Midwest League - Definition and Overview

The Midwest League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the Midwestern United States. Six teams formed the Illinois State League in 1947, but they changed their name to the Mississippi-Ohio Valley League when a team in Paducah, Kentucky was added. In 1956, with the addition of Iowa teams, the league became known as the Midwest League.

The league plays a 140-game schedule that begins in April and ends in early September. Since 2000 it has been divided into an Eastern Division and a Western Division, with four teams from each division (the winners of each half of the season and one or two runners-up) qualifying for the first round of playoffs. The first two rounds of playoffs are best-of-three series; the league championship series is a best-of-five.

Current member teams

Eastern Division

• Dayton Dragons Reds
• Fort Wayne Wizards Padres
• Lansing Lugnuts Blue Jays
• South Bend Silver Hawks Diamondbacks
• Southwest Michigan Devil Rays Devil Rays
• West Michigan Whitecaps Tigers

Western Division

• Beloit Snappers Twins
• Burlington Bees Royals
• Cedar Rapids Kernels Angels
• Clinton LumberKings Rangers
• Kane County Cougars Athletics
• Peoria Chiefs Cubs
• Swing of the Quad Cities Cardinals
• Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Mariners

External links

• Official Midwest League website (http://www.midwestleague.com)
• A Fan's Guide to the Midwest League (http://www.mwlguide.com)