Baseball in Belleville, Illinois

Overview

The record of the Midwest League franchise in Belleville, Illinois.

Our league's first incarnation was the Illinois State League, which lived in Southern Illinois. Belleville was one of the original members, and was the league's first champion.

From there, Belleville's team went downhill. Fast.

Summary

• Midwest League seasons: 3
• Won/Lost overall: 169/180, .484
• Best season: 75/37, .670 (1947)
• Championship Playoffs Won: none (1 non-playoff championship)
  • Championship Series Won/Lost: never qualified for playoff
• Best MWL Won/Lost Record: 1 season

Belleville was a charter member of the Illinois State League, the MWL's predecessor, in 1947. The franchise failed after the 1949 season and was succeeded by Vincennes, Indiana.

Seasonal Results
Other Leagues

Team Names

• Belleville Stags 1947-49

Affiliations

• St. Louis Browns (1947-48)
• New York Yankees (1949)

Officers, Managers, & Coaches

Ballpark

• Belleville Athletic Field

Attendance record

• 18,539 (1947)

Ballparks & Attendance

Best Seasons

• Hitter: Weldon Idol (1947) .312, 90 Runs, 81 RBI
• Pitcher: Bob Freels (1947): 19-2, 2.15 ERA

Best Big League Career

• Bob Turley (1948)

Awards

• 1947 Walt DeFreitas (Manager of the Year)

Belleville Highlights

Team Records

Hitters

• Batting: Malcolm (Bunny) Mick (1947) .354
• Home Runs: Ken Dickens (1949) 7
• Runs Batted In: Harry Taylor (1949) 83

Seasonal Hitting Leaders

Pitchers

• Wins: Bob Freels (1947) 19
• Won/Lost (10 decisions): Bob Freels (1947) 19/2, .905
• Earned Run Average: Bob Freels (1947) 2.15
• Strikeouts: Mike Blyzka (1948) 192

Seasonal Pitching Leaders

Note

This summary originated as the January 16, 1999, Midwest League Tidbit on the Midwest League Mailing List.

Sources

These pages draw heavily on several sources:

• Lloyd Johnson & Miles Wolff, eds, The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Durham: Baseball America, 1997)
• Midwest League Media Guide and Record Book (Beloit: Midwest League, various years; title varies)
• Kevin Saldana, Today in Minor League Baseball History (???: SalFam Books, 1999)
• Baseball America's Almanac (Durham: Baseball America, various years)
• News sources.