Midwest League playoff preview

Kane County rolled to the Midwest League championship last season as a Chicago Cubs affiliate. This season, the Cougars are part of the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, but the winning ways haven't changed.

Owning an 84-54 record and champions of the West Division in the second half, Kane County will be gunning for a repeat in the Midwest League when playoff action starts Wednesday.

Quad Cities owned the best overall record in the Midwest League this season and won the West Division first-half crown. River Bandits manager Josh Bonifay said his crew is excited for playoff action and understands its benefits.

"When you can play bonus baseball, it brings a heightened awareness to each individual," Bonifay said. "There's a sense of pressure that obviously is not in the regular season. It's either win or go home. There's a heightened sense of, 'I have to get the job done.' Our guys believe in preparing for the moment, and once the moment gets there, they believe they've prepared better than anybody else. They enjoy working and come to the ballpark ready to go."

Quad Cities River Bandits (88-50, West Division first-half champion) vs.
Cedar Rapids Kernels (77-63, West Division Wild Card)

Quad Cities won the season series, 9-4

Game 1 at Cedar Rapids, Sept. 9 at 7:35 p.m. ET
Game 2 at Quad Cities, Sept. 10 at 8 p.m. ET
Game 3 at Quad Cities (if necessary), Sept. 11 at 8 p.m. ET

Quad Cities racked up an 88-50 overall record, bettered in franchise history only by a 91-46 mark set in 1992. This season's River Bandits thrived despite a revolving door in the clubhouse. Quad Cities had a franchise-record 61 players see game action in 2015, the most of any Astros affiliate.

"The turnover isn't that big of a deal, because the organization does things from top to bottom, and we're all on board," Bonifay said. "You won't see that big of a difference from level to level when players come in, because of all the preparation that's taken place at the lower levels. It's a tribute to the kids and how they work and how they prepare, how they go about their business."

Dean Deetz, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound right-hander who was an 11th-round pick in 2014, went 5-1 and brings a scoreless streak of 21 1/3 innings into the playoffs.

Third baseman Nick Tanielu, a 14th-round pick in 2014, finished fifth in the Midwest League in hitting (.308).

Cedar Rapids' Brian Navarreto, a top defensive catcher who threw out 57 percent of would-be basestrealers this season, was hit by a pitch in the season finale Monday, and the Kernels have not yet made an announcement regarding his status for the playoffs.

Kane County Cougars (84-54, West Division second-half champion) vs.
Peoria Chiefs (75-63, West Division Wild Card)

Kane County won the season series, 9-7

Game 1 at Peoria, Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Game 2 at Kane County, Sept. 10 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Game 3 at Kane County (if necessary), Sept. 11 at 7:30 p.m. ET

Kane County's 48 wins in the second half set a franchise record on the strength of four of the league's top six hitters: Ildemaro Vargas (.321, 1st), Victor Reyes (.311, 3rd), Colin Bray (.308, 4th) and Marty Herum (.303, 6th).

Manager Mark Grudzielanek loves the opportunity that his players have to gain postseason experience.

"I think playoff experience is right up there with everything else you believe in in your organization, the winning side, the development side of it," Grudzielanek said. "The playoffs matter to these guys. They're playing for something. It's a great experience, and it's a lot of fun. There's no question playoffs are a big part of development. You want to have that winning feeling at every level."

Peoria's Darren Seferina finished seventh in the league in batting (.295) and first with 12 triples. Oscar Mercado added speed to the Chiefs' attack, leading the league with 50 stolen bases.

Austin Gomber was Peoria's ace in the regular season, leading the league with 15 wins and 140 strikeouts. Teammate Matt Pearce led the league with a 2.43 ERA.

Fort Wayne TinCaps (77-61, East Division second-half champion) vs.
West Michigan Whitecaps (75-64, East Division Wild Card)

Fort Wayne won the season series, 9-7

Game 1 at West Michigan, Sept. 9 at 6:35 ET
Game 2 at Fort Wayne, Sept. 10 at 7:05 p.m. ET
Game 3 at Fort Wayne (if necessary), Sept. 11 at 7:05 p.m. ET

Fort Wayne tuned up for the playoffs by crushing Bowling Green, 17-0, in the regular-season finale Monday.

Thomas Dorminy, a six-foot, 190-pound left-hander, led the TinCaps with an 11-7 record and a 2.94 ERA. Ernesto Montas, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound right-hander, was 12-7 with a 3.50 ERA. Colby Blueberg, a six-foot, 185-pound righty, has racked up 21 saves for Fort Wayne.

"Our pitching staff has been unbelievable, especially our bullpen," manager Francisco Morales said. "The bullpen has been tremendous.

"Our whole team picks each other up," Morales continued. "If it's not the offense one day, it's the pitching. They hold each other accountable, and they pull for each other. When you have nine guys pulling in the same direction, you're going to have some success.

"It's a great feeling to see this team grow every day, getting better as individuals, getting better as a team. It's been rewarding for the coaching staff to see that."

Fort Wayne catcher Jose Ruiz has thrown out 52 would-be base stealers this season, tops in the league.

West Michigan outfielder Christin Stewart, the Tigers' top pick in 2015, is hitting .285 with 10 homers and 44 RBIs in 71 games. Right fielder Mike Gerber has led the Whitecaps in batting most of the season, ending the regular season hitting .295 to go along with 13 homers and 76 RBIs.

Lansing Lugnuts (73-66, East Division first-half champion) vs.
Great Lakes Loons (68-69 East Division Wild Card)

Great Lakes won the season series, 9-7

Game 1 at Great Lakes, Sept. 9 at 7:05 p.m. ET
Game 2 at Lansing, Sept. 10 at 7:05 p.m. ET
Game 3 at Lansing (if necessary), Sept. 11 at 7:05 p.m. ET

Lansing boasts the Midwest League MVP, first baseman Ryan McBroom. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound McBroom finished second in the league in hitting at .315 and belted 12 homers (ninth).

A 15th-round pick by the Blue Jays in 2014, McBroom was second in the league in slugging percentage (.482), second in RBIs (90), first in doubles (39) and first in on-base percentage (.387). He also won the Midwest League Home Run Derby and went 6-for-6 in a 13-inning game against Dayton.

Lansing's Shane Dawson went 12-4 with a 3.01 ERA this season, striking out 98 and walking 24. Jose Fernandez leads the Lugnuts with 12 saves.

Great Lakes has undergone significant turnover this season. The Loons have had 67 different players see action, compared to 42 players last season. Only eight of the players on the 2015 Opening Day roster are still with the Loons.

Justin Chigbogu, a fourth-round pick by the Dodgers in 2012, has been a power source for the Loons. The 6-foot-1, 240-pound slugger leads the team with 13 homers and 51 RBIs.

Grant Holmes, a first-round pick by the Dodgers in 2014, owns a 6-4 record for Great Lakes with a 3.14 ERA. He has struck out a team-high 117 batters while walking 54 in 103 1/3 innings.

In brief

Record setters: Quad Cities finished with a 2.65 team ERA, which not only led the Midwest League but was also the lowest by an Astros' domestic team (Majors or Minors) since the 1970 Columbus Astros of the Southern League compiled a 2.57 mark. The last time Quad Cities led the Midwest League in ERA was in 1995, when the club had a 3.19 ERA. The River Bandits used 37 pitchers this season (20 starters).

Big Chiefs: Peoria's pitching staff set a franchise strikeout record with 1,148 whiffs, breaking the record of 1,146 set last season. The Chiefs' staff finished first in the Midwest League in strikeouts and second in shutouts with 15.