The St. Louis Cardinals Caravan will make its annual trip to Springfield on Friday, January 15. The Caravan will be held at Hammons Field in the Indoor Training Facility and is scheduled to start at 12:15pm. Lunch will be available for purchase at the event.
This year's attendees will feature current St. Louis Cardinals Randal Grichuk and Sam Tuivailala, along with 2015 Minor League Co-Pitcher of the Year Austin Gomber. Former St. Louis Cardinals Alan Benes and Kyle McClellan will also be a part of the Caravan. Fellow former Cardinal and current Cardinals Broadcaster Rick Horton will serve as the emcee.
Since making his Major League debut with St. Louis on April 28, 2014, Grichuk has provided a powerful bat to the Cardinals outfield corps. The Rosenberg, Texas native tied for 2nd on the club with 17 home runs last year, his first full season in the big leagues. Grichuk was acquired by St. Louis from the Los Angeles Angels prior to the 2014 campaign, and has hit .268 with 20 homers, 55 RBIs and 29 doubles through just his first 150 Major League games.
Tuivailala also made his Major League debut with St. Louis in 2014 after lighting up the radar gun at Hammons Field earlier that season. After appearing in two big league games in 2014, the San Mateo, California native made 14 outings with St. Louis in 2015, going 0-1 with a 3.07 ERA while tallying 20 strikeouts in 14.2 innings. When not in St. Louis last year, Tuivailala provided dominant relief work for the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds, going 3-1 with a 1.60 ERA, 43 strikeouts and 17 saves in 43 games.
One of the top pitching prospects in the system, Gomber put together one of the best single-season pitching performances in Peoria Chiefs (Low-A) history in 2015. The Cardinals Minor League Co-Pitcher of the Year, shared with Springfield's Alex Reyes, Gomber went a remarkable 15-3 with a 2.67 ERA through 22 starts for the Chiefs. The Winter Garden, Florida native stifled Midwest League bats all year, compiling a league-best 140 strikeouts and a league-low .196 opponent batting average. A former 4th round pick in 2014 out of Florida Atlantic University, Gomber won 14 consecutive decisions following his last defeat on April 29 – the longest winning streak by a starter in all of Minor League Baseball in 2015.
Benes and McClellan both bring a wealth of experience to the Caravan roster, combining to pitch in 383 Major League games throughout their careers, 362 of which came in a Cardinals uniform. Benes toed the rubber at Busch Stadium from 1995 – 2001, registering a 27-23 record with a 4.42 ERA through 101 games and 59 starts. McClellan, who made 17 starts during the Cardinals Championship Season in 2011, suited up with St. Louis from 2008 – 2012 and logged a 19-23 record with a 3.69 ERA through 261 appearances.
Horton adds further Major League mound experience to the Caravan while also serving as the event's emcee. The former left-handed pitcher for the Cardinals spent seven years in the Major Leagues with St. Louis, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox. Horton began filling in on the Cardinals Radio Network in 1997 and enters his 13th season of work on Cardinals telecasts in 2016.
Coinciding with the afternoon program at Hammons Field, the Springfield Cardinals will have a Garage Sale featuring jerseys, helmets, bats, and many other Cardinals collectibles used by some of your favorite players here in Springfield.
Doors will open for the 2016 Cardinals Caravan at 11:30am, with the event scheduled to run from 12:15 – 2pm. 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 Mercy and Cox South Hospitals, as the players visit the pediatric ward and other areas.
On Friday evening, the Caravan will continue on to JQH Arena for the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions, presented by Chevy Dealers of the Ozarks, where the players and Cardinals staff will sign autographs. A ticket to the Tournament of Champions will be required to attend the evening autograph session at JQH Arena, and times for the signing will be announced at a later date.
As in previous years, the St. Louis Cardinals will be implementing an Autograph Ticket system at each stop of the Caravan. The first 400 kids (15 and under) through the door on the day of the event will receive a free Autograph Ticket which guarantees one autograph from each current and former player. Due to high demand, autographs will only be available for fans 15 and under.
