CARDINAL CARAVAN ROSTER ANNOUNCED
"This is a very exciting group of young players who are on their way to making a huge impact in St. Louis," said River Bandits owner Dave Heller. "Some of last year's World Series stars attended previous caravans, and the Cardinals have equally high hopes for each of these four young men. This will make for another entertaining caravan."
Salas appeared in 95 games in two seasons with the Cardinals. In 2011, he went 5-6 with 24 saves, 75 strikeouts and a 2.28 ERA over 75 innings. Salas made an impact in the Cardinals' run through the 2011 playoffs by making 11 postseason appearances. He pitched in four World Series games, including two innings in pivotal Game 6.
Cruz, a 2007 draft pick, debuted with the Cardinals in 2011. The versatile rookie played in 38 games with St. Louis. He hit .262 during his time in the big leagues while playing six different positions. In 2007, Cruz played with four teams, including the Quad Cities. He hit .282 in 49 games with Quad Cities in his first professional season.
Carpenter had a brief stint with St. Louis in 2011; he played in just seven games in June before returning to Triple-A Memphis where he spent most of the season. He hit .300 with 12 home runs and 70 RBI for the season with the Memphis Redbirds. He was originally drafted by the Cardinals in the 13th round of the 2009 draft, and went on to play in 29 games for the River Bandits that season.
Swagerty is the only one in the group yet to spend time at the Major League level. He did, however, rise quickly through the Cardinals minor league system during the 2011 season. After dominating in the Quad Cities for the first month of the season, he was quickly promoted to Palm Beach where he appeared in 22 games before earning another promotion to Double-A. With Springfield, he finished the season making nine appearances out of the bullpen. For the year, he was 5-3 with a 1.83 ERA in 93.2 innings. He struck out 89 batters while walking just 23. He signed with the Cardinals after getting drafted in the second round of the 2010 draft.
Doors will open at 11a.m. with the program scheduled to start at noon on Monday, January 16. The event will take place in the banquet area of the suite level at Modern Woodmen Park. Tickets for the event are already sold out. Past caravan participants include 2011 World Series MVP David Freese, Jason Motte and Jaime Garcia.
"The Cardinals Caravan is such a great event and a great chance for our fans to meet some of the Cardinals players, hear some great stories, and get autographs and photos," said River Bandits General Manager Stefanie Brown. "It's one of the many reasons why we appreciate our affiliation with the Cardinals."
UP NEXT: It's not too early to lock-in season ticket packages for the 2012 season as the River Bandits defend their title. Call a River Bandits account representative today to get details of next season's plans.
ABOUT THE BANDITS: After four years of ballpark improvements, the River Bandits and the City of Davenport last summer unveiled some of the most impressive enhancements to Modern Woodmen Park yet. A brand new, state of the art, high definition 20' x 35' video board went live on June 7 and the newly enclosed glass Sky Deck on the suite level of Modern Woodmen Park was completed last August. Those improvements, in addition to new flood protection, a new front plaza, and a new parking lot directly across the street from the ballpark, are quickly making Modern Woodmen Park one of the premier facilities in all of Minor League Baseball. More improvements are scheduled for this coming season!