiana , in 1993. The Clinton LumberKings have been in one city longer than any Midwest League team, having called Clinton, Iowa , home since 1954. The Southwest Michigan Devil Rays moved to Midland, Michigan , and became the Great Lakes Loons prior to
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#1733085421972216-508: The Top-100 All Time teams by MiLB.com. Led by future Cy Young Award winner LaMarr Hoyt , the team finished 97–40. Harry Chappas , Ross Baumgarten and Britt Burns were all called up to the parent Chicago White Sox at the conclusion of the MWL season. The 97 wins by the Foxes remains a Midwest League record. The Fort Wayne TinCaps are the oldest franchise in the league, having begun as
234-490: The league became charter members of the newly named, Class D level Midwest League and the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League folded. Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States . A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball 's 2021 reorganization of
252-735: The league expanded from 8 to 12 teams, adding the Beloit Brewers , the Danville Suns , the Madison Muskies , and the Springfield Cardinals . The Peoria Suns relocated from Danville in 1983, and acquired their current name, Peoria Chiefs, the following year. In 1988, the league began splitting its season into two halves and expanded from 12 to 14 teams, with the addition of franchises in South Bend, Indiana , and Rockford, Illinois . During
270-509: The league today. In 1963, the Midwest League was designated as a Class A league, after the minor league classification structure was reorganized. The 1975 Waterloo Royals , led by future MLB All-Stars Willie Wilson and Dan Quisenberry , are ranked #60 on MiLB.com's Top 100 Teams. The Royals finished the season 93–35. In 1976, the Midwest League contracted from ten teams to eight, as franchises in Danville and Dubuque were eliminated. In 1982,
288-555: The minor leagues. The Midwest League began as the Illinois State League (1947–1948) and then became the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League (1949–1955). In 1956, the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League was renamed the Midwest League. The circuit temporarily operated for the 2021 season as the High-A Central before reassuming its original moniker in 2022. The Lansing Lugnuts and Wisconsin Timber Rattlers franchises jointly have won
306-586: The most Midwest League championships , with nine each. The Midwest League directly evolved from two earlier leagues in the region. In 1947, the Class D Illinois State League (ISL) began operation with six Illinois teams: the Belleville Stags , Centralia Cubs , Marion Indians , Mattoon Indians , Mount Vernon Braves , and West Frankfort Cardinals . In 1949, the ISL changed its name to the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League after Marion moved their franchise to Kentucky and became
324-517: Was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic before ultimately being cancelled on June 30. As part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues, the Midwest League was promoted to High-A, reduced to 12 teams, and temporarily renamed the "High-A Central" for the 2021 season. Following MLB's acquisition of the rights to the names of the historical minor leagues, the High-A Central
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