The Cedar Rapids Kernels are a

Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

team of the

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

and the

High-A High-A, officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing, is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A and D ...

affiliate of the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

. They are located in

Cedar Rapids, Iowa Cedar Rapids is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 137,710 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Iowa, second-most populous city in Iowa. The city lies o ...

, and play their home games at Veterans Memorial Stadium. The Kernels are owned by Cedar Rapids Ball Club, Inc. (also known as Cedar Rapids Baseball Club, Inc.).

Cedar Rapids baseball history

Cedar Rapids Cedar Rapids is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in u ...

first began play in 1890 and have played 110 seasons through 2015. The franchise has been a member of various leagues preceding the Midwest League. They have been a member of the

Central Association The Central Association was an American minor league baseball league. The Central Association began play in 1908, evolving from the 1907 Iowa State League. The Central Association played continuously through 1917 before folding. The league reforme ...

(1949), Western League (1934–1937),

Mississippi Valley League The Mississippi Valley League (MVL) was a baseball Class D level minor league that operated from 1922 through 1933. Playing its last year as a Class B level league, the league franchises were based in Iowa and Illinois. Like many leagues at the ...

(1922–1932),

(1913–1917),

Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League The Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League was a Class B level Minor League Baseball organization that operated for the better part of 60 seasons, with teams based in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymo ...

(1901–1909, 1920–1921, 1938–1942, 1950–1961),

Western Association The Western Association was the name of five different leagues formed in American minor league baseball during the 19th and 20th centuries. The oldest league, originally established as the Northwestern League in 1883, was refounded as the Wester ...

(1896–1899), Eastern Iowa League (1895) and the

Illinois–Iowa League The Illinois–Iowa League was a Minor league baseball league which operated in Illinois, Iowa and Indiana from 1890 to 1892. History The Illinois–Iowa League began play in 1890 and was nicknamed as the "Two I League". The Aurora Hoodoos, Ced ...

(1890–1891). The team also had numerous nicknames prior to joining the Midwest League: Cedar Rapids Braves (1958–1962), Cedar Rapids Raiders (1953–1957), Cedar Rapids Indians (1950–1952), Cedar Rapids Rockets (1949), Cedar Rapids Raiders (1934–1942), Cedar Rapids Red Raiders (1963–1964), Cedar Rapids Bunnies (1904–1932), Cedar Rapids Rabbits (1896–1903) and Cedar Rapids Canaries (1890–1891). When Cedar Rapids was awarded a Midwest League franchise in 1962, the franchise switched back to the Red Raiders (1962–1964) nickname. Subsequently, the team used the name of the major league franchise it affiliated with: the

Cardinals Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

(1965–1972), the

Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

(1973–1974), the

Giants A giant is a being of human appearance, sometimes of prodigious size and strength, common in folklore. Giant(s) or The Giant(s) may also refer to: Mythology and religion *Giants (Greek mythology) * Jötunn, a Germanic term often translated as 'g ...

(1975–1979), and the

Reds Reds may refer to: General * Red (political adjective), supporters of Communism or socialism * ''Reds'' (film), a 1981 American film starring and directed by Warren Beatty * Reds (January Uprising), a faction of the Polish insurrectionists duri ...

(1980–1992). The team adopted the current "Kernels" nickname before the 1993 season. On the field, the franchise won Midwest League championships in 1988, 1992, 1994, and 2023. In conjunction with

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Kernels were organized into the

High-A Central The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizati ...

. In 2022, the High-A Central became known as the Midwest League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization.

Ballpark

The team's first home ballpark was Belden Hill Park, followed by the original Veterans Memorial Stadium, which opened in 1949. In August 2000 voters approved a referendum to build a new ballpark adjacent to the old one, which was demolished after the 2001 season. The new Veterans Memorial Stadium was completed in time for the opening of the 2002 season, and the Kernels set a franchise attendance record of 196,066 in the new park's inaugural year.

Roster

Notable alumni

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United S ...

alumni *

Lou Boudreau Louis Boudreau (July 17, 1917 – August 10, 2001), nicknamed "Old Shufflefoot", "Handsome Lou", and "the Good Kid", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 15 seasons, primarily as a ...

(1938) Inducted, (1970) *

Trevor Hoffman Trevor William Hoffman (born October 13, 1967) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 18 years in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1993 to 2010. A long-time closer, he pitched for the Florida Marlins, San Diego Padres, ...

(1991) Inducted, (2018) *

John McGraw John Joseph McGraw (April 7, 1873 – February 25, 1934) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player and manager (baseball), manager who was for almost thirty years manager of the New York Giants (NL), New York Giants. He was also the ...

(1891) Inducted, (1937) *

Ted Simmons Ted Lyle Simmons (born August 9, 1949), nicknamed "Simba", is an American former professional baseball player and coach. A switch-hitter, Simmons was a catcher for most of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the St. Louis Cardinals (1 ...

(1967) Inducted, (2020) Notable alumni * Barney Pelty (1903) *

Bill Wambsganss Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak P ...

(1913) *

Bill Zuber William Henry Zuber (March 26, 1913 – November 2, 1982) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He had an 11-year Major League Baseball career between 1936 and 1947. He pitched his entire career in the American League with the Cleveland ...

(1932) *

Allie Reynolds Allie Pierce Reynolds (February 10, 1917 – December 26, 1994) was an American professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). Reynolds pitched in MLB for the Cleveland Indians (1942–1946) and New York Yankees (1947–1954 ...

(1940–41) 5 x MLB All-Star; 1952 AL ERA Leader *

Rocky Colavito Rocco Domenico "Rocky" Colavito Jr. (August 10, 1933 – December 10, 2024) was an American professional baseball player, coach, and television sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from 1955 to 1968, most prom ...

(1952) 6 x MLB All-Star; 1959 AL Home Run Leader; 1965 AL RBI Leader *

John Roseboro John Junior Roseboro (May 13, 1933 – August 16, 2002) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1957 until 1970, most prominently as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. A four ...

(1955) 4 x MLB All-Star *

Denis Menke Denis John Menke (July 21, 1940 – December 1, 2020) was an American professional baseball infielder and coach. He played all or parts of 13 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1962 to 1974. He played for the Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves (1962� ...

(1958–59) 2 x MLB All-Star *

Tony Cloninger Tony Lee Cloninger (August 13, 1940 – July 24, 2018) was an American professional baseball player and Coach (baseball), coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from through for the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee / Atla ...

(1959) *

Tommie Aaron Tommie Lee Aaron (August 5, 1939 – August 16, 1984) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played as a first baseman and left fielder in Major League Baseball. Aaron was the younger brother of Hall of Fame member Hank Aa ...

(1960) *

Ron Hunt Ronald Kenneth (Ron) Hunt (born February 23, 1941) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1963 to 1974 for the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Mon ...

(1960–61) 2 x MLB All-Star *

Nate Colbert Nathan Colbert Jr. (April 9, 1946 – January 5, 2023) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a first baseman from 1966 to 1976, most prominently as a member of the newly formed San Diego Padre ...

(1965) 3 x MLB All-Star * Pedro Borbon (1966) * Jerry Reuss (1967) 2 x MLB All-Star *

Ken Reitz Kenneth John Reitz (June 24, 1951March 31, 2021) was an American baseball third baseman who played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed "Zamboni", he played for the St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, and Pit ...

(1969) GG; MLB All-Star *

Bob Forsch Robert Herbert Forsch (January 13, 1950 – November 3, 2011) was an American professional baseball player who spent most of his sixteen years in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the St. Louis Cardinals (1974–1988) before finishing his pl ...

(1970) *

Jerry Mumphrey Jerry Wayne Mumphrey (born September 9, 1952) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals (1974–79), San Diego Padres (1980), New York Yankees (1981–83), Houston Astro ...

(1972) MLB All-Star *

Larry Herndon Larry Darnell Herndon (born November 3, 1953), sometimes referred to by the nickname "Hondo", is an American former baseball outfielder and hitting coach. He played in Major League Baseball in 1974 and from 1976 to 1988. Born in Mississippi and ...

(1972) * Joe Sambito (1974) MLB All-Star *

Bob Brenly Robert Earl Brenly (born February 25, 1954) is an American baseball sportscaster and a former professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played the majority of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career as a catcher with the San Francisco ...

(1977) MLB All-Star; MGR: 2001 World Series Champions – Arizona Diamondbacks *

Chili Davis Charles Theodore "Chili" Davis (born January 17, 1960) is a Jamaican-American former professional baseball player. He played as an outfielder and designated hitter from to for the San Francisco Giants (1981–1987), California Angels (1988–19 ...

(1978) 3 x MLB All-Star *

Rob Deer Robert George Deer (born September 29, 1960) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. Early life Deer attended Canyon High School in Anaheim and Fresno City College. During his tenure with the Milwaukee Brewers, he worked for hi ...

(1979) * Eric Davis (1982) 2 x MLB All-Star * Paul O'Neill (1982) 5 x MLB All-Star *

Chris Sabo Christopher Andrew Sabo (born January 19, 1962) is an American former third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, and St. Louis Cardinals between 1988 and 1996. He was the head ...

(1983) 3 x MLB AS; 1988 NL Rookie of the Year *

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(1984) MLB All-Star *

Rob Dibble Robert Keith Dibble (born January 24, 1964) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher and television analyst. Between 1988 and 1995, Dibble played for the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox and Milwaukee Brewers. He was a two-time ...

(1985) 2 x MLB All-Star *

Reggie Sanders Reginald Laverne Sanders (born December 1, 1967) is an American former right fielder in Major League Baseball. He batted and threw right-handed. He played professionally with the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Atlanta ...

(1990) MLB All-Star *

Bengie Molina Benjamin José Molina (born July 20, 1974), nicknamed "Big Money", is a Puerto Rican former Major League Baseball (MLB) catcher. He played for the Anaheim Angels / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (1998–2005), Toronto Blue Jays (2006), San Fran ...

(1994–95) *

Jason Dickson Jason Royce Dickson (born March 30, 1973) is a Canadian former professional baseball pitcher. Dickson is a graduate of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College. He played for the Somerset Patriots and was drafted by the California Angels in the 6th ...

(1995) MLB All-Star *

Jarrod Washburn Jarrod Michael Washburn (born August 13, 1974) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Seattle Mariners, and Detroit Tigers over the course of a 12–year Major League Baseball (MLB) c ...

(1995) * Ramón Ortiz (1997) * Ken Hill (1998) MLB All-Star *

John Lackey John Derran Lackey (born October 23, 1978) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 2002 through 2017 for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals and Ch ...

(2000) MLB All-Star; 2007 AL ERA Leader *

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(2001) 2 x MLB All-Star *

Mike Napoli Michael Anthony Napoli (born October 31, 1981) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and catcher who is currently serving as a staff assistant for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was selected in the 1 ...

(2001–02) MLB All-Star *

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(2002) 2 x MLB All-Star *

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(2002) *

Jeff Mathis Jeffrey Stephen Mathis (born March 31, 1983) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Toronto Blue Jays, Miami Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Range ...

(2002) *

Joel Peralta Joel Peralta Gutiérrez (; ; born March 23, 1976) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Kansas City Royals, Colorado Rockies, Washington Nationals, Ta ...

(2002) *

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(2002) MLB All-Star *

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(2003) *

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(2003) MLB All-Star * Howie Kendrick (2004) MLB All-Star; 2019 World Series Champion – Washington Nationals *

Sean Rodriguez Sean John Rodriguez (born April 26, 1985) is an American former professional baseball utility player who currently serves as a player development instructor for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the L ...

(2004) *

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(2004–05) * Miguel González (2005) *

Nick Adenhart Nicholas James Adenhart (August 24, 1986 – April 9, 2009) was an American right-handed baseball starting pitcher who played parts of two seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. In just four career games, Ad ...

(2006) Died Age 22 *

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(2006) MLB All-Star *

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(2006–07) MLB All-Star * Jordan Walden (2008) MLB All-Star *

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(2009–10) 8 x MLB All-Star; 2012 AL Rookie of the Year; 3 x AL Most Valuable Player (2014, 2016, 2019) * Garrett Richards (2010) *

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(2010) MLB All-Star *

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(2010) 2 x MLB All-Star; 2019 World Series Champion – Washington Nationals *

Mike Clevinger Michael Anthony Clevinger (born December 21, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Chicago White Sox organization. He has previously played in MLB for the Cleveland Indians and San Diego Padres. Clevinger made his MLB debut in ...

(2012) *

Byron Buxton Byron Keiron Buxton (born December 18, 1993) is an American professional baseball center fielder and designated hitter for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). Buxton was considered by some baseball analysts to be the most talent ...

(2013) *

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(2014) 6 x MLB All-Star; 3 x AL Batting Title (2006, 2008, 2009); 2009 AL Most Valuable Player; MLB Hall of Fame *

Ricky Nolasco Carlos Enrique Nolasco (born December 13, 1982) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida/Miami Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, and Los Angeles Angels. He is of ...

(2015)

References

Sources

* Dinda, Joel (2003),
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in the Midwest League
* Koolbeck, Mike, "History of Cedar Rapids Professional Baseball", published in the ''Cedar Rapids Kernels Souvenir Program'', 2001

External links