Minor league baseball team
The
Madison Hatters
were a minor-league
baseball
team based in
Madison
,
Wisconsin
, in 1994. A Class A
minor league baseball
affiliate of the
St. Louis Cardinals
, they were a member of the
Midwest League
. The team played its home games at
Warner Park
.
Following the departure of the
Madison Muskies
after the 1993 season, the
Springfield Cardinals
franchise moved from
Springfield, Illinois
to Madison and became the Madison Hatters. The team never intended to stay in Madison for more than one season, and at the end of the 1994 campaign they moved to
Battle Creek, Michigan
, where they became the
Michigan Battle Cats
. The team again relocated for the 2007 season to
Midland, Michigan
, and they are now known as the
Great Lakes Loons
.
Team history
[
edit
]
After the 1993 season, the Madison Muskies, which had represented Madison in the Midwest League from 1982 to 1993, moved to
Grand Rapids, Michigan
, which had constructed a new stadium, to become the
West Michigan Whitecaps
. As a replacement, Madison obtained the Springfield Cardinals franchise, which was renamed the Madison Hatters.
[1]
The Hatters' mascot was "Madcap Mouse", a costumed performer dressed as a mouse wearing a red tuxedo and top hat. Local Madison 21-year old Scott Kelly portrayed Madcap, and was paid $50 per game, more than any player.
[2]
The team played well during the first half of 1994, finishing in second place in the seven-team Southern Division with a 37?33 record, just one game behind the Springfield Sultans. In the second half, however, their performance dropped off as they finished in fifth place with a 29?40 record. Joe Cunningham was the manager. Two players?outfielder
Joe McEwing
and pitcher
Jay Witasick
?were named to the league's post-season all-star team.
[3]
McEwing hit .324 with 4 home runs and 47 runs batted in, while Witasick went 10?4 with a 2.32 earned run averaged and 141 strikeouts.
[4]
Jeff Matulevich led the league with 30 saves.
[3]
With the pre-season announcement that the Hatters intended to be in Madison only one year, their attendance was weak, with a season total of 69,060 (11th in the 14-team league), down from the 101,219 attending the Muskies' games the previous season.
[3]
[5]
By September, the city of Battle Creek had committed to stadium improvements to bring the Hatters to their city, and the Midwest League departed from Madison.
[6]
References
[
edit
]
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East Division
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West Division
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Former teams
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