Springfield Cardinals

Last updated
Springfield Cardinals
SpringfieldCardinals.PNG SPRcardinals.PNG
Team logoCap insignia
Minor league affiliations
Class Double-A (2005–present)
League Texas League (2005–present)
DivisionNorth Division
Major league affiliations
Team St. Louis Cardinals (2005–present)
Minor league titles
League titles (1)2012
Division titles (2)
  • 2007
  • 2012
First-half titles (4)
  • 2007
  • 2009
  • 2016
  • 2024
Second-half titles (3)
  • 2007
  • 2012
  • 2023
Wild card berths (1)
  • 2010
Team data
NameSpringfield Cardinals (2005–present)
ColorsCardinal red, midnight navy blue, yellow, white
    
Ballpark Hammons Field (2005–present)
Owner(s)/
Operator(s)
 Diamond Baseball Holdings
General managerDan Reiter [1]
ManagerJosé Leger
Cardinals secondary logo S-Cards map.PNG
Cardinals secondary logo

The Springfield Cardinals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springfield, Missouri. They are members of the Texas League's North Division and serve as the Double-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The Springfield Cardinals began play in 2005. Since its inception, the team's home venue has been Hammons Field.

Contents

The Springfield Cardinals won three Texas League North 1st Half Division titles, two Texas League North 2nd Half Division titles, two Texas League North championships and one Texas League championship (2012). Through the 2020 season, a total of 114 former Springfield Cardinals have gone on to make their Major League debut with St. Louis with an additional 27 others debuting with different MLB teams. [2]

Previously, the St. Louis Cardinals' Double-A affiliate was the Tennessee Smokies, located near Sevierville, Tennessee. The Springfield Cardinals' Texas League North rivals are the Arkansas Travelers (Seattle Mariners), Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Kansas City Royals), Tulsa Drillers (Los Angeles Dodgers), and Wichita Wind Surge (Minnesota Twins).

In conjunction with Major League Baseball's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Cardinals were organized into the Double-A Central. [3] In 2022, the Double-A Central became known as the Texas League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization. [4]

On May 1, 2023, the Springfield Cardinals were sold by the St. Louis Cardinals to Diamond Baseball Holdings. [5]

The original Springfield Cardinals

Springfield, Missouri, has hosted professional baseball teams since as early as 1905, when the Springfield Highlanders began play. For nearly 30 years, the team was variously called the Highlanders, Jobbers, Midgets, and Merchants. There were several years when no team existed at all.

In 1931, the St. Louis Cardinals purchased a minor league team, renamed it the Cardinals, and relocated it in Springfield. That year, the team won the first of several Western Association titles. With a front office led by future Hall of Famer Branch Rickey, Springfield also went to the playoffs in 1931, 1932, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1938, 1939, and 1941, and won league titles in 1931, 1932, 1934, 1937, and 1939.

Following the 1946 season, St. Louis moved the team to St. Joseph, Missouri, where it remained until 1953. The city of Springfield saw a brief re-emergence of minor league baseball when the rival Chicago Cubs moved its affiliate to Springfield for one season taking the name Springfield Cubs.

Though there was a gap of 63 years, most in the Springfield and St. Louis organizations consider the current Cardinals the same group which existed in 1932. Many pieces of fan apparel actually say "Springfield Cardinals circa 1932." The deck on top of the Cardinals dugout also has the championship banners from the 1930s and 1940s.

Previous franchise history

The current Cardinals are a relatively new team, dating back to just 2005. Previous to this, they were known as the El Paso Diablos. That team's owners sold the franchise to the St. Louis Cardinals and were then moved to Springfield as part of their minor league system.

The previous Double-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals was the Tennessee Smokies in 2003 and 2004.

Springfield has also been the home of various other non-affiliated minor league clubs including the Springfield Highlander (1905), Jobbers (1911), Merchants (1920), Springfield Midgets (1906-1909, 1921–1929; the 1930 club being affiliated with the St. Louis Browns) and the Red Wings (1931). These former teams were generally Class C ball clubs in the former Western Association. [6]

2012 season

The Cardinals’ most successful season has been the 2012 campaign, during which they finished first in the North Division in second half of the season, posted a division-best and franchise mark with a 77–61 record, and won the Texas League Championship. They went on to defeat the Tulsa Drillers 3–2 in the best-of-five divisional playoff series, advancing to the 2012 Texas League Championship Series, their second in franchise history. Springfield defeated the Frisco RoughRiders three games to one in the best-of-five Championship Series. Key players included Kolten Wong, Jermaine Curtis, Carlos Martinez, Trevor Rosenthal, Vance Albitz, Oscar Taveras, and Xavier Scruggs.

Hammons Field

Hammons Field in Springfield, Missouri Hammons field springfield.jpg
Hammons Field in Springfield, Missouri

The Springfield Cardinals play at Hammons Field. [7] It is located in Springfield, Missouri, and has a capacity of 7,986 plus approximately 2,500 general admission seating.

Mascots

The Springfield Cardinals have two mascots. Their first and main mascot is a brightly colored red bird named Louie. He has been a mascot for the team since its formation in 2005. He is the "little brother" of Fredbird, the mascot of the MLB's St. Louis Cardinals. [8] Their second mascot is a fluffy dog named Fetch. He is a fluffy beagle received by Louie as a birthday gift on Opening Day in 2006. During home games they can be found entertaining fans by tossing t-shirts and taking photos. When the team is on the road, Louie and Fetch attend local events in the community.

Roster

Springfield Cardinals roster
PlayersCoaches/Other

Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

  •  5 Jacob Buchberger
  • 47 Dakota Harris
  • 29 Matt Lloyd
  •  8 Jeremy Rivas
  • 21 Bryan Torres
  •  4 R.J. Yeager

Outfielders

  • 27 Nathan Church
  •  3 Noah Mendlinger
  • 26 Chris Rotondo


Manager

  • 19 José Leger

Coaches

  • 28 Paul Benoit
  • 12 Casey Chenoweth (hitting)
  • 39 Eric Peterson (pitching)


Injury icon 2.svg 7-day injured list
* On St. Louis Cardinals 40-man roster
~ Development list
# Rehab assignment
∞ Reserve list
‡ Restricted list
§ Suspended list
† Temporarily inactive list
Roster updated August 21, 2024
 Transactions
→ More rosters: MiLB  •  Texas League
→ St. Louis Cardinals minor league players

Notable alumni

Springfield played host to several players that would go on to play in Major League Baseball. Stan Musial played 87 games for Springfield during the 1941 season, batting .379 and quickly becoming a fan favorite. In April 2005, Musial threw out the ceremonial first pitch and played his harmonica to the tune of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" to a crowd of nearly 12,000 during the inaugural St. Louis vs. Springfield Cardinals game. Among other players to come through Springfield are Dizzy Dean and his brother Paul, Pepper Martin, and Joe Medwick.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas League</span> American sports league in minor league baseball

The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the state of Texas; the five North Division teams are located in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. The league temporarily operated for the 2021 season as Double-A Central before reassuming its original moniker in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stan Musial</span> American baseball player (1920–2013)

Stanley Frank Musial, nicknamed "Stan the Man", was an American baseball outfielder and first baseman. Widely considered to be one of the greatest and most consistent hitters in baseball history, Musial spent 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, from 1941 to 1944 and from 1946 to 1963, before becoming a first-ballot inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hammons Field</span> Baseball park at Springfield, Missouri, U.S.

Hammons Field is a minor league baseball stadium located in Springfield, Missouri, with a capacity of 7,986 plus approximately 2,500 general admission seating. The facility, funded entirely by local businessman, hotel mogul and benefactor John Q. Hammons, is the centerpiece of the midtown development project, Jordan Valley Park, on the corner of Sherman Avenue and Trafficway Boulevard. Completed in April 2004, it is home to the Springfield Cardinals, the Texas League affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals as well as the Missouri State University Bears.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wally Moon</span> American baseball player (1930–2018)

Wallace Wade Moon was an American professional baseball outfielder in Major League Baseball. Moon played his 12-year career in the major leagues for the St. Louis Cardinals (1954–1958) and Los Angeles Dodgers (1959–1965). He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.

Ozark Mountain Sports Complex is a baseball park in Christian County, Missouri. It is located off U.S. Route 65 in Ozark, Missouri, just south of Missouri's third-largest city, Springfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Breadon</span> American baseball executive (1876–1949)

Samuel Wilson Breadon was an American executive who served as the president and principal owner of the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1920 through 1947. During that time, the Cardinals rose from languishing as one of the National League's doormats to a premier power in baseball, winning nine NL pennants and six World Series championships. Breadon's teams also established the highest regular season winning percentage of any owner in franchise history at .570. His teams totaled 2,470 wins and 1,830 losses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum</span> Professional sports hall of fame in St. Louis, Missouri

The St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum is a team hall of fame located in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, representing the history, players and personnel of the professional baseball franchise St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). It is housed within Ballpark Village, a mixed-use development and adjunct of Busch Stadium, the home stadium of the Cardinals. To date, 55 members have been enshrined within the Cardinals Hall of Fame.

The Western Association was the name of five different leagues formed in American minor league baseball during the 19th and 20th centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Kinney</span> American baseball player (born 1979)

Joshua Thomas Kinney is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox and Seattle Mariners. He threw a slider, four-seam fastball, curveball, and a two-seam fastball.

Derrick Brant May is an American former outfielder who played for the Chicago Cubs (1990–94), Milwaukee Brewers (1995), Houston Astros (1995–96), Philadelphia Phillies (1997), Montreal Expos (1998) and Baltimore Orioles (1999). He also played three seasons in Japan, from 2001 until 2003, for the Chiba Lotte Marines. He was the assistant hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2016. He was the manager of the Frederick Keys of the MLB Draft League in 2021. In 2022 he was the Organization Hitting Coordinator for SSG Lander’s in Korea.

Charles Wesley James is a retired American professional baseball player. James was an outfielder over all or parts of six Major League Baseball seasons (1960–65) with the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds, appearing in 510 games. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, he grew up in suburban Rock Hill and graduated from Webster Groves High School. James was also a letterman as a football halfback for the University of Missouri Tigers in 1956 and 1957 before starting his professional baseball career. He later earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering at Washington University in St. Louis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tulsa Oilers (baseball)</span> Minor league baseball team

The Tulsa Oilers, located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, were a minor league baseball team that existed on-and-off in multiple leagues from 1905 to 1976. For most of their history, they played at Oiler Park, which opened on July 11, 1934, and was located on the Tulsa County Fairgrounds at 15th Street and Sandusky Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryan Anderson (baseball)</span> American baseball player (born 1986)

Bryan Douglas Anderson is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago White Sox, and Oakland Athletics, and in international competition for the United States national baseball team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle McClellan</span> American baseball player (born 1984)

Kyle William McClellan is an American former professional baseball pitcher. McClellan was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 25th round of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft. He also played for the Texas Rangers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 St. Louis Cardinals season</span> Major League Baseball season

The St. Louis Cardinals 2012 season was the 131st season for the franchise in St. Louis, Missouri, the 121st season in the National League, and the seventh at Busch Stadium III. The Cardinals made their 25th trip to the postseason in 2012 after taking the NL Wild Card title by one game over the Atlanta Braves on the last day of the regular season in 2011. They began the 2012 season away against the Miami Marlins on April 4. St. Louis was coming off a 90–72 (.556) season, a second-place finish in the National League Central Division, the aforementioned wild card berth, and their National League-leading 11th World Series championship.

The Springfield Browns was a primary moniker of the minor league baseball teams based in Springfield, Illinois between 1931 and 1950. Springfield teams played as members of the Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League (1931–1932), Mississippi Valley League (1933), Central League (1934), Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League and Mississippi-Ohio Valley League (1950), winning the 1939 league championship. Hosting home games at Reservoir Park, Lanphier Park and Jim Fitzpatrick Memorial Stadium, Springfield teams were an affiliate of the 1931 St. Louis Browns, St. Louis Cardinals (1933–1934), 1935 Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Browns.

Nick Scott Petree is a former American professional baseball pitcher, who last pitched in Minor League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals organization. Petree played college baseball for the Missouri State Bears, earning All-American honors in three seasons.

The St. Louis Cardinals, a professional baseball franchise based in St. Louis, Missouri, compete in the National League (NL) of Major League Baseball (MLB). After decades of early futility in the National League, St. Louis baseball encountered a renaissance with 11 World Series titles and 18 National League pennants since 1926. Sam Breadon's purchase of the majority stake in the club in 1920 spurred this revival; he then assumed the role as team president and assigned the young, enterprising Branch Rickey as his business manager, functioning as a prototype of today's general manager. In his tenure as owner until 1947, Breadon's Cardinals won nine NL pennants and six World Series titles. During this era in Cardinals franchise history, they also totaled 2,898 wins and 2,171 losses in the regular season for a .572 winning percentage.

Below is a partial list of players in the St. Louis Cardinals minor league organization and rosters of their minor league affiliates. Players individually listed here have not yet played in Major League Baseball (MLB), but have reached an advanced level of achievement or notoriety. Some notable players in the minor leagues may have their own profile pages, such as first-round draft picks. Note that anyone with a past MLB appearance has their own profile page, even if they are currently playing in the minor leagues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wichita Wind Surge</span> Minor league baseball team

The Wichita Wind Surge are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Wichita, Kansas, and began play in 2021 at Riverfront Stadium.

References

  1. ↑ Rice, Melissa (June 20, 2017). "Gifford Promoted To St. Louis, Reiter Named New Springfield GM". Osarks First. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  2. ↑ "FAQ's | Springfield Cardinals Content". Springfield Cardinals. Retrieved 2015-12-02.
  3. ↑ Mayo, Jonathan (February 12, 2021). "MLB Announces New Minors Teams, Leagues". Major League Baseball. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Historical League Names to Return in 2022". Minor League Baseball. March 16, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  5. ↑ Springfield Cardinals announce new ownership organization; will continue to be AA affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals https://www.ky3.com/2023/05/01/springfield-cardinals-announce-new-ownership-organization-will-continue-be-aa-affiliate-st-louis-cardinals/
  6. ↑ "1935 Springfield Cardinals Statistics | Baseball-Reference.com".
  7. ↑ "Springfield Cardinals". MiLB.com. Retrieved 2020-04-03.
  8. ↑ "At Work: Louie". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.