KC Royals Farm Futures: Prospects could force outfield discussion

Even if you are not familiar with a new Class A team of the KC Royals, you have probably heard of one of their alums.

Former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL quarterback Tim Tebow played with the Columbia Fireflies back in 2017. The team was part of the New York Mets organization then and while he did not put up spectacular numbers, he offered a great opportunity to draw attention to the team.

Serga Park is where the Fireflies call home and it can seat just over 9,000 fans. One transition they have made since the COVID-19 outbreak is they are a cashless park to limit the number of potential touchpoints for the spread of the virus.

Portions of their uniform also glow in the dark in a nod to their name.

Before the Mets moved their Single A affiliate to Columbia, the city had been without a minor league team since 2004. The last time the Royals had a professional connection in South Carolina, they had not yet won their first World Series.

Will new Eastern Iowa fans have a new favorite MLB team?

A few hours closer than Kansas City’s previous High A team, the Lexington Legends, the border town of Davenport, Iowa will now see Royals prospects. While on the eastern side of the state, many fans may not be as connected to Kansas City as those near Nebraska and Missouri, but Davenport will still have the Midwestern appeal for many KC fans.

In pure Iowa style, there is a cornfield down the left field line that players emerge from when introduced—a nod to the Field of Dreams movie. This is one of many great things about the Modern Woodman Ballpark the Quad Cities River Bandits call home.

The park’s capacity is just over 4,000 and it’s built along the banks of the Mississippi River; some blasts to right field actually make it to the water. I know this park will be high on my list of stadiums to visit soon.