The Midwest League of Minor League Baseball is one of three High-A baseball leagues in the United States. It was previously known as the Illinois State League from 1947 to 1948 and as the Mississippi-Ohio Valley League form 1949 to 1955, but has been the Midwest League since 1956 (with the exception of 2021 when known as the High-A Central). A league champion is determined at the end of each season. Champions have been determined by postseason playoffs, winning the regular season pennant, or being declared champion by the league office. For 2019, eight teams qualified for the postseason: the first- and second-half winners within each division, Eastern and Western, and wild card teams (the teams with the best second-place record) from each half in each division. Teams within each division met in a best-of-three quarterfinal round. The winners met in a best-of-three semifinal series to determine division champions. Then, the Eastern and Western division winners played a best-of-five series to determine a league champion.[1] As of 2022, the winners of each division from both the first and second halves of the season meet in a best-of-three division series, with the winners of the two division series meeting in a best-of-three championship series.[2]
Score and finalist information is only presented when postseason play occurred. The lack of this information indicates a declared league champion.
| Year | Champion | Series | Finalist | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | Belleville Stags | NA | (Belleville won both halves) | |
| 1948 | West Frankfort Cardinals | 3–0 | Mattoon Indians | |
| 1949 | Paducah Chiefs | 4–3 | Mattoon Indians | |
| 1950 | Centralia Sterlings | NA | (Finals Cancelled - weather) | |
| 1951 | Danville Dans | 2–0 | Mount Vernon Kings | |
| 1952 | Decatur Commodores | 3–1 | Hannibal Stags | |
| 1953 | Decatur Commodores | 3–2 | Paris Lakers | |
| 1954 | Danville Dans | 3–0 | Clinton Pirates | |
| 1955 | Dubuque Packers | 3–0 | Mattoon Phillies | |
| 1956 | Paris Lakers | 3–1 | Dubuque Packers | |
| 1957 | Decatur Commodores | 2–0 | Clinton Pirates | |
| 1958 | Waterloo Hawks | 3–2 | Michigan City White Caps | |
| 1959 | Waterloo Hawks | NA | (Waterloo won both halves) | |
| 1960 | Waterloo Hawks | NA | (Waterloo won both halves) | |
| 1961 | Quincy Giants | 3–2 | Waterloo Hawks | |
| 1962 | Dubuque Packers | 3–1 | Waterloo Hawks | |
| 1963 | Clinton C-Sox | NA | (Clinton won both halves) | |
| 1964 | Fox Cities Foxes | 1–0 | Clinton C-Sox | |
| 1965 | Burlington Bees | NA | (Burlington won both halves) | |
| 1966 | Fox Cities Foxes | 2–1 | Cedar Rapids Cardinals | |
| 1967 | Appleton Foxes | 2–0 | Wisconsin Rapids Twins | |
| 1968 | Quad City Angels | 2–1 | Decatur Commodores | |
| 1969 | Appleton Foxes | NA | (Appleton won both halves) | |
| 1970 | Quincy Cubs | 2–0 | Quad Cities Angels | |
| 1971 | Quad City Angels | 2–1 | Appleton Foxes | |
| 1972 | Danville Warriors | 2–0 | Appleton Foxes | |
| 1973 | Wisconsin Rapids Twins | 2–1 | Danville Warriors | |
| 1974 | Danville Warriors | 2–1 | Appleton Foxes | |
| 1975 | Waterloo Royals | 2–0 | Quad Cities Angels | |
| 1976 | Waterloo Royals | 2–0 | Quad Cities Angels | |
| 1977 | Burlington Bees | 2–0 | Waterloo Indians | |
| 1978 | Appleton Foxes | 2–1 | Burlington Bees | |
| 1979 | Quad City Cubs | 2–1 | Waterloo Indians | |
| 1980 | Waterloo Indians | 2–1 | Quad City Cubs | |
| 1981 | Wausau Timbers | 2–0 | Quad City Cubs | |
| 1982 | Appleton Foxes | 2–1 | Madison Muskies | |
| 1983 | Appleton Foxes | 3–1 | Springfield Cardinals | |
| 1984 | Appleton Foxes | 3–2 | Springfield Cardinals | |
| 1985 | Kenosha Twins | 3–1 | Peoria Chiefs | |
| 1986 | Waterloo Indians | 3–0 | Peoria Chiefs | |
| 1987 | Kenosha Twins | 3–1 | Springfield Cardinals | |
| 1988 | Cedar Rapids Reds | 3–1 | Kenosha Twins | |
| 1989 | South Bend White Sox | 3–0 | Springfield Cardinals | |
| 1990 | Quad City Angels | 3–1 | South Bend White Sox | |
| 1991 | Clinton Giants | 3–1 | Madison Muskies | |
| 1992 | Cedar Rapids Reds | 3–2 | Beloit Brewers | |
| 1993 | South Bend White Sox | 3–1 | Clinton Giants | |
| 1994 | Cedar Rapids Kernels | 3–1 | Rockford Royals | |
| 1995 | Beloit Snappers | 3–0 | Michigan Battle Cats | |
| 1996 | West Michigan Whitecaps | 3–1 | Wisconsin Timber Rattlers | |
| 1997 | Lansing Lugnuts | 3–2 | Kane County Cougars | |
| 1998 | West Michigan Whitecaps | 3–1 | Rockford Cubbies | |
| 1999 | Burlington Bees | 3–2 | Wisconsin Timber Rattlers | |
| 2000 | Michigan Battle Cats | 3–0 | Beloit Snappers | |
| 2001 | Kane County Cougars | 1–0 | South Bend Silver Hawks | |
| 2002 | Peoria Chiefs | 3–1 | Lansing Lugnuts | |
| 2003 | Lansing Lugnuts | 3–0 | Beloit Snappers | |
| 2004 | West Michigan Whitecaps | 3–2 | Kane County Cougars | |
| 2005 | South Bend Silver Hawks | 3–2 | Wisconsin Timber Rattlers | |
| 2006 | West Michigan Whitecaps | 3–1 | Kane County Cougars | |
| 2007 | West Michigan Whitecaps | 3–2 | Beloit Snappers | |
| 2008 | Burlington Bees | 2–0 | South Bend Silver Hawks | |
| 2009 | Fort Wayne TinCaps | 3–0 | Burlington Bees | |
| 2010 | Lake County Captains | 3–2 | Clinton LumberKings | |
| 2011 | Quad Cities River Bandits | 3–0 | Lansing Lugnuts | |
| 2012 | Wisconsin Timber Rattlers | 3–1 | Fort Wayne TinCaps | |
| 2013 | Quad Cities River Bandits | 3–0 | South Bend Silver Hawks | |
| 2014 | Kane County Cougars | 3–0 | Lake County Captains | |
| 2015 | West Michigan Whitecaps | 3–2 | Cedar Rapids Kernels | |
| 2016 | Great Lakes Loons | 3–1 | Clinton LumberKings | |
| 2017 | Quad Cities River Bandits | 3–0 | Fort Wayne TinCaps | |
| 2018 | Bowling Green Hot Rods | 3–1 | Peoria Chiefs | |
| 2019 | South Bend Cubs | 3–0 | Clinton LumberKings | |
| 2020 | align=center colspan="3" | [3] | ||
| 2021 | Quad Cities River Bandits[4] | 3–2 | Cedar Rapids Kernels | |
| 2022 | South Bend Cubs | 2–1 | Lake County Captains | |
| 2023 | Cedar Rapids Kernels | 2–1 | Great Lakes Loons | |
| 2024 | Lake County Captains | 2–1 | Wisconsin Timber Rattlers |
Active Midwest League teams appear in bold.
| Wins | Team | Championship years | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Fox Cities Foxes/Appleton Foxes/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers | 1964, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1984, 2012 | |
| 9 | Waterloo Hawks/Royals/Indians/Lansing Lugnuts | 1958, 1959, 1960, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1986, 1997, 2003 | |
| 8 | Quad City Angels/Cubs/River Bandits | 1968, 1971, 1979, 1990, 2011, 2013, 2017, 2021 | |
| 6 | Decatur Commodores/Wausau Timbers/Kane County Cougars | 1952, 1953, 1957, 1981, 2001, 2014 | |
| 6 | West Michigan Whitecaps | 1996, 1998, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2015 | |
| 5 | South Bend White Sox/Silver Hawks/Cubs | 1989, 1993, 2005, 2019, 2022 | |
| 4 | Burlington Bees | 1965, 1977, 1999, 2008 | |
| 4 | Cedar Rapids Reds/Kernels | 1988, 1992, 1994, 2023 | |
| 4 | Wisconsin Rapids Twins/Kenosha Twins/Fort Wayne TinCaps | 1973, 1985, 1987, 2009 | |
| 2 | Clinton C-Sox/Giants | 1963, 1991 | |
| 2 | Danville Dans | 1951, 1954 | |
| 2 | Danville Warriors | 1972, 1974 | |
| 2 | Dubuque Packers | 1955, 1962 | |
| 2 | Lake County Captains | 2010, 2024 | |
| 2 | Quincy Giants/Cubs | 1961, 1970 | |
| 2 | Michigan Battle Cats/Great Lakes Loons | 2000, 2016 | |
| 1 | Belleville Stags | 1947 | |
| 1 | Beloit Snappers | 1995 | |
| 1 | Bowling Green Hot Rods | 2018 | |
| 1 | Centralia Sterlings | 1950 | |
| 1 | Paducah Chiefs | 1949 | |
| 1 | Paris Lakers | 1956 | |
| 1 | Peoria Chiefs | 2002 | |
| 1 | West Frankfort Cardinals | 1948 |