Baseball in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Overview

The record of the Midwest League franchise in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Although Cedar Rapids waited until 1962 to join the Midwest League, the franchise traces its history to the 1891 Cedar Rapids Canaries and has won over 6,000 games over the years. After 45 MWL seasons, they're a handful of wins under the .500 mark. They've had some excellent nines, and some terrible seasons.

They've had some very fine players, too. Particularly noteworthy are the relatively recent seasons of Reggie Sanders, Steve Gibralter, and Larry Barnes.

Summary

• Midwest League seasons: 45
• Won/Lost overall: 2959/3013, .495
• Best season: 81/40, .669 (1966)
• Championship Playoffs Won: 3
• Best MWL Won/Lost Record: 3 seasons

Cedar Rapids joined the MWL in 1962 as an expansion team; they were a refugee from the collapsed Three-I League. Cedar Rapids is still represented in the Midwest League.

Seasonal Results
Other Leagues

Team Names

• Cedar Rapids Braves, 1962
• Cedar Rapids Red Raiders, 1963-64
• Cedar Rapids Cardinals, 1965-72
• Cedar Rapids Astros, 1973-74
• Cedar Rapids Giants, 1975-79
• Cedar Rapids Reds, 1980-92
• Cedar Rapids Kernels, 1993-present

Affiliations

• Milwaukee Braves, 1962
• Cincinnati Reds, 1963-64
• St. Louis Cardinals, 1965-72
• Houston Astros, 1973-74
• San Francisco Giants, 1975-79
• Cincinnati Reds, 1980-92
• California/Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels, 1993-present (PDC through 2010)

Officers, Managers, & Coaches

Ballpark

• Veterans Memorial Stadium (new 2002)
• (Old) Veterans Memorial Stadium (opened 1949; demolished 2001)

Attendance record

• 196,066 (2002)

Ballparks & Attendance

Best Seasons

• Hitter: Larry Barnes (1996) .317, 27 HR, 112 RBI
• Pitcher: Ron Hodges (1976) 1.24 ERA, 14-2 Won/Lost

Best Big League Career

• Ted Simmons (1967)

Awards

• 1968 Jack Krol (Manager of the Year)
• 1976 Wayne Cato (Most Valuable Player)
• 1976 Francis "Salty" Parker (Manager of the Year)
• 1985 Eddie Williams (Most Valuable Player)
• 1988 Marc Bombard (Manager of the Year)
• 1989 Dave Miley (Manager of the Year)
• 1990 Reggie Sanders (Most Valuable Player)
• 1992 Steve Gibralter (Most Valuable Player)
• 1996 Larry Barnes (Most Valuable Player)
• 2002 Todd Claus (Manager of the Year)

Cedar Rapids Highlights

Team Records

Hitters

• Batting: Demond Smith (1995) .341 (does not include West Michigan ABs)
• Home Runs: Jeff Jones (1982) 42
• Runs Batted In: Larry Barnes (1996) 112

Seasonal Hitting Leaders

Pitchers

• Wins: Mike Knox (1983) & Butch Henry (1988) 16
• Won/Lost (10 decisions): Floyd Henry (1988) 16-2, .889
• Earned Run Average: Ron Hodges (1976) 1.24
• Strikeouts: Ramon Ortiz (1997) 225

Seasonal Pitching Leaders

Note

This summary originated as the May 8, 1999, Midwest League Tidbit on the Midwest League Mailing List.

Sources

These pages draw heavily on several sources:

• Lloyd Johnson & Miles Wolff, eds, The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Durham: Baseball America, 1997)
• Midwest League Media Guide and Record Book (Beloit: Midwest League, various years; title varies)
• Kevin Saldana, Today in Minor League Baseball History (???: SalFam Books, 1999)
• Baseball America's Almanac (Durham: Baseball America, various years)
• News sources.

My thanks to Gary Koeppel for pointing out an error on this page.