The Ultimate Guide to the Kansas City Royals Minor League Affiliates

Have you wondered where the Royals' minor league teams play? Who are their coaches? Where can you find their schedule and rosters? We have the guide for you.

At Royals Keep, we would like to become a top site for Royals information, as well as for Royals minor league teams and prospects. As we grow, we will continue to grow our minor league coverage.  

In 2021, a new minor league alignment brought several changes across baseball. Some minor-league teams were shut down. Others were a

List Of Royals Affiliate Teams (click to jump to section)

• Omaha Storm Chasers - AAA
• Northwest Arkansas Travelers - AA
• Quad Cities River Bandits - High A
• Columbia Fireflies - Low A
• Arizona Complex League Royals (Peoria)
• Dominican Summer League Royals (Boca Chica)

Upon agreement, the Royals (and all other clubs) signed 10-year Player Development Agreements. Here are the Royals' affiliates, where they play, their schedules, and where you can order tickets. 

Triple A: Omaha Storm Chasers

League: International League (West Division)
Stadium: Werner Park (Capacity: 6,434 fixed seats (total capacity of 9,023 including berm and standing room only)
12356 Ballpark Way
Papillion, NE  68046
Tickets: (402) 734-2550
Website: https://www.milb.com/omaha 

How long have they been the affiliate? There has been professional baseball in Omaha going back nearly 150 years. 

The Omaha Royals began in 1969. They played in the Triple-A American Association as the Royals' affiliate. The Royals needed a Triple-A affiliate that year because they were one of four MLB Expansion teams. The other new teams that season were the Montreal Expos, San Diego Padres, and the Seattle Pilots. 

Omaha played its game in the legendary Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium.  

In 1997, the American Association disbanded. Its teams are split between the International League and the Pacific League. Omaha played in the Pacific Coast League from 1998 through 2020. 

During the minor league restructuring before the 2021 season, Omaha remained with the Royals. 

From 1969 through 2010, the team was called the Omaha Royals. However, in 1998, they began considering a new team name. Fans and the team voted to rebrand as the Omaha Golden Spikes in 1999. While the best amateur player in the country is named the Golden Spikes Award winner, the team name wasn’t baseball-related. The first transcontinental railroad was completed in 1969 in Promontory Summit, Utah. That is where a golden spike was driven into the ground —the final spike that connected the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. It was meant to honor the railroad tradition in Omaha, which was the headquarters of Union Pacific. In 2001, Union Pacific sold its 50-percent share of the team. Soon after, the team returned to being the Omaha Royals.  

In 2011, the team moved out of Rosenblatt Stadium (home of the College World Series) and into Werner Park, a new $26 million stadium. They also decided to rebrand the team again. This time, the Storm Chasers' name appears to have stuck. Fifteen seasons later, that is still the name. In 2021, with the minor league realignment, Omaha was moved to the International League. 

Did you know? Warren Buffett was a minority owner of the team from 1991 to 2012

2025 Coaching Staff
Manager: Mike Jirschele (retired after the 2025 season after 48 years in professional baseball and 38 years in the Royals organization.)

Hitting Coach: Bijan Rademacher
Assistant Hitting Coach: Darin Everson
Pitching Coach: Dane Johnson 
Assistant Pitching Coach: David Lundquist
First Base Coach: Pat Osborn 

Radio Voice: Nick Badders    

2025 Omaha Storm Chasers Roster
Omaha Storm Chasers Schedule 

Double A: Northwest Arkansas Naturals

League: Texas League (North Division) 
Stadium: Arvest Ballpark (Capacity: 6,500, max capacity 7,800)
3000 Gene George Blvd,
Springdale, Arkansas  72762
Tickets: (479) 927-4900
Website: https://www.milb.com/northwest-arkansas   

How long have they been the affiliate? In 1987, the Wichita Wranglers became the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. From 1995 through 2007, the Wranglers were the affiliate of the Royals. Bob Rich Jr owned the Wranglers, but they were seeing low attendance in Wichita. In 2006, he reached out to Springdale, Arkansas, hoping to move his club there, but only if they got financing for a new stadium. A one-cent sales tax to help raise $50 million for the stadium passed in a close vote. Ultimately, it cost $33 million to build Arvest Ballpark, and the other $17 million went toward road and infrastructure improvements. 

There were a couple of potentially strong names for the new club in the new city and state. For instance, in an online fan poll, the #2 choice was the “Thunder Chickens.” That makes sense, as Springdale is home to Tyson Foods. In fact, each season, the team plays one game as the Thunder Chickens. 

Back in 1983, Rich bought the Buffalo Bisons for $100,000. Soon after, Hollywood came calling and asked Rich about filming scenes for The Natural at Buffalo’s War Memorial Stadium. When the movie came out, attendance at the stadium nearly tripled for several years. The top choice by the fans was the “Naturals.”  

Fortunately, with the 2021 minor league realignment, the Royals' relationship with Springdale remained. 

2025 Coaching Staff
Manager: Brooks Conrad
Pitching Coach: Larry Carter
Assistant Pitching Coach: Sam Eades
Hitting Coach: Andy LaRoche
Assisting Hitting Coach: Chris Corbett
Coach: Kevin Kuntz 

Radio Voice: Shawn Murnin    

2025 Northwest Arkansas Naturals Roster
San Antonio Missions Schedule 

High A: Quad Cities River Bandits

League: Midwest League (East Division) 
Stadium: Modern Woodmen Park  (Capacity: 8,500)
209 South Gaines St.
Davenport, IA  52802
Tickets: (563) 324-3000
Website: https://www.milb.com/quad-cities/    

Trivia: Without looking, can you name the four cities that comprise this Quad Cities locale? (Answers below)

How long have they been the affiliate? Baseball has played a huge role in the Midwest, and in the Quad Cities area, there have been professional teams going back to 1879. There were several team names and league names. In 1901, the “Three-I League” started with teams from Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa. Over time, teams began working as affiliates for the big-league clubs. Starting in 1936, Davenport was an affiliate of the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1946, they joined with the Cubs organization. In 1948, they became an affiliate of the Pirates. They became the 1950s with a couple of seasons with the Tigers, and at the end of the decade, they spent a couple of seasons with the White Sox. They began the ‘60s with the Milwaukee Braves in the newly formed Midwest League.  

Then the team had a little stability. In 1961, the Davenport Braves became the Quad City Braves, and the team has been “Quad City” ever since. From 1962 to 1978, they were an affiliate of the California Angels. They were with the Cubs again for six seasons, from 1979 to 1984, before returning to the Brewers from 1985 to 1992. They were with the Astros from 1993-1998, the Twins from 1999-2004, the Cardinals from 2005-2012, and the Astros again from 2013-2020. Since the restructuring of minor-league baseball in 2021, the Royals have been in the Quad Cities. 

What’s in a name? From 1946 to 1991, the Quad Cities team was named after their big-league affiliate. They held a “name the team” contest in 1991 and became the Quad City River Bandits. A dozen years later, another contest was held. From 2004 to 2007, the team was known as “The Swing of the Quad Cities.” A third contest was held, and they have been the River Bats ever since. 

Modern Woodmen Park
On May 26, 1931, Municipal Stadium opened. The stadium was built for $165,000. It had light poles right from the start. In 1971, it was renamed John O’Donnell Stadium (named after a long-time sports editor at a local newspaper. 

In 1007, Modern Woodmen of America bought the stadium naming rights for $4.5 million. 

Sitting on the banks of the Mississippi River, the Stadium was designed for the likelihood of significant flooding. However, there have been four years during which flooding penetrated the stadium’s walls. 

The stadium has been named “the best minor league ballpark in America” in some form or another by a variety of media types, from USA Today to Baseball America and more. One reason for that is the view of the Rock Island Centennial Bridge (officially known as the Master Sergeant Stanley W Talbot Memorial Bridge) beyond the right-field wall. 

Over the past 20 years, they have continued to make improvements. There is an amusement park beyond the left-field wall that includes a 110-foot-tall ferris wheel, an old-fashioned carousel, bouncy houses, and more. 

Ah, Sugar
Released in 2008, the movie Sugar was released. It was filmed between Davenport and Burlington, Iowa. It is the story of Miguel “Sugar” Santos, a young Dominican pitcher who gets the opportunity to attend spring training with the fictional Kansas City Knights. He gets assigned to the team’s Single-A team in Iowa (referred to as Bridgetown in the movie). He lives with a host family. He is one of just a couple of Dominicans on the team’s roster and faces bigotry on the field and around the community. He experiences some moments of success and becomes popular, only to face struggles and losses on the field. 

2025 Coaching Staff
Manager: Jesus Azuaje 
Pitching Coach: Derrick Lewis
Assistant Pitching Coach: Clayton Mortensen
Hitting Coach: Ryan Powers
Assistant Hitting Coach: Kyle MacKinnon   

Radio Voice: Kyle Kercheval  

2025 Quad Cities River Bandits Roster
Quad Cities River Bandits Schedule  

Answer #1: Two of the four cities are in Iowa: Davenport and Bettendorf. The other two cities are in Illinois: Rock Island and Moline. The Quad City DJs, who had a hit with “C’mon N’ Ride It (The Train)” in 1995, originated in Jacksonville, Florida. Not in the Midwest. 

Low A: Columbia Fireflies

League: California League (South Division) 
Stadium: Segra Park (Capacity: 7,501 seating, up to 10,000 for sporting events)
1640 Freed St. 
Columbia, SC  29201   
Tickets: (803) 726-4487 
Website: https://www.milb.com/columbia  

How long have they been the affiliate?  Columbia first had a pro baseball team in 1892, when the Columbia Senators. They lasted just one season. In 1904, they tried again, this time as the Columbia Skyscrapers. Over the next 57 seasons, they fielded a team in the South Atlantic League under various names. Following the 1961 season, the team moved to Macon, Georgia.

Twenty-one years later, minor-league baseball returned to the capital city of South Carolina. They were a Mets affiliate from 1983 to 1993. After the 2004 season, the team moved to Greenville, SC. In 2014, Columbia approved plans for a new stadium. The team began playing at Segra Park in 2016. While they began as an affiliate of the Mets, and they moved into the new stadium as an affiliate of the Mets, they also spent over a decade in the Cardinals organization. 

When minor-league baseball re-aligned before the 2021 season, the Mets moved out and the Kansas City Royals came to town. 

2025 Coaching Staff
Manager: David Noworyta
Pitching Coach: Taylor Bloye, Julio Pimentel  
Hitting Coach: Ramon Castro 
Coach: Tripp Keister 

Radio Voice: John Kocsis, Jr. 

2025 Columbia Fireflies Roster
2025 Columbia Fireflies Schedule 

Complex League: Arizona Complex League (ACL) Royals

League: Arizona Complex League 
Stadium: Surprise Stadium (capacity 10,714) 
15850 N. Bullard Ave
Surprise, AZ 

How long have they been the affiliate? The Royals began competing in the Arizona Complex League in 2003. Previously, they had been in Florida, playing in the Gulf Coast League. They had two teams in 2003, and the Royals 1 team won the league championship. Since then, the ACL Royals have fielded one team. They did not have a team in 2014, and then no one played in 2020. Since 2021, the Royals have fielded two ACL teams again, Royals Blue and Royals Gold.   

2025 Coaching Staff
Manager: Larry Sutton
Pitching Coaches: Jesus Delgado, Christopher Marte 
Hitting Coaches: Wilson Betemit, Chris Nelson
Assistant Hitting Coach: Joel Rivera  
Coach: Jesus Atencio 
Rehab Pitching Coach: Ken Knutson    

2025 ACL Royals Roster
ACL Royals Schedule 

Dominican Summer League: Dominican Summer League (DSL) Royals

League: Dominican Summer League 
Stadium: Kansas City Royals Complex
Boca Chica, DR 

How long have they been the affiliate? The Dominican Summer League began in 1985. In 1989, the Royals first had a team in the league. In 1990, they shared an affiliate with the Mets. In 1992, they teamed with the Cubs, and in 1992, they teamed with the Rockies. They were with the Cubs for just one season, but they continued with the Rockies until 1996. Since 1997, the Royals have had their own DSL team. 

2025 Coaching Staffs (Ventura)
Managers: Sergio de Luna
Bench Coach: Quilvio Veras,
Hitting Coach: Fernando Martinez
Pitching Coach: Leonel Santiago
First Base Coach: Onil Joseph  

2025 Coaching Staffs (Fortuna)
Managers: Ramon Martinez
Bench Coach: Irving Falu,
Hitting Coach: Rosell Herrera 
Pitching Coach: Jose Veras
First Base Coach: Ariel Venegas   

2025 DSL Royals Rosters (Ventura, Fortuna)
DSL Royals Schedule (Ventura, Fortuna) 

Additional Player Development Staff and Coordinators
Executive VP and GM: JJ Picollo
VP, Baseball Operations: George Brett
Director, Player Development: Mitch Maier
Director, Minor League Operations: Nick Leto
Assistant Director, Player Development: Kevin Howard
Assistant Director, Minor League & International Operations: Kristin Lock
Special Assistant to the GM/Player Development: Chino Cadahia
Special Assistant to the GM/Quality Control: Rusty Kuntz
Sr. Director, Pitching Performance: Paul Gibson

Vice President, Player Development: Ryley Westman
Assistant Director, Player Development: Mike Daly
Director, Baseball Operations: Allison Luneborg
International Player Development Coordinator: Vicente Cafaro
Player Development Coordinator: Clinton Sewell  
Director of Instruction, Defense, and Baserunning: Vinny Lopez
Player Plan Coordinator: Molly Meyer
Special Assistant, Pitching Coordinator: James Keller
Pitching Coordinator: Jose Rada
Hitting Coordinator: Jonathan Mathews
Hitting Advisor: Scott Coolbaugh
Infield Coordinator: Danny Worth
Catching Coordinator: Oswaldo Pirela
Special Assistant, Baseball Operations and Player Development: Scott Servais
Special Assistant, Major League Staff and Baseball Operations: Allen Craig
Special Assistant, Major League Staff and Baseball Operations: AJ Ellis
Special Assistant, Major League Staff and Baseball Operations: Craig Stammen
Special Assistant to the General Manager: Moises Alou
Senior Advisor to Baseball Operations: Glenn Hoffman 
Senior Advisor to Baseball Operations: Trevor Hoffman
Special Assistant, Baseball Operations: Mark Loretta
Special Assistant, Baseball Operations: Hideo Nomo 
Special Assistant, Baseball Operations: Chan Ho Park 

Royals Top Prospects
For current Royals Keep Top 20 Royals Prospects, click here.