There’s nothing better than catching a baseball game in the summertime.
But if you’re only catching the minor league Iowa teams, you’re missing out on some great talent: The smaller teams, many of them summer collegiate leagues, have also seen lots of former players go on to the Majors—so it’s quite possible you’ll be seeing future stars!
Score affordable tickets for the whole family (with probably a shorter drive) at one of these great summer teams:
Burlington Bees
League: Prospect League
Home Opener: Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Stadium: Community Field, 2712 Mt. Pleasant St., Burlington
Tickets: $6-$10
The oldest team on this list got started way back in 1889 as the Burlington Babies, going through several name changes before finally settling on the Bees in 1954. They’ve been affiliated with 14 different MLB teams and sent plenty on up to Major League Baseball, including Hall of Famers Paul Molitor, Billy Williams, Amos Rusie and Larry Walker.
Stream games on ProspectLeague.TV.
Find their full schedule here.
Carroll Merchants
League: MINK League
Home Opener: Monday, May 29, 2023
Stadium: Merchants Park, 801 Vine Street, Carroll
The Carroll Merchants began in 1932 as the Firemen and moved into their current stadium in 1949. The team has had several names over the years, including the Ramblers, the Warriors, the Indians, the Classics and the Vikings.
The team has also played in various semi-pro and amateur leagues over the decades, and was just added to the MINK League last year.
Stream games on MINK League TV.
Find their full schedule here.
Clarinda A’s
League: MINK League
Home Opener: Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Stadium: Municipal Stadium, S Fourth St. and E Grant, Clarinda
The Clarinda A’s got started as the Merchants in 1955, and have sent several players on to the major leagues since that time. Von Hays played for Clarinda from 1978-79, then went on to play Major League ball for Cleveland, Philadelphia and Los Angeles from 1981-1991.
Hall of Famer and 13-time Gold Glover Ozzie Smith played with the A’s from 1975-1976, then for San Diego and St. Louis, but hasn’t forgotten his roots—Smith regularly returns to Clarinda for special events.
Stream games on MINK League TV.
Find their full schedule here.
Clinton LumberKings
League: Prospect League
Home Opener: Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Stadium: NelsonCorp Field, 537 Ballpark Drive, Clinton
Tickets: $7-$11
The LumberKings are the second-oldest team on this list, dating back to 1937. In years past, they have been affiliated with 16 different MLB teams, sending more than 280 players to the big leagues over that time.
Stream games on ProspectLeague.TV.
Find their full schedule here.
Des Moines Peak Prospects (Indianola)
League: MINK League
Home Opener: Monday, June 5, 2023
Stadium: McBride Field, 701 North C Street, Indianola
This team is by far the newest, only getting started in 2020. The team is backed by Peak Performance in Urbandale, which also backs the Iowa Gold Prospects 18U girls’ fast-pitch teams.
Stream games on MINK League TV.
Find their full schedule here.
Sioux City Explorers
League: American Association of Professional Baseball
Opening Day: Friday, May 12, 2023
Stadium: Lewis and Clark Park, 3400 Line Drive, Sioux City
Tickets: $8-$16
The Explorers have had 25 players make it to the Major Leagues since 2006, including Chris Grossman and John Nogowski of the St. Louis Cardinals, Ryan Kalish of the Chicago Cubs, and Tayler Scott of the Milwaukee Brewers.
You can stream games on the American Association Baseball TV app for $14.99 per month, which includes playoff games.
Find their full schedule here.
Waterloo Bucks
League: Northwoods League
Opening Day: Monday, May 29, 2023
Stadium: Riverfront Stadium, 850 Park Road, Waterloo
Tickets: $10-$15
The Bucks have sent 22 (and counting) players to the MLB after starting their careers there, including Wes Obermueller and Eric Stout of the Kansas City Royals, Jimmy Journell of the St. Louis Cardinals, and Dane Dunning of the Chicago White Sox.
Stream games on the Northwoods League app for free, with some games (and the entire playoffs) streamed on ESPN+.
Find their full schedule here.
by Amie Rivers
4/10/23
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