| Springfield Cardinals | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||
| |||||
| Minor league affiliations | |||||
| Class | Double-A (2005–present) | ||||
| League | Texas League (2005–present) | ||||
| Division | North Division | ||||
| Major league affiliations | |||||
| Team | St. Louis Cardinals (2005–present) | ||||
| Minor league titles | |||||
| League titles(2) |
| ||||
| Division titles(3) |
| ||||
| First-half titles(5) |
| ||||
| Second-half titles(4) |
| ||||
| Wild card berths(1) |
| ||||
| Team data | |||||
| Name | Springfield Cardinals (2005–present) | ||||
| Colors | Cardinal red, midnight navy blue, yellow, white | ||||
| Ballpark | Hammons Field (2005–present) | ||||
Owner/ Operator | Diamond Baseball Holdings | ||||
| General manager | Dan Reiter[1] | ||||
| Manager | Patrick Anderson | ||||
| Website | milb.com/springfield | ||||
TheSpringfield Cardinals are aMinor League Baseball team based inSpringfield, Missouri. They are members of theTexas League's North Division and serve as theDouble-A affiliate of theSt. Louis Cardinals. The Springfield Cardinals began play in 2005. Since its inception, the team's home venue has beenHammons Field.
The Springfield Cardinals have won three Texas League North First-Half Division titles, two Texas League North Second-Half Division titles, two Texas League North championships and oneTexas League championship (2012). Through the 2020 season, a total of 114 former Cardinals have gone on to make their Major League debut with St. Louis, with an additional 27 other former Cardinals debuting with other MLB teams.[2]
Previously, the St. Louis Cardinals' Double-A affiliate was theTennessee Smokies, located nearSevierville, Tennessee. The Springfield Cardinals' Texas League North rivals are theArkansas Travelers (Seattle Mariners),Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Kansas City Royals),Tulsa Drillers (Los Angeles Dodgers), andWichita 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 toDiamond Baseball Holdings.[5]
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 severalWestern Association titles. With a front office led by futureHall of FamerBranch 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 toSt. Joseph, Missouri, where it remained until 1953. The city of Springfield saw a brief re-emergence of minor league baseball when the rivalChicago 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.
The current Cardinals are a relatively new team, dating back to just 2005. Previous to this, they were known as theEl Paso Diablos. That team's owners sold the franchise to theSt. 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 theTennessee 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 theSt. Louis Browns) and the Red Wings (1931). These former teams were generally Class C ball clubs in the formerWestern Association.[6]
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 theTulsa 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 theFrisco RoughRiders three games to one in the best-of-five Championship Series. Key players includedKolten Wong,Jermaine Curtis,Carlos Martinez,Trevor Rosenthal,Vance Albitz,Oscar Taveras, andXavier Scruggs.
The Springfield Cardinals play atHammons Field.[7] It is located in Springfield, Missouri, and has a capacity of 7,986 plus approximately 2,500 general admission seating.
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" ofFredbird, the mascot of theMLB'sSt. Louis Cardinals.[8] Their second mascot is a fluffy dog named Fetch. He is a fluffybeagle 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.
| Players | Coaches/Other |
|---|---|
Pitchers
Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
| Manager
Coaches
|
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 areDizzy Dean and his brotherPaul,Pepper Martin, andJoe Medwick.
