Springfield Cardinals
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Springfield Cardinals Founded in 2005 Springfield, Missouri |
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| Class-level | |||||
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| Current | AA | ||||
| Minor league affiliations | |||||
| League | Texas League | ||||
| Division | North Division | ||||
| Major league affiliations | |||||
| Current | St. Louis Cardinals | ||||
| Minor league titles | |||||
| League titles (1) | 2012 | ||||
| Division titles (3) |
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| Team data | |||||
| Nickname | Springfield Cardinals (2005–present) | ||||
| Ballpark | Hammons Field (2005–present) | ||||
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Owner(s)/
Operator(s) |
St. Louis Cardinals | ||||
| Manager | Johnny Rodriguez | ||||
| General Manager | Matt Gifford | ||||
The Springfield Cardinals are a minor league baseball team based in Springfield, Missouri. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals major-league club, and is owned by the Cardinals. The club plays at Hammons Field.
The Springfield Cardinals began play in the 2005 season. Prior to the 2005 season, the St. Louis Cardinals Class AA affiliate was the Tennessee Smokies located near Sevierville, Tennessee.
Attendance at Hammons Field for Springfield Cardinals games has been impressive, as the club has averaged nearly 6,500 fans per game for all eight years of franchise history. They ranked second in average attendance for all of Double-A baseball for each of the first three seasons, trailing only the Frisco RoughRiders, who are located in a much bigger market, just outside Dallas, Texas. In 2008, Springfield was third in attendance, trailing Frisco and the Corpus Christi Hooks. The city of Springfield itself has also experienced a tourism bump because of the team, actively encouraging St. Louis-area fans to drive down Interstate 44 to Springfield and see local attractions or the Lake of the Ozarks as well as a "Baby Birds" game.
Through the 2015 season, a total of 72 former Springfield Cardinals have gone on to make their major league debuts with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Springfield, Missouri originally had professional baseball teams back to 1905, when the Springfield Highlanders began play. For nearly 30 years the team was variously called the Highlanders, the Jobbers, the Midgets, and the Merchants. There were several years where 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 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.
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