Springfield (IL) Cardinals - Players Who Appeared in Major League Baseball

Players Who Appeared in Major League Baseball

The following position players appeared in at least 10 games with the Springfield Cardinals and also appeared in at least 500 Major League Baseball games:

• Bernard Gilkey played for Springfield in 1987–1988 and went on to a 12-season career as a major league left fielder, from 1990 to 2001. He played for St. Louis from 1990 to 1995 and had his best season with the New York Mets in 1996. He played with five teams altogether, and had a career .275 batting average with 118 home runs and 546 runs batting in.

• Ray Lankford played for Springfield in 1988 before going on to a 14-season career in the majors as a center fielder and left fielder. He played for St. Louis from 1990 to 2001 and returned in 2004 after playing part of 2001 and 2002 for the San Diego Padres. Lankford placed third in the voting for the 1991 National League Rookie of the Year Award and was named to the 1997 National League All-Star team. His career average was .272 with 238 home runs and 874 runs batted in.

• John Mabry played for Springfield in 1992. His major league career spanned 14 seasons (1994–2007) and eight teams, primarily as an outfielder and first baseman. He hit .263 for his career with 96 home runs and 446 runs batted in.

• Tom Pagnozzi played for Springfield in 1984 and played in the majors for 12 seasons (1987–1998), all of them with the St. Louis Cardinals. As a catcher, he won three Gold Glove awards and was named to the 1992 National League All-Star team. Over his career he hit .253 with 44 home runs and 320 runs batted in.

• Dmitri Young played third base for Springfield in 1992. In 13 major league seasons (1996–2008) with four teams, he mostly played outfield and first base and was a designated hitter. Over his career he hit .292 with 171 home runs and 683 runs batted in. Young was twice selected for an All Star team—in 2003, while playing for the Detroit Tigers, and in 2007, while playing for the Washington Nationals—and in 2007 he was recognized as the National League Comeback Player of the Year.

• Todd Zeile was a catcher when he won the Midwest League Most Valuable Player Award for Springfield in 1987, but he played most of his 16 major league seasons as a third baseman. In a major league career that lasted from 1989 to 2004 and included 11 teams, he hit .265 with 253 home runs and 1,110 runs batted in.

The following pitchers appeared in at least five games with Springfield and also pitched at least 250 games or 700 innings in Major League Baseball:

• Danny Cox pitched for Springfield in their 1982 inaugural season and also pitched one game there (presumably a rehab assignment) in 1990. His major league career spanned 11 seasons (1983–1988, 1991–1995) and four teams. He pitched 278 games, including 174 starts, with a 74–75 record and a 3.64 ERA. In 1985 he went 18–9 with a 2.88 ERA for the National League pennant-winning St. Louis Cardinals. In 1993 he was a relief pitcher for the World Series champions, the Toronto Blue Jays.

• Doug Creek was a starter in the six games he pitched for Springfield in 1992, but his major league career was spent primarily as a left-handed relief pitcher. He went 7–14 with a 5.32 ERA in 279 games and 289⅓ innings pitched. He played for nine seasons (1995–1997, 1999–2003, 2005) and with seven major league teams.

• Jeff Fassero pitched for Springfield in 1985 and went on to pitch 720 games (2,033⅔ innings), including 242 starts, with nine major league teams over 16 seasons (1991–2006). His career record was 121–124 with 25 saves and a 4.11 ERA.

• John Frascatore was a starter for Springfield in 1993, but was a relief pitcher for most of his seven major league seasons (1994–1995, 1997–2001). He pitched 274 games and 371 innings for three teams, posting a 20–17 record and a 4.00 ERA.

• T. J. Mathews also was a starter for Springfield in 1993 and worked from the bullpen in the major leagues. He pitched 362 games and 435⅓ innings for three teams during eight major league seasons (1995–2002). His record was 32–26 with 16 saves and a 3.82 ERA.

• Mike Pérez was relief pitcher with Springfield in 1987. He pitched in the major leagues for eight seasons, from 1990 to 1997, appearing in 313 games with three teams. His record was 24–16 with a 3.56 ERA in 346 innings.

Another former Springfield Cardinal player has gone on to become a major league manager:

• Bob Geren played for Springfield in 1983 and went on to play five seasons in the majors (1988–1991, 1993) with the New York Yankees and the San Diego Padres. He played 307 games, mostly as a catcher, and hit .233 with 22 home runs and 76 runs batted in. From 2007 to 2011, he served as the manager of the Oakland Athletics.

In addition, the following players also played at least one game for Springfield and one game in Major League Baseball: