Baseball in Davenport, Iowa

known as Davenport
known as Quad Cities
known as Quad City

Overview

The record of the Midwest League franchise in Davenport, Iowa. This team has been known as both Quad City and Quad Cities; besides Davenport, it represents Bettendorf, Iowa, and Moline and Rock Island, Illinois.

The Quad City team history's a lot like the big league Angels, with whom they've often been affiliated: They've usually had a competitive nine, but rarely a championship caliber squad. Star players have been pretty rare, considering the team's long history.

Pat Jordan, whose dark and bittersweet minor league memoir, A False Spring, is one of the best of all baseball books, played at Davenport in 1960.

Summary

• Midwest League seasons: 47
• Won/Lost overall: 3193/3007, .515
• Best season: 91/46, .664 (1992)
• Championship Playoffs Won: 4
• Best MWL Won/Lost Record: 1 seasons

Davenport joined the Midwest League in 1960; the league was attempting to expand to 10 teams but two teams would drop out before the season began. Davenport had usually been active in the Three-I League, most recently in 1958. The Davenport/Quad City team remains active in the MWL.

Seasonal Results
Other Leagues

Team Names

• Davenport Braves, 1960
• Quad Cities Braves, 1961
• Quad Cities Angels, 1962-76
• Quad City Angels, 1977-78
• Quad City Cubs, 1979-84
• Quad City Angels, 1985-91
• Quad City River Bandits, 1992-2003
• Swing of the Quad Cities, 2004-2007
• Quad Cities River Bandits, 2008-

Affiliations

• Milwaukee Braves, 1960-61
• Los Angeles Angels, 1962-64
• California Angels, 1965-78
• Chicago Cubs, 1979-84
• California Angels, 1985-92
• Houston Astros, 1993-98
• Minnesota Twins, 1999-2004
• St. Louis Cardinals, 2005-

Officers, Managers, & Coaches

Ballpark

• Modern Woodmen Park (built 1933; rebuilt several times; major rebuild before the 2004 season)
  • known as John O'Donnell Stadium from 1970 through 2007
  • known as Municipal Stadium until 1969

Attendance record

• 260,471 (1994)

Ballparks & Attendance

Best Seasons

• Hitter: Michael Restovich (1999) .312, 19 HR, 107 RBI
• Pitcher: Dennis Ribant (1961) 17/2, 1.86

Best Big League Career

• Frank Tanana (1972)
  • Rico Carty (1960) & Jim Edmonds (1989) may be realistic alternatives. Johan Santana pitched here briefly in 1998.

Awards

• 1961 Dennis Ribant (Rookie of the Year)
• 1982 George Enright (Manager of the Year)
• 1990 Don Long (Manager of the Year)
• 2002 Joe Mauer (Prospect of the Year)

Davenport Highlights

Team Records

Hitters

• Batting: Jerry Remy (1973) .335
• Home Runs: Brian Harper (1978) 24
• Runs Batted In: Michael Restovich (1999) 107

Seasonal Hitting Leaders

Pitchers

• Wins: John Fritz (1992) 20
• Won/Lost (10 decisions): Dennis Ribant (1961) 17/2, .895
• Earned Run Average: Vern Geishart (1966) 1.13
• Strikeouts: Thomas Newton (1961) 208

Seasonal Pitching Leaders

Notes

The other Quad Cities: Bettendorf, Iowa, and Rock Island and Moline, Illinois. Rock Island and Moline had minor league teams in the distant past....

My sources have some minor disagreements about the Davenport/Quad Cities name change; I've seen references to QC for the 1960 season, and to Davenport for the 1961 season.

Until I remembered Restovich, I didn't have a clue who'd had the best QC hitters' season.

This summary originated as the October 10, 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.