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The Midwest League's long-delayed expansion--it was approved and franchises were sold after the 1984 season--finally occurred in 1988 when the Rockford and South Bend teams joined the fray. Rockford had a fine year on the field, while South Bend had an excellent year at the gate.
Cincinnati sent a strong team to Cedar Rapids, and the players delivered a first-half title and a Championship Playoff win. After a stumbling start, Kenosha won the the North's first half. Second half champions Rockford and Springfield won easy titles, but both lost in the first playoff round. The Reds overpowered Kenosha in the championship round.
In general, 1988 was a pitcher's year in the MWL; only three hitters topped .300, while 22 HR and 89 RBI were enough to the circuit. Kenosha's Lenny Webster had a strong season (.288; 11 HR, 87 RBI) and parlayed his leadership and clutch hitting into an MVP year. Tom Gordon's three months in Appleton were spectacular: 2.06 ERA, and 176 strikeouts in 118 innings. Ramon Sambo's 98 stolen bases for Cedar Rapids set a league standard.
Nickname Affiliate Won Lost Pct (Rank)
Appleton Foxes Royals 58 82 .414 (13)
Beloit Brewers Brewers 66 74 .471 (8)
Burlington Braves Braves 60 80 .429 (11)
Cedar Rapids Reds Reds 87 53 .621 (1)
Clinton Giants Giants 78 62 .557 (5T)
Kenosha Twins Twins 81 59 .579 (4)
Madison Muskies Athletics 65 75 .464 (9)
Peoria Chiefs Cubs 70 70 .500 (7)
Quad City Angels Angels 60 79 .432 (10)
Rockford Expos Expos 84 56 .600 (2)
South Bend White Sox White Sox 59 81 .421 (12)
Springfield Cardinals Cardinals 81 58 .583 (3)
Waterloo Indians Indians 78 62 .557 (5T)
Wausau Timbers Mariners 52 88 .371 (14)
First Half
Northern Division Southern Division
Kenosha 41 27 .603 --- Cedar Rapids 46 24 .657 ---
Rockford 39 29 .574 2.0 Clinton 42 24 .636 2.0
Madison 33 34 .493 7.5 Waterloo 40 26 .606 4.0
Appleton 28 38 .424 12.0 Burlington 37 31 .544 8.0
South Bend 29 41 .414 13.0 Springfield 32 37 .464 13.5
Wausau 26 41 .388 14.5 Peoria 29 40 .420 16.5
Beloit 26 41 .388 14.5 Quad City 27 42 .391 18.5
Second Half
Northern Division Southern Division
Rockford 45 27 .625 --- Springfield 49 21 .700 ---
Kenosha 40 32 .556 5.0 Cedar Rapids 41 29 .586 8.0
Beloit 40 33 .548 5.5 Peoria 41 30 .577 8.5
Madison 32 41 .438 13.5 Waterloo 38 36 .514 13.0
South Bend 30 40 .429 14.0 Clinton 36 38 .486 15.0
Appleton 30 44 .405 16.0 Quad City 33 37 .471 16.0
Wausau 26 47 .356 19.5 Burlington 23 49 .319 27.0
Round 1:
Kenosha d. Rockford, 2-0
Cedar Rapids d. Springfield, 2-0
Championship:
Cedar Rapids d. Kenosha, 3-1
Played July 11 at Clinton
Northern Division 5, Southern 2
MVP: Jorge Pedre, Appleton
- Rockford Expos: expansion franchise; new nickname, new affiliation, new stadium (Meinen Field in Blackhawk Park).
- South Bend White Sox: expansion franchise; new nickname, new affiliation, new stadium (Stanley Coveleski Regional Stadium).
- Burlington Braves changed affiliations and nicknames (both from Expos to Braves).
Sources
- Lloyd Johnson & Miles Wolff, Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Durham: Baseball America, 1997)
- 1989 Baseball America Almanac
- 1988 Burlington Bees Yearbook
- 1989 Kenosha Twins Yearbook
- 1989 Midwest League Record Book
- 1995 Midwest League Yearbook
- 1995 Cedar Rapids Kernels Media Guide
- 2000 Baseball America Super Register
Note
This summary originated as the January 7, 2001, Midwest League Tidbit on the Midwest League Mailing List.
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