Heartland Baseball League at 50

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BAY CITY LAKE MONSTERS




The Best of Times, however few they are!
The Bay City Lake Monsters have had their share of ups and downs since the Heartland Baseball League started in 1978. In 49 seasons of league play they sport an overall winning record yet they have only made the post season six times. They have made the most of their opportunities by winning the Heartland Series in four of those six seasons including three of four from 2004 to 2007. 1991 saw the Lake Monsters win the North League by eight games over South Bend and Oshkosh with 87 victories. They would win their first Heartland Series trophy defeating Jefferson City in six games as popular CF Gabriel Hernandez took home the HLS MVP. Bay City would next see post season action in 1997. They finished second in the North with just 73 wins in a year dominated by Cedar Rapids who took the top spot by an astounding 28 games. The Rebels made quick work of Lake Monsters sweeping them in three games.

Then came the franchise's most glorious time period. From 2004 to 2007 the team won four consecutive North titles and three of four Heartland Series titles. Their four top win totals all came from those four seasons including a franchise best of 96 in 2006. The playoffs for the three championship seasons all looked a bit the same. 2004, 2006, and 2007 each saw Bay City face off with and defeat Cedar Rapids in the NLCS and then Lafayette in the HLS. In their only HLS loss the Lake Monsters faced off against Kenosha in the NLCS and Jefferson City in the HLS.

Face of the Franchise
The Lake Monsters have seen their share of great hitters pass through the home clubhouse of The Cove and many have elected to spend the entirety of their career with the Lake Monsters. But despite all of the success of great hitters like Bret Hawkins, Ron Hodge, George Rice, Mitchell Hilton, and the others; it's a pitcher that is undoubtedly the face of this franchise. Mike Cravens burst onto the HBL scene as a highly rated prospect but no one ever thought he would be as good as he was. Cravens had dominated high school and the minor leagues but nobody expected that domination to continue into the big leagues...but it did.

For his first nine seasons in the HBL Bay City finished over .500 every season including the first four where they went to the Heartland Series each year winning three times. Cravens himself won 20 games or more in eight of those nine seasons leading the North in innings pitched and wins seven times, strike outs six times, and ERA twice. He won nine consecutive North Pitcher of the Year Awards and the 2004 North Rookie of the Year. He made nine consecutive North All Star teams in his first nine seasons but early in season 10 tragedy struck. On May 6, 2013 Cravens took the mound for his eighth start of the season. He came into that game having the best start of his already dominant career at 6-0 with a 1.38 ERA. During that start he tore his UCL and was lost for the rest of the season. At that point in his career he was an astounding 199-69! After the injury he was never quite the same finishing his career 31-31 over his final three seasons(his last one came in a Twisters' uniform). After the 2016 season he declined his contract option that would have paid him almost a half a million dollars and walked away from the HBL at the age of 35.




Franchise Leaders
Batting Average: Brett Hawkins(.358)
BWAR: Ron Hodge(101.8)
Home Runs: George Rice(503)
RBI: Rice(1506)
Runs Scored: Hodge(1558)
Wins: Mike Cravens(222)
ERA: Cravens(2.77)
Saves: Marvin Stephenson(270)
Innings Pitched: Cravens(2967.2)
Strike Outs: Cravens(2735)

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CANTON KERNELS




Fooling The Best!
When you think of the Canton Kernels franchise the first thing that often comes to mind is "Winners". That would be a true statement as it seems that Canton is always in the mix for the South League title or, at the very least, the South League Wildcard. They boast the second most playoff appearances in the history of the Heartland Baseball League qualifying for the postseason 24 times in 49 seasons. That's a pretty good mark. Where the Kernels come up short is in Heartland Series victories. Consider that our first team, Bay City, has just six post season appearances in during that same 49 season span but they have the same amount of Heartland Series trophies as the Kernels! That doesn't quite seem possible but it is true. Factor in that Canton won three of the first nine Heartland Series and you'll see that they are currently in quite a dry spell. They did take home the crown in 2011 but that means they are sitting on one HBL championship over the past 40 years. Without looking it up I just would not have believed those numbers. It still is a remarkable franchise having just 10 losing seasons in total and only two with a winning percentage below .300 AND they have never gone more than seven consecutive seasons without a playoff appearance. That shows me that whoever it is managing this team they have always been about winning first. Rebuilding has never really been considered.

Overall Canton made it to 12 Heartland Series losing 12 times. In the early days they had a rivalry of sorts with the Oshkosh Outlaws. The two teams met in the HLS seven times between 1980 ~ 2010 with the Kernels going 3-4. Their other HLS victory came over Duluth in 1985. Canton won the South League Pennant as recently as 2023 and 2024 but lost both series.



Face of the Franchise
Zane Carver was the first great pitcher of the Heartland Baseball League and even though a lot of the records he established during the HBL's infancy have been broken, he is still the first name to come to mind when you ask about the best Kernels to ever play. Carver came to the Kernels prior to the 1982 season and won six(tied for second most all time) South Pitcher of the Year Awards in a 10 season span from 1982~1991 that included five Canon Heartland Series appearances and back to back championships in 1985 and 1986. He won 20+ games four times and posted a sub 3.00 ERA seven times including his age 40 season in 1994.

The 13 time HBL All-Star did not shy away from the spotlight of the postseason but things did not always go his way. In 1982 he was just 1-2 against Cedar Rapids despite a 2.86 ERA in three starts. Things got worse in 1983 when Oshkosh pounded him for seven earned runs in a little over nine innings and two short starts. His star was brightest in '85 and '86 when he combined for a 3-0 record and a .72 ERA during the two HLS winners. He failed to reach double digit wins in just three of his 20 seasons and despite being retired for 30 years he is second in HBL history with 278 victories, a record he held until 2010 when it was broken by Leslie Hodges.




Franchise Leaders
Batting Average: Steven Harris(.378)
BWAR: Steven Harris(48.6)
Home Runs: John Newman(301)
RBI: Dan Davis(884)
Runs Scored: Albert Lineberry(920)
Wins: Zane Carver(236)
ERA: Scot Turner(2.31)
Saves: Jesse Davis(427)
Innings Pitched: Zane Carver(3303.1)
Strike Outs: Zane Carver(2437)

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CEDAR RAPIDS REBELS




A Stretch of Greatness!
Cedar Rapids won two of the first five Heartland Series Championships in the very early days of the Heartland Baseball League. They won the very first in 1978 and the fifth one in 1982. They would then finish no better than .500 over the next twelve seasons heading into the peak period of Rebels' baseball. 1995 would start a string of six consecutive 90+ win seasons including 101 wins in 1997 and a still HBL record 108 victories in 1998. From 1995 ~ 2008 the Rebels would fail to make the post season just three times while winning the Heartland Series trophy three times('96, '97, '02). During the 14 year span they averaged 88 wins per year. Since their last playoff appearance in 2008 Cedar Rapids has had just one season over .500(2010, 79 wins) finishing in the top half of the North standings just two times.


Face of the Franchise
Cedar Rapids has been home to many a great Heartland Baseball Player and choosing just one "Face of the Franchise" was a very difficult task. Consider that from 1994 ~2006 the franchise featured six future HBL Hall of Famers! It's no coincidence that those were the most successful seasons in the team's history. Any one of Maximo Alonso, Stan Harper, Clark West, Ken Meyer, or Robby Rhyne could have taken this honor but I decided to go with Hall of Fame SP Leslie Hodges.

Unlike Alonso and Harper, Hodges did not spend his entire career with the Rebels but he was the undeniable leader of the team during it's most successful time. Hodges won five of his six Pitcher of the Year Awards with Cedar Rapids during an eight season span from 1996 ~ 2003. A time when he dominated the HBL averaging 20 wins per season and tallying two North Pitching Triple Crowns(including the first in HBL history in 1998). He took home five wins titles, two ERA titles, and four strike out titles during the same span. He was even better in the post season going 10-2 for the Rebels in 16 playoff starts boasting a 2.05 ERA and striking out 148 in just 118.1 innings pitched. If that wasn't enough he made 11 North All-Star teams during his 15 seasons as a Rebel.





Franchise Leaders
Batting Average: Clark West(.359)
BWAR: Maximo Alonso(98.2)
Home Runs: Maximo Alonso(649)
RBI: Maximo Alonso(1867)
Runs Scored: Stan Harper(1739)
Wins: Leslie Hodges(246)
ERA: Leslie Hodges(2.92)
Saves: Alberto Fernandez(223)
Innings Pitched: Leslie Hodges(3083.2)
Strike Outs: Leslie Hodges(3536)

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COLUMBIA MONARCHS




The Long and Winding Road!
Until recently, very recently, playing for the Columbia Monarchs was a like a double edged sword. It meant you were still in the big leagues but in name only. It meant that there were probably some minor league teams across the Heartland Baseball League universe that could probably beat you on any given day. It was baseball purgatory. The Monarchs entered the HBL in 2000 with three other expansion teams. How long has their journey as an HBL franchise been? Consider that 2026, their 27th as a member of the HBL, was their first winning season!! For 26 years they were the whipping boy of the HBL and the rest of the league didn't feel bad about it at all. They have lost 100 or more games in a season five times including three in a row from 2015~2017. 109 losses in 2015 tied the 2011 Duluth Danger for the most single season losses in the history of this great league. Things look to finally be turning a corner in Columbia and the Monarchs fans are coming out of the woodwork. Almost 808,000 fans came to watch the 2026 team bring home the first winning season in franchise history and there are better things to come.



Face of the Franchise
Artie Wall started his career in the Monarchs farm system which was formed an entire season before the big club every played a single game. He made the Columbia roster as a 21 year old where he hit .298 in 626 plate appearances. He wouldn't hit under .325 again for another 17 HBL seasons. Wall would spend eight seasons in Columbia where he would win two South Hitter of the Year Awards and make the South All-Star team every season. He won a batting title in 2002 when he finished with a .398 batting average, so close to the magic .400 mark. He led the South in bases on balls and OB% four times and runs scored twice. Wall would go on to be one of the greatest hitters our league has ever seen but he was also considered a gun for hire playing for five other teams during his career. He will always be remembered for his years with the Monarchs.

It is more difficult than one would think to choose a Face of the Franchise for a team that has suffered through so many bad seasons. Mostly because good players just don't want to play here. William Fitzpatrick was the number one overall pick by the Monarchs in 2016 and he had some great seasons in Columbia that included a South Rookie of the Year Award, a South Hitter of the Year Award, and four All-Star appearances. But as soon as his six years of control were up he bolted for greener pastures. Ed Williams and Brit Hargrove would have been the second and third choices for the Monarchs. Consider that the Monarchs' leaders in wins finished his Columbia career with a 79-97 record and you'll quickly understand why no pitchers really had a chance.





Franchise Leaders
Batting Average: Artie Wall(.350)
BWAR: Artie Wall(60.7)
Home Runs: Ed Williams(339)
RBI: Ed Williams(1034)
Runs Scored: Artie Wall(849)
Wins: Dan Walker(79)
ERA: Dillon Anderson(3.10)
Saves: Adrian Fleming(168)
Innings Pitched: Dan Walker(1660.1)
Strike Outs: Dan Walker(954)

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DAVENPORT BULLFROGS




So Close, Yet So Far Away!
Like Columbia the Davenport Bullfrogs were an expansion team that started play in the 2000 season. Unlike Columbia the Bullfrogs found some early success finishing second in the North and making the playoffs in just their fourth season. They took Oshkosh to five games in the NLCS but lost. 2003 would be the first of five consecutive winning seasons but they would not make the playoffs again during that span. Two seasons of sub .500 baseball would follow but the franchises best two seasons would come next. In 2010 and 2011 Davenport would set franchise records for wins with 87 and 88 respectively. Each season they would fall just one game shy of the North title and each season they would fall 3-1 to Oshkosh in the NLCS. In all the Bullfrogs would finish over .500 10 of 13 seasons from 2003 to 2015. They made the playoffs three times but could never get past the Outlaws to play in the Heartland Series. Since 2015 they team has finished over .500 just two times.



Face of the Franchise
David Howard is the most decorated player in the history of the Heartland Baseball League and he did his damage during a 25 year career that saw him suit up for the Davenport Bullfrogs for the first 22 of them. Howard is the HBL career leader in on base percentage, games, played, doubles, walks, and WAR and he holds just about every career batting record for the Bullfrogs. During his 22 years in a Bullfrogs uniform Howard won seven Hitter of the Year Awards, 15 Silver Sluggers, seven Best Fielders, nine North batting titles, 13 North on base titles, 11 WAR titles and was voted to 19 HBL All-Star games. He hit .390 or better seven times with four of them topping .400. Along with fellow Hall of Famer Toby Stell he led the Frogs to the playoffs three times but could never get past Oshkosh in the League Championship Series. He finally got his ring as a rarely used bench player on the 2023 Duluth Danger championship team after leaving Davenport after the 2021 season as a 41 year old.





Franchise Leaders
Batting Average: David Howard(.361)
BWAR: David Howard(178.3)
Home Runs: David Howard(308)
RBI: David Howard(1578)
Runs Scored: David Howard(1870)
Wins: Dan Walker(140)
ERA: Dillon Anderson(2.58)
Saves: Adrian Fleming(215)
Innings Pitched: Dan Walker(2244)
Strike Outs: Dan Walker(1620)

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DAYTON DAWGS




The Struggle is Real!!
It only took 74 wins for Dayton to win the South in 1981. Three different North teams won more games including Oshkosh who led the HBL with 90. That '81 Dawgs team was led by 1B Jason Hogan and his 30/30(32 HR/34 SB) season at the plate and 19 game winner Blake Carr on the mound. The heavy under-Dawgs in the 1981 Heartland Series didn't disappoint losing to the Outlaws in six games. It would be 30 long years before the Dayton fans would see the post season again and by then a lot had changed in the Heartland Baseball League.

The Dawgs secured the South wildcard in 2011 but fell in five games to the Canton Kernels. The next season Dayton won the South by one game over the Kernels and the Lafayette Stars. Canton won the wildcard by defeating the Stars in a one game tie breaker but the Dawgs would move to their second Heartland Series by knocking off Canton in four games. In the 2012 Heartland Series Dayton would bring home their only HBL Championship defeating the Outlaws four games to two. It's a bit of a surprise that Dayton didn't continue to make the postseason after 2012 as five of their top six hitters were 24 year old, future Hall of Famer Matt Gamble who led the South in RBI that season. The pitching staff was a mix of youngsters and vets that saw four pitchers start at least 34 games and each one win between 13 and 17 games led by 26 year old Robby Pruitt's 17-7 record.

Since the 2012 Championship season it has been back to normal for the Dawgs never finishing higher than third in the South but also never finishing last.



Face of the Franchise
Dayton has had several players that could have been named Face of the Franchise but none that really stood out emphatically. Ray Gray spent most of his HOF career with the Dawgs but he did have some other stops along the way. Pitcher Robby Pruitt is in the franchise top 10 for just about every pitching stat, good or bad. Joel Spurling was never the best player in the South League but he seemed to always be among the best and he only played for Dayton during his career. He is the franchise leader in runs scored and runs batted in, numbers that could have been significantly higher had he not missed nearly two years due to a torn ACL in April 2017 and again in October of the same year.

He was the ninth overall pick in the 2004 draft out of Davenport HS where he won two Hitter of the Year awards during his three seasons. At the start of the 2009 season, his first full season in the big leagues, he was the #2 overall prospect. He was a lifetime .308 hitter that made seven HBL All-Star teams and he was a six time Silver Slugger winner. He was an integral part of two Dayton playoff teams including the 2012 HBL Championship squad.





Franchise Leaders
Batting Average: Ash Griffin(.326)
BWAR: Ray Gray(56.6)
Home Runs: Ray Gray(266)
RBI: Joel Spurling(947)
Runs Scored: Joel Spurling(965)
Wins: Robby Pruitt(179)
ERA: Greg Edwards(3.34)
Saves: Bob Clark(198)
Innings Pitched: Robby Pruitt(2825.1)
Strike Outs: Steve Olsen(2182)

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DULUTH DANGER




Duluth Rarely a Danger!!
Much like Dayton in the South, the Duluth Danger have had a pretty rough existence as one of the original 12 Heartland Baseball League teams. Only three playoff appearances and a single Heartland Series Championship to its name amid the 18 .500 or better seasons. The first two playoff appearances came fairly early in the history of the league in 1985 and 1989, before expansion and the wildcard, but neither of those North League Championships would bring home a title. From '85~'94 the Danger finished above .500 eight times for the best stretch of baseball in its history. Steven Hembrow(two North POY Awards for Duluth), John Newsom, and Michael Young were the leaders of that era.

Following the 1989 North Championship and seven game loss to Jefferson City it took the Danger 33 years to make the playoffs again. This time it would be as an 85 win wild card team. Duluth, led by 18 game winner Paul Keller and reliever Ed Carpenter, upset a 93 win Kenosha club before defeating Canton for the 2023 Championship. It was a time when the North dominated the South winning eight consecutive Heartland Series. During the 33 year playoff dry spell there were only seven seasons of above .500 ball and the low point of the franchise, a 35 win season in 2011.



Face of the Franchise
After four years and one South Pitcher of the Year award in Dayton, SP Steven Hembrow signed a four year free agent contract with the Duluth Danger. That was prior to the 1983 season. Hembrow would go on to win two North Pitcher of the Year awards and lead the Danger to two Heartland Series appearances during his time in Duluth from 1983 to 1994. He finished his time in Duluth on top of the franchise's all time list for many pitching stats including wins(168), innings pitched(2702), and strikeouts(2179). Heading into the Heartland Baseball League's 50th season those numbers still stand as franchise best for the Danger.

Hembrow lead the Danger to two North League Championships in 1985 and 1989. It was not by chance that the two pennants coincided with Hembrow's two North Pitcher of the Year awards in which he led the North League in wins both times. The fact that Hembrow is the face of the Duluth franchise shows how bad this franchise has been since he left. He is just one of three players inducted into the Heartland Baseball League Hall of Fame as a member of the Danger(class of 1997).



Franchise Leaders
Batting Average: Santiago Gonzalez(.310)
BWAR: Mike Young(43.5)
Home Runs: Tony Simons(282)
RBI: Mike Young(898)
Runs Scored: Mike Young(1064)
Wins: Steven Hembrow(168)
ERA: John Codling(2.66)
Saves: Buddy Dunbar(287)
Innings Pitched: Steven Hembrow(2702.0)
Strike Outs: Steven Hembrow(2179)