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The Midwest League had one of its most interesting seasons in 2001, both on and off the field. Five teams--Kane County, Wisconsin, Michigan, Quad City, and Dayton--played at very high levels all season, while South Bend came on strong in the second half and was playing in the championship series when the season was ended. Quad City's Justin Morneau and Kane County's Adrian Gonzalez starred in a year dominated by the league's hitters, with Jason Bay (Clinton) and Craig Ansman (South Bend) having very strong MWL seasons after late starts. In the end, Kane County was the best team and was awarded the championship.
Away from the daily contests, interesting things were occurring. Cedar Rapids and Peoria finalized their plans to replace their ballyards, and began construction. Quad City played nearly half the season on the road, due to Mississippi River flooding at John O'Donnell stadium; during the long road trip, the team was sold to a buyer in northern Ohio (this sale later fell through). The Michigan team was sold, for the second straight summer.
Although Kane County finished second in attendance, the Cougars topped the half-million mark for the first time in team history.
Finally, umpire Ria Cortesio, a Rock Island native, became the second woman umpire in Midwest League history.
A fascinating summer....
Nickname Affiliate Won Lost Pct (Rank)
Beloit Snappers Brewers 67 71 .486 (7)
Burlington Bees Royals 55 79 .410 (11)
Cedar Rapids Kernels Angels 60 77 .438 (10)
Clinton LumberKings Expos 51 85 .375 (14)
Dayton Dragons Reds 82 57 .590 (4)
Fort Wayne Wizards Padres 54 83 .394 (13)
Kane County Cougars Marlins 88 50 .638 (1)
Lansing Lugnuts Cubs 65 75 .464 (9)
Michigan Battle Cats Astros 82 55 .599 (3)
Peoria Chiefs Cardinals 57 81 .413 (12)
Quad City River Bandits Twins 80 57 .584 (5)
South Bend Silver Hawks Diamondbacks 70 66 .515 (6)
West Michigan Whitecaps Tigers 65 72 .474 (8)
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Mariners 84 52 .618 (2)
First Half
Western Division Eastern Division
Kane County 47 21 .692 --- Dayton 41 29 .586 ---
Wisconsin 42 26 .618 5.0 Michigan 38 30 .559 2.0
Quad City 42 26 .618 5.0 West Michigan 33 34 .493 6.5
Burlington 30 36 .455 16.0 South Bend 32 35 .478 7.5
Cedar Rapids 30 37 .448 16.5 Fort Wayne 29 40 .420 11.5
Beloit 30 39 .435 17.5 Lansing 27 43 .386 14.0
Clinton 28 39 .418 18.5
Peoria 28 42 .400 20.0
Second Half
Western Division Eastern Division
Wisconsin 42 26 .618 --- Michigan 44 25 .638 ---
Kane County 41 29 .586 2.0 Dayton 41 28 .594 3.0
Quad City 38 31 .551 4.5 South Bend 38 31 .551 6.0
Beloit 37 32 .536 4.5 Lansing 38 32 .543 6.5
Cedar Rapids 30 40 .429 13.0 West Michigan 32 38 .457 12.5
Peoria 29 39 .426 13.0 Fort Wayne 25 43 .368 18.5
Burlington 25 43 .368 17.0
Clinton 23 44 .343 18.5
Round 1:
South Bend d. Michigan, 2-0
Dayton d. Lansing, 2-0
Kane County d. Beloit, 2-0
Wisconsin d. Quad City, 2-0
Round 2:
South Bend d. Dayton, 2-0
Kane County d. Wisconsin, 2-0
Championship:
Kane County d. South Bend, 1-0
Playoff ended and Kane County declared champion due to terrorist acts of September 11, 2001.
Played June 19 at Dayton
Eastern Division 7, Western 3
Winning Pitcher: Jory Coughenauer, Michigan
MVP: T.J. Soto, Michigan
- Burlington Bees: Changed affiliations (from White Sox to Royals).
- Clinton LumberKings: Changed affiliations (from Reds to Expos).
- Quad City River Bandits: Sold during the season. This sale collapsed after the season ended.
- Michigan Battle Cats: Sold during the season.
Other Highlights
- Quad City's John O'Donnell Stadium flooded in April; team spent much of the first half on the road.
- Beloit had a fire in the first base grill shortly before game time on July 14.
Sources
- USA Today Baseball Weekly
- Baseball America
- 2001 Baseball America Directory
- Team websites
- The Minor League Baseball website
- Assorted correspondents
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