Midwest League
From SABR Encyclopedia
The Midwest League is a class A (class D before 1963) minor league which has operated since 1956. The MWL currently has teams in Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio; in 2009 the league will add a Kentucky team. Historically the MWL and its predecessors were centered in Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin; the eastward expansion began in 1988. The Midwest League is the successor to the Illinois State League and Mississippi-Ohio Valley League.
Current major leaguers Albert Pujols, Johan Santana, Jake Peavy, and Josh Beckett all played in the Midwest League, as did Hall of Fame players Orlando Cepeda, Juan Marichal, Goose Gossage, Bruce Sutter, and Paul Molitor. (Earl Weaver played in the MWL predecessor Illinois State League, but didn't make the Hall on the basis of his playing career.) Two Hall of Fame players have managed MWL teams: Travis Jackson and Ryne Sandberg.
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