Springfield (IL) Cardinals
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Springfield Cardinals 1982–1993 Springfield, Illinois |
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| Class-level | |||
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| Previous | Class A | ||
| Minor league affiliations | |||
| League | Midwest League | ||
| Division |
Southern Division (1983–1993)
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| Major league affiliations | |||
| Previous | St. Louis Cardinals | ||
| Minor league titles | |||
| League titles | regular season – 1986, 1987 | ||
| Division titles | 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988 (2nd half), 1989 (2nd half), 1993 (1st half) | ||
| Team data | |||
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Previous names
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Springfield Cardinals | ||
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Previous parks
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Lanphier Park | ||
Southern Division (1983–1993)
The Springfield Cardinals were a minor league baseball team located in Springfield, Illinois. The team played in the Midwest League from 1982 to 1993 and was an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The team played in Lanphier Park on the northside of Springfield. Affectionately known as the "Baby Birds", their chief rival was the Peoria Chiefs, then an affiliate of the Cubs. The declining condition of Lanphier Park, last renovated in 1978, led to the relocation of the franchise to Madison, Wisconsin for the 1994 season, where they were known as the Madison Hatters. The Hatters, in turn, moved to Battle Creek, Michigan to become the Michigan Battle Cats. While playing in Battle Creek, the franchise became the Battle Creek Yankees and the Southwest Michigan Devil Rays before moving to Midland, Michigan where they now play as the Great Lakes Loons.
The Cardinals were generally successful, finishing with a winning record in nine of their 12 seasons. In post-season play they were less successful, as they lost four times in the first round of the league's two-round, four-team playoffs and lost in the championship round in their other four appearances. The league's records, however, recognize both the winner of the post-season playoffs and the team with the highest overall season record as champions, and the Cardinals led the league in regular season play twice, in 1986 and 1987. Their overall record during their 12 seasons in Springfield was 917–743, for a .552 winning percentage.
The team also helped develop more than 50 players who advanced to Major League Baseball. Among the young Springfield players who went on to successful major league careers were Bernard Gilkey, Ray Lankford, Jeff Fassero, Dmitri Young, and Todd Zeile.
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