As a Chicago Cubs farmhand, Maddux made his Midwest League All-Star appearance in 1985. Perhaps the best control pitcher of all-time, Maddux has won four Cy Young awards, appeared in eight MLB All-Star Games and last year won his 17th Gold Glove (the all-time record for any position). Maddux is the only pitcher in MLB history to win 15 games in 17 consecutive seasons. He currently sits in ninth place on baseball’s all-time wins list at 347 career victories, only seven behind Roger Clemens. 

 

At the age of 18, “A-Rod” made his Midwest League All-Star appearance starting at shortstop as a member of the Appleton Foxes, now known as the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Arguably the best player in baseball, Rodriguez became the youngest member of the 500 Home Run Club.  A-Rod delivered another monster season in New York in ’08, hitting .314 with a MLB-leading 54 home runs and 156 RBI.

 

Cabrera’s Midwest League numbers don’t stand out at first glance: .274-7-66 in 110 games. But considering he did it at the age of 19 speaks volumes to his talent from the beginning. One of baseball’s best young players, Cabrera has established himself among the league’s elite hitters after posting his fourth straight 100-RBI season with the Florida Marlins. Turning 25-years-old this April, Cabrera plays third base for the Detroit Tigers after being the centerpiece of an eight-player blockbuster trade in December.

 

Once a Houston Astros farmhand, Santana made his Midwest League All-Star appearance in 1999 out of the bullpen. The next season, Santana would be acquired in the Rule 5 Draft by the Minnesota Twins. Arguably baseball’s best pitcher, Santana has won two Cy Young awards and has struck out at least 235 batters his each of his last four seasons. This season, the power lefthander moves to the National League as a member of the New York Mets following a January trade.

 

Pujols tore apart the Midwest League in his only season hitting .321 with 17 home runs and 84 RBIs in only 104 games before being promoted. The superstar played only 24 more games in Minor League baseball before moving up to St. Louis in 2001, where he garnered NL Rookie of the Year honors. The former 2005 NL MVP helped the Cardinals win the 2006 World Series.

 

Guillen made his Midwest League All-Star appearance as the starting shortstop for the West team. Guillen broke into the big leagues in 1998 with the Seattle Mariners after being part of the Randy Johnson to Houston trade.  Last season with the Tigers was a career-best for the native of Venezuela, where he hit .302 with 21 home runs and 102 RBIs. As a result of the Tigers acquiring Edgar Renteria during the offseason, Guillen will make a position switch this year from shortstop to first base. 

 

Morneau’s stop in the Midwest was short but sweet as the Canadian-born first basemen hit a whopping .356 with 12 home runs and 53 RBIs in just 64 games. In 2006, Morneau broke out for the Minnesota Twins hitting .321 with 34 home runs and driving in 130 runs, good enough to make him the 2006 AL MVP. Even more surprising, Morneau did not make the AL All-Star team that season.

 

One of the baseball premier power hitters, Prince’s 2003 season was one of the best statistical seasons in recent Midwest League history. The left-handed first baseman hit .313 with 27 home runs and 112 RBIs. The son of former Detroit Tigers first baseman Cecil Fielder belted a career-high 50 home runs and knocked in 119 runs in 2007. 

 

Armed with one of the most exciting wind-ups in Major League Baseball, Willis made his MWL All-Star appearance as a member of Kane County in 2002. Willis broke into the big leagues by winning the NL Rookie of the Year award in the Marlins’ championship season of 2003. The durable southpaw has pitched nearly 200 innings in four straight seasons. This year, Willis joins the Detroit Tigers after a December mega-deal that saw he and fellow star Miguel Cabrera come to the Motor City for six prospects.

 

One of the top pitchers in the game, Peavy went 13-8 with a 2.90 ERA as a member of the Fort Wayne Wizards in 2000. The right-hander struck out 166 batters in a mere 133 2/3 innings that season. In 2007, Peavy led Major League Baseball in strikeouts (240) for the second time and picked up his first NL Cy Young award.  

 

As the first pick in the 2001 draft, Mauer had lofty expectations after the Twins passed on coveted pitcher Mark Prior. Now, it looks like the Twins made the right choice. Mauer had a decent 2002 season with the River Bandits, hitting .303 with four home runs and 62 RBIs in 110 games. Surprisingly, Mauer was not the starting catcher in the game, with the nod going to current Angels catcher Jeff Mathis instead. Mauer has gone on to great success with Minnesota, winning the 2006 won the AL batting title.