2011 Cardinals Caravan
This year's attendees will be former Springfield Cardinals and current St. Louis Cardinals players Jaime Garcia and Allen Craig along with the top prospect in the organization, pitcher Shelby Miller. Former St. Louis Cardinals appearing at the Caravan will be infielders Tom Lawless and Ken Reitz while Cardinals broadcaster John Rooney will serve as the emcee.
Starting pitcher Jaime Garcia enjoyed a break-out rookie season in St. Louis by going 13-8 with a 2.70 ERA in 28 starts while finishing 3rd in the Rookie of the Year voting in 2010. The left hander spent the entire 2007 season in Springfield and made six more starts in 2008 before his promotion to AAA Memphis.
Outfielder Allen Craig began 2010 in St. Louis before being optioned back to AAA Memphis. He batted .320 with 14 homeruns and 81 RBI in 83 games with the Redbirds before being recalled to big leagues in July. Overall, Craig batted .244 with four homeruns and 18 RBI in 44 games and collected his first major league hit on April 11 in Milwaukee.
Shelby Miller was rated as the top prospect in the Cardinals Organization going into 2010 and he did not disappoint in his first full season of professional baseball. While with the Quad Cities River Bandits, the 19-year-old was 7-5 with a 3.62 ERA with 140 strikeouts in 104 innings. Miller, the Cardinals 1st round pick in 2009 out of high school, figures to see some time in Springfield in 2011.
Lawless, who enjoy an eight-year big league career including four seasons in St. Louis, might be most known to Cardinals fans for his dramatic three-run homer in game four of the 1987 World Series against Minnesota. The 53-year-old was recently named the manager of the Corpus Christi Hooks.
Ken Reitz, known as "the Zamboni" for his slick fielding at third base, spent seven of his 11 major league seasons in a Cardinals uniform and owns a career batting average of .260 with 68 home runs and over 500 RBI. He won the Gold Glove Award in 1975.
John Rooney is entering his 6th season on the Cardinals radio broadcast along side Mike Shannon. The Richmond, Missouri native joined St. Louis after spending 18 seasons with the Chicago White Sox.
Coinciding with the afternoon program at Hammons Field, the Springfield Cardinals will have a Garage Sale featuring game used jerseys, helmets, bats, bar stools and many other Cardinals collectibles used by some of your favorite players here in Springfield.
Doors will open for the 2010 Cardinals Caravan at 11:30am, with the event scheduled to begin at noon. Admission for the Cardinals Caravan is $5 for adults and $3 for kids (ages 3-12). All admission proceeds will benefit the Children's Miracle Network.
In addition to appearing at Hammons Field in the afternoon, the caravan will also visit Cox South and St. John's Hospitals. The players will stop by both hospitals to visit the pediatric ward and other areas.
The Caravan will continue on to JQH Arena for the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions where the players and Cardinals staff will sign autographs and be recognized at half time of the 6:30pm game.
For more information on the 2010 Cardinals Caravan or to order tickets in advance, call (417) 863-0395. You can also visit www.stlcardinals.com or www.springfieldcardinals.com for additional information and updates.
2011 Springfield Cardinals Season Tickets are now on sale by calling (417) 863-0395 or for more information, visit www.springfieldcardinals.com. We hope to see you in 2011 at Hammons Field.
Escape to Cardinals Baseball!