Watch the 3 Iowa minor league baseball teams in 2024

Modern Woodmen Park in Davenport, where the High-A Quad Cities River Bandits play. (Courtesy Quad Cities River Bandits)

By Amie Rivers

June 17, 2024

Watch an Iowa minor league baseball team in a city near you.

Baseball season is upon us, and while Iowa has no Major League Baseball (MLB) teams in residence (unless it’s the day they’re playing at the Field of Dreams), we’ve got three minor league baseball (MiLB) teams to watch—all unionized since 2023!

Check out the baseball talent right here in the Hawkeye State this spring and summer—and you can say you saw them before they were famous.

Triple-A: Iowa Cubs (Des Moines)

Principal Park in Des Moines. (Dylan Heuer/Iowa Cubs)

Affiliation: Chicago Cubs

League: International League West

Home Opener: Friday, March 29, 2024

Address: Principal Park, One Line Drive, Des Moines

Tickets: $10-$50

The Iowa Cubs, or I-Cubs, are Iowa’s only Triple-A team, and a direct feeder to the 2016 World Series champions Chicago Cubs.

Principal Park, home of the I-Cubs, sits at the confluence of the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers to provide a pleasurable baseball-viewing experience. Looking out past center field, the golden dome of the Iowa State Capitol glimmers in the sun or moonlight—a romantic view for lovers of baseball and state politics.

Stream on the MLB At-Bat app or on MLB TV.

Schedule: Here’s the 2024 schedule.

High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels

Veterans Memorial Stadium, Cedar Rapids Kernels

Veterans Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids, where the Cedar Rapids Kernels play. (Courtesy Cedar Rapids Kernels)

Affiliation: Minnesota Twins

League: Midwest League West

Home Opener: Friday, April 5, 2024

Address: Rise 2 Greatness Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium, 950 Rockford Road S.W., Cedar Rapids

Tickets: $12-$18

Cedar Rapids has had a professional baseball team as far back as 1890, when they were called the Canaries. Since that time, the Kernels can boast two National Baseball Hall of Fame players have played in the eastern Iowa city—John McGraw and Lou Boudreau.

They may have dropped from their former Double-A years, but the Kernels still seem to make the Midwest League playoffs pretty consistently.

Stream on the MLB At-Bat app or on MLB TV.

Schedule: Here’s the 2024 schedule.

High-A: Quad Cities River Bandits (Davenport)

Modern Woodmen Park, Davenport, Quad Cities River Bandits

Modern Woodmen Park in Davenport, where the High-A Quad Cities River Bandits play. (Courtesy Quad Cities River Bandits)

Affiliation: Kansas City Royals

League: Midwest League West

Home Opener: Friday, April 5, 2024

Address: Modern Woodmen Park, 209 S. Gaines St., Davenport

Tickets: $7.50-$17

Modern Woodmen Park, the fourth-oldest ballpark in the minor leagues (built in 1931), lies on the banks of the Mississippi River, providing a perfect view of the river and the Centennial Bridge.

In addition to baseball, this park also has amusement park rides, with a Ferris wheel overlooking the ballpark and the Mississippi River.

Stream on the MLB At-Bat app or on MLB TV.

Schedule: Here’s the 2024 schedule.

Amie Rivers

Amie Rivers is Starting Line's community editor, labor reporter and newsletter snarker-in-chief. Previously, she was an award-winning journalist at the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier; now, she very much enjoys making TikToks and memes. Send all story tips and pet photos to [email protected] and sign up for our newsletter here.

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