Michigan Battle Cats
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Michigan Battle Cats 1995–2002 Battle Creek, Michigan |
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| Class-level | |||||
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| Previous | Class A | ||||
| Minor league affiliations | |||||
| League | Midwest League | ||||
| Division | Eastern Division | ||||
| Major league affiliations | |||||
| Previous |
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| Minor league titles | |||||
| League titles | 2000 | ||||
| Division titles | 1995 (first half), 1998 (second half), 1999 (second half), 2000 (second half), 2001 (second half), 2002 (first half) |
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| Team data | |||||
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Previous names
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Michigan Battle Cats | ||||
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Previous parks
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C.O. Brown Stadium | ||||
The Michigan Battle Cats was a minor league baseball team which began playing in the Midwest League in 1995 and called C.O. Brown Stadium in Battle Creek, Michigan home. The franchise had previously been located in Madison, Wisconsin in 1994 where they were called the Madison Hatters. Prior to that the team was located in Springfield, Illinois and was known as the Springfield Cardinals. Upon moving to Battle Creek the team initially sought the name Battle Creek Golden Kazoos to help create a regional tie-in with the city of Kalamazoo, Michigan, but legal disputes led to the adoption of the Battle Cats moniker. The team became known as the Battle Creek Yankees beginning with their affiliation in 2003 with the New York Yankees, and again changed names and affiliations in 2005 and became the Southwest Michigan Devil Rays. In 2007, citing declining attendance, the team moved to Midland, Michigan and became the Great Lakes Loons.
Some notable alumni include Shea Hillenbrand, Roy Oswalt, and Carl Pavano.
By September 1994, the city of Battle Creek had committed to stadium improvements in order to bring the Madison Hatters franchise to their city. C.O. Brown Stadium had been constructed in 1989 for amateur baseball, and it was substantially improved prior to obtaining the Midwest League franchise. After temporarily being known as the Battle Creek Golden Kazoos, the team adopted the name of Michigan Battle Cats. The team agreed to become an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox (the Madison Hatters had been affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals, but St. Louis switched its Midwest League affiliate to Peoria.
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