Springfield selected as MiLB's best
Springfield captured its first Texas League crown by defeating the Tulsa Drillers in five games in the North Division Finals before besting the Frisco RoughRiders in four games for the title.
The St. Louis Cardinals Double-A Affiliate was littered with talent, including seven of Baseball America's Top 30 prospects, including Texas League Player of the Year, Oscar Taveras. The 20-year-old outfielder was the first-ever Springfield player to lead the league in batting average (.321), doubles (37), extra-base hits (67) and total bases (273) while finishing in the top five in home runs (23), RBIs (93), runs scored (83), triples (7) and slugging percentage (.572).
The Cardinals boasted five postseason All-Stars including Taveras, second baseman Kolten Wong, and pitchers Trevor Rosenthal, Keith Butler and Seth Maness.
"We are honored to be named the 2012 Team of the Year by Baseball America," vice president and general manager, Matt Gifford, said. "This is a tremendous honor for arguably one of the best teams in Springfield Cardinals history. It's a tribute to player development and the coaching staff for putting together a great club, and to the players for their hard work throughout a long season."
First year Double-A Manager Mike Shildt guided the Cardinals to a 35-35 record in the first half before the team hit its stride, winning the North Division Second-Half crown with a 42-26 record. Overall, Springfield finished a franchise best 77-61, the best record in the North and third best record in the league. For Shildt, the 2012 title was his third straight, after capturing back-to-back Appalachian League titles in 2010 and 2011 with Rookie-level Johnson City.
Springfield will open up the 2013 season on the road in Corpus Christi on April 4, before returning home to Hammons Field for a six-game homestand against the Hooks and San Antonio Missions starting April 11. Season Ticket Packages are on sale now. Please call (417) 863-0395, or visit www.springfieldcardinals.com for more details on how you can become a season ticket holder.