BATTLE CREEK YANKEES - Battle Creek compiled a 71-68 mark for the 2004 season and made a run at the Midwest League Playoffs before being ousted by Lansing, a team that won 10 out of its 12 meetings with the Yankees. Despite failing to reach the post-season, Battle Creek enjoyed its eighth consecutive winning season, which is the longest current streak in Minor League Baseball, and enjoyed some record-setting performances. Erold Andrus set the franchise record for at-bats in a season (553), breaking the five-year-old mark of 536. Andrus also set the franchise high for games played with 137. Brandon Harmsen made Yankee history as well by setting Battle Creek's record for winning percentage at .769. He finished the season with a 10-3 record. Houston Astros' right-hander Roy Oswalt held the previous record. Harmsen headed up a staff that finished 10th in the league in pitching with a 4.13 team earned run average. Paul Thorp shared the league lead in saves (26) with Fort Wayne's Leo Rosales. The Yankees hit at a .272 clip as a team, good for second best in the league. Andrus finished among the league leaders in hits (161), doubles (34), extra-base hits (47), runs (83), and RBI (74). Battle Creek has signed a player development contract with Tampa Bay, and will be an affiliate of the Devil Rays for the next two seasons.

BELOIT SNAPPERS - 2004 marked the end of the longest current relationship between a Major League team and its Midwest League affiliate, as the Snappers will part with the Milwaukee Brewers, their parent club since 1982. Beloit's final season in the Milwaukee baseball family ended with a winning record, as the Snappers compiled a 72-68 mark this season and finished 11 1/2 games out of first in the Western Division. Beloit did not make the playoffs. The Snappers finished the year fourth in the league in batting with a team average of .265. Drew Anderson's .307 clip got him into the top 10 in individual batting and he finished among the league leaders in hits (140). Vinny Rotino led the Midwest League in runs batted in with 124 and finished third in hits (161), eighth in slugging percentage (.482) and eighth in runs scored (78). His 17 homers and nine triples also landed him in the top 10. Beloit's 4.26 team ERA was 11th in the league, but Dana Eveland's 2.84 ERA was sixth among Midwest League pitchers. The Snappers reached an agreement on a two-year player development contract with the Minnesota Twins and will welcome the Twins' best young prospects to Beloit in 2005.

BURLINGTON BEES - The Bees posted a 56-84 record and finished the season in the Midwest League Western Division cellar, 27 1/2 games out of first place. Burlington, however, rebounded from a league-worst 22-48 record in the first half and compiled a 34-36 mark in the second half. The Bees struggled both at the plate and on the mound in 2004. The team's .234 batting average was the worst in the league and Burlington's 553 runs scored were 13th, while it shared the lowest home run output (55) with Quad Cities. Burlington's 4.47 staff ERA was 12th in the Midwest League. Two bright spots for the Bees this season were the team's player and pitcher of the year. 19-year-old Chris Lubanski batted .273 with nine homers and 56 RBI in 128 games. Pitcher Chris Coughlin finished 5-5 with a 4.50 ERA in 14 starts, but walked just 10 batters while striking out 60 in 80 innings of work. Coughlin tossed the first nine- inning perfect game in Burlington's 83-year history on June 30th. The Bees' Mitch Maier was named MVP of the All-Star game. The Bees will continue their partnership with the Kansas City Royals in 2005.

CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS - Cedar Rapids got off to a hot start in 2004, one that allowed them to slip into the playoffs after the team stumbled to a 33-37 record over the second half of the season. The Kernels finished the campaign 75-64 and right in the thick of a wild race in the Western Division. Cedar Rapids finished eight games behind division champion Kane County, shared second place with Peoria and held a 1/2-game advantage over playoff-bound Clinton. It was the LumberKings that eliminated the Kernels in the first round of the post-season, sweeping them in two games. Cedar Rapids finished the season in the middle of the pack in both team batting and pitching. Its .257 batting average was tied for sixth in the league with the Western Division Champion Kane County Cougars. Kendrick Howard hit .367 in 75 games with the Kernels and Matt Brown found himself among the league leaders in home runs (23), RBI (82) and extra-base hits (47). The Kernels' pitching staff compiled a 3.87 earned run average, which was eighth in the Midwest League. Bob Zimmermann posted a 2.26 earned run average out of the bullpen and chalked up 24 saves. The Kernels extended their player development agreement with the Anaheim Angels through the 2008 season.

CLINTON LUMBERKINGS - At the all-star break, Clinton was 35-33 and 7 1/2 games behind division-leading Kane County. The LumberKings turned up the heat in the second half and finished the year 39-31, one game behind the Cougars. Clinton (74-64) earned a playoff spot and advanced to the Western Division Finals by sweeping Cedar Rapids in two games in the first round of the playoffs. Clinton, however, was swept out of the post-season by Kane County, a team that ended both the first and second half of the season on top of the Western Division. Brian Mattoon led a Clinton pitching staff that finished the season fourth in the league in earned run average (3.73). Mattoon compiled an 11-6 record and posted a 2.87 ERA in 32 games (20 starts) for the LumberKings. Superstar prospect Ian Kinsler hit at a .401 clip with 11 homers and 53 RBI before being promoted to Double-A Frisco of the Texas League in June. Clinton hit .256 as a team. The LumberKings will continue their relationship with the Texas Rangers in 2005.

DAYTON DRAGONS - This past season can be considered one to forget for the Dayton Dragons. The Dragons were 27-43 by the all-star break and occupied the Midwest League Eastern Division cellar. The second half did not offer much else, as Dayton compiled just 21 wins, worst in the league, and ended the season with a dismal overall record of 48-92. Dayton's pitchers finished at the bottom of the league in staff ERA (5.03) issued the league-high in walks and were touched up for the second most home runs. The Dragons were not much better at the plate. The team's .236 batting average was 13th in the Midwest League, one spot ahead of Burlington. Joey Votto was one bright spot during Dayton's 2004 campaign. Votto hit .302 with 14 homers and 73 RBI and finished among the league leaders in on-base percentage (.419) and slugging percentage (.486). Pitcher Calvin Medlock led the team with an 8-3 record and he posted a 2.57 ERA in 22 games (15 starts).

FORT WAYNE WIZARDS - The Wizards were 33-37 at the all-star break, but took everyone by surprise and got off to a fast start in a second half in which they finished 39-31, tied for second in the Eastern Division. The team did not blink when they suffered through an eight-game losing streak in the second half. Fort Wayne won 15 of its final 20 games, finished the season with a 72-68 record and landed in the playoffs before being swept by South Bend in two games. The Fort Wayne pitching staff finished the season with a team ERA of 3.77, good for fifth in the league. Reliever Leo Rosales was a dominating 6-1 with a 1.40 earned run average and 26 saves. Rosales was named the Midwest League's Rolaids Relief Man award winner. Dirk Hayhurst finished fifth in the league in pitching and compiled a 9-4 record with a 2.66 ERA. Sean Thompson was fifth in strikeouts with 157. The Wizards hit just .246 as a team, but were led at the plate by Fernando Valenzuela, hot hit .294 with 11 homers an 81 RBI on the season. Valenzuela finished among the league leaders in hits (148), on-base percentage (.373) and RBI.

KANE COUNTY COUGARS - Kane County played until the very last day of the season, but in the final game of the Midwest League Championship Series, could not find a way to defeat the West Michigan Whitecaps. Despite coming up short when it mattered most, the Cougars were Western Division Champions and had the best record in all of the Midwest League. The Cougars established themselves early and by the end of the first half of the season, were viewed as the team to beat. Kane County had a 43-26 record and finished one game ahead of Cedar Rapids, who was hot on their heels. Kane County collected 40 wins over the second half and once again found themselves on top of the division by a game, this time ahead of Clinton. Kane County finished the year with an 83-56 mark, eight games better than the Kernels and Peoria Chiefs. Once in the playoffs, the Cougars ousted the Chiefs, two games to one before sweeping the LumberKings in the Western Division finals. That set up a meeting with West Michigan in the Championship Series. After doubling up the Whitecaps, 10-5, in Game One, the Cougars dropped both Games 2 and 3. However, Kane County outlasted West Michigan in 16 innings in Game 4 and forced a decisive fifth contest. The Whitecaps were able to defeat the Cougars, 4-2, and Kane County settled for second place. It was a stellar season for Kane County despite failing to clinch the title. The Cougars pitching staff finished with a 3.79 team ERA and were led by Steven Bondurant, who was tops in the league in pitching with a 14-5 record and a 2.08 earned run average. Brian Snyder and Vasili Spanos both finished among the league leaders in batting. Both players hit at a .311 clip, while the Cougars hit .257 as a team.

LANSING LUGNUTS - Despite failing to win the Eastern Division in either the first of second half of the season, the Lugnuts shared the second-best record in the Midwest League (77-63) with the South Bend Silver Hawks. Lansing compiled a 38-32 record during the first half and was four games behind the Silver Hawks by the halfway point. The Lugnuts did themselves one win better in the second half, but tied for second with Fort Wayne behind West Michigan, who came out of nowhere to win the second half title. Lansing earned a date with those Whitecaps in the first round of the playoffs, but lost in three games to the eventual league champions. Lansing's 3.39 team ERA was the best in the Midwest League. Paving the way for their dominance on the mound were Carlos Marmol and Billy Petrick, who tallied 14 and 13 wins, respectively. Marmol's 154 strikeouts were good for sixth in the league and he logged 154 2/3rd innings pitched. Adalberto Mendez chalked up 20 saves and finished fourth in the league in that category. Lansing finished the season fifth in the league in batting (.264) and got plenty of fireworks from Brian Dopirak, who led the league in home runs (39), hits (166), doubles (38) and extra-base hits (77). Dopirak also finished second in the league in slugging (.593) to teammate Kevin Collins (.615) and was second in runs scored (94) and RBI (120). Collins clubbed 33 home runs and drove in 86 runs. His 61 extra-base hits were second.

PEORIA CHIEFS - Peoria pieced together a solid 75-win season and made a Midwest League playoff appearance in the 2004 campaign. The Chiefs compiled a 38-31 record in the first half of the year and closed out the second half with 37 wins and finished both sides of the break in third place. Once in the playoffs, Peoria nipped Kane County in the first game of the series in 12 innings, but dropped the next two games before being eliminated by the eventual Western Division Champions. No team was better than Peoria in 2004 at the plate as the Chiefs led the league in batting and hit .277 as a team. Leading the charge at the plate was Midwest League batting champion Brendan Ryan, who hit at a .322 clip with two home runs and 59 runs batted in. Cody Haerther (.316) and Daric Barton (.313) finished third and fourth, respectively, behind their teammate. Barton boasted the league's best on-base percentage (.445) and Anthony Monegan led Midwest League hitters in runs scored (97). Peoria's pitching staff ERA was ninth at 4.06. Stuart Pomeranz tallied 12 wins and Jason Burch chalked up 21 saves.

SWING OF THE QUAD CITIES - Quad Cities could not swing one way or the other in the 2004 season as the team found themselves at an even .500 on the year. The Swing closed out the first half of the season at 33-33 and compiled a 35-35 mark over the second half for an overall record of 68 wins and 68 losses. One category in which the Swing was not average, however, was team pitching. Quad Cities' staff earned run average of 3.44 was second best in the league. Swing pitchers yielded the least hits (1,061) and home runs (66) in the league, spun 12 shutouts and were third in strikeouts with 1,123. Errol Simonitsch posted a 2.56 ERA in 109 innings pitched, which was second among Midwest League hurlers. Julio DePaula tallied 12 wins and Adam Harben chalked up 171 strikeouts. Quad Cities was not nearly as effective at the plate, however. The team hit just .238, which was third from the bottom in the league.

SOUTH BEND SILVER HAWKS - South Bend closed out the first half of the season with the best record in the Midwest League Eastern Division (42-28), but sputtered to a 35-35 in the second half. Despite the drop-off, the Silver Hawks finished the season with a 77-63 record, dead even with Lansing, and earned a playoff spot. South Bend swept the Fort Wayne Wizards out of the first round of the post-season before going head-to-head with West Michigan, who won the Eastern Division crown in the second half. South Bend could only manage one run in each of the two games in the Eastern Division Finals and the Whitecaps swept the series, two games to none. The Silver Hawks hit .266 as a team, good for third in the Midwest League and Alex Frazier finished among the league leaders in hits (145), doubles (36), home runs (20), RBI (80), slugging (.532), and extra-base hits (59). Pitcher Chad Scarbery was a 12-game winner and Billy Biggs saved 18 games on a pitching staff that finished the year with a 3.81 team ERA.

WEST MICHIGAN WHITECAPS - At the midway point in the season, West Michigan was 29-40. That's 11 games out of .500 and the team was 12 1/2 games out of first place. If the Whitecaps were an afterthought at that point, someone forgot to tell them. West Michigan rebounded in a big way and won the Eastern Division in the second half by posting a 40-30 record, one game ahead of Fort Wayne. Even after their late-season surge, West Michigan finished the 2004 campaign with a 69-70 record, fifth out of six teams in the division overall. Their .254 batting average was ninth in the league. Hardly numbers of a champion. However, the Whitecaps took their momentum into the postseason, won it all and were crowned 2004 Midwest League Champions. The Whitecaps drew the Lansing Lugnuts in the opening round of the playoffs and beat them in three games before moving on to the Eastern Division Finals against the South Bend Silver Hawks. West Michigan's pitching staff, which boasted the third-best earned run average in the league at 3.52, held South Bend to just one run in both games. The Whitecaps took game one, 3-1, then blew away the Silver Hawks, 13-1, in game two. The Whitecaps then faced off against Kane County in the Midwest League Championship Series. The Cougars won the Western Division in both the first and second half and had compiled the best record in the league. That was evident in the first game, as Kane County won, 10-5. West Michigan bounced back to win games two and three, holding the Cougars to two runs over the two games. Kane County outlasted the Whitecaps, 7-5, in 16 innings to force a final game and West Michigan took the game and the series by coming out on top, 4-2, in game five.

WISCONSIN TIMBER RATTLERS - Wisconsin ended the season on a sour note by losing seven straight games and nine of its final 10. The Timber Rattlers compiled a 57-82 record on the season and struggled to win 26 games in the second half after going 31-38 in the first half. Wisconsin's team earned run average of 4.67 was better than only Dayton's. There were some bright spots among the team's pitchers, however. Thomas Oldham finished among the league leaders in ERA (2.93). He went 6-6 in 116 2/3rd innings pitched and 132 strikeouts for the Timber Rattlers. Brian Stitt chalked up 16 saves for the team and Michael Moorhead's 163 strikeouts were fourth in the Midwest League. Wisconsin hit .251 as a team. Wladimir Balentien hit .277 in 76 games and led the team with 15 home runs and his .519 slugging percentage was tops among Wisconsin hitters. Adam Jones led the Timber Rattlers in runs batted in with 72 and hit at a .267 clip. Chris Colton hit only .232, but slugged out 18 doubles, 11 triples and 12 home runs in addition to stealing 15 bases. Josh Womack led the team with 24 steals.