Baseball in Decatur, Illinois

Overview

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

For over two decades, Decatur was the most stable league franchise. The team always had the same nickname, and had only a handful of affiliation changes.

Decatur's best teams were independents competing against affiliated farm teams. These early-50s teams had a high proportion of Hispanic player surnames; there must be a story. Most of the later years had an obvious star player, but the teams were usually bad.

This team won the best pitching performance this league has seen: Robert Sprout's August 18, 1960 no hitter.

Summary

• Midwest League seasons: 23
• Won/Lost overall: 1386/1442, .490
• Best season: 76/51, .598 (1957 - finished second; won playoff)
• Championship Playoffs Won: 3
• Best MWL Won/Lost Record: 3 seasons

Decatur joined the MWL predecessor Mississippi-Ohio Valley League as an expansion franchise in 1952. The franchise moved to Wausau after the 1974 season. This team is the most important ancestor of the current Geneva (Kane County) franchise.

Seasonal Results
Other Leagues

Team Names

• Decatur Commodores, 1952-1974
  • they were often called the Commies

Affiliations

• Independent, 1952-54
• St. Louis Cardinals, 1955-57
• Detroit Tigers, 1958-61
• San Francisco Giants, 1962-74

Officers, Managers, & Coaches

Ballpark

• Fan's Field (built 1924; still in use as a softball park)

Attendance record

• 96,337 (1953)

Ballparks & Attendance

Best Seasons

• Hitter: James Freeman (1953) .286, 10 HR, 106 RBI
• Pitcher: Joel McDaniel (1959) 22-9, 2.33, 212 strikeouts

Best Big League Career

• Gary Mathews (1969)
  • Or maybe Bob Knepper?

Awards

• 1959
  • Joel McDaniel (Player of the Year)
  • Stubby Overmire (Manager of the Year)
• 1960
  • Bob Sprout (Rookie of the Year)

Decatur Highlights

Team Records

Hitters

• Batting: John Lucadello (1954) .362
• Home Runs: Roe Skidmore (1968) 27
• Runs Batted In: James Freeman (1953) 106

Seasonal Hitting Leaders

Pitchers

• Wins: John Bumgarner (1954) 22
• Won/Lost (10 decisions): Michael Wysocki (1967) 10-2, .833
• Earned Run Average: Nick DeMatteis (1963) 1.95
• Strikeouts: Bob Sprout (1960) 264

Seasonal Pitching Leaders

Notes

Both "Best Season" selections are debatable, but for different reasons. No hitter ever had a truly outstanding season for Decatur, though many had very good seasons. On the pitching side, there were several incredible seasons; Joel McDaniel's competition includes Bob Sprout (1960), John Bumgarner (1954), Nick DeMatteis (1963), and Bob DeLong (1967). Must have been fun to watch these guys.

This summary originated as the September 11, 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.