photo: Springfield Cardinals Division Champs (PJ Maigi/Springfield Cardinals)
The Double-A Springfield Cardinals had a very good 2026 campaign. After a rocky first half, Springfield improved dramatically, winning the North Division in the second half despite major personnel changes. The Cardinals finished with an overall record of 78-59, won the Division Championship but lost in the finals.
First Half Struggles
After a 4-0 start to the year, the Baby Birds began to slide through April and May. In many series, the Cards followed a pattern: they’d lose five games and win only one. This started with the first home set of the year against Tulsa. At one point, the Springbirds had a seven-game losing streak, losing all but one game to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals from April 29th to May 2nd.
Some fans joked that the home ballpark’s name change (Hammons Field became Route 66 Stadium on May 5th) may have contributed to the losing streak.
Springfield started to pick up steam in late May to early June, picking up series wins against Tulsa and the Wichita Wind Surge. But they couldn’t build a strong winning streak, falling to teams such as the Amarillo Sod Poodles, while winning series against the Arkansas Travelers and getting their get-back against Tulsa from earlier in the year.
Both pitching and hitting contributed to these losing patterns. Springfield starters, including Jurrangelo Cijntje and Liam Doyle, struggled in their appearances, giving up considerable amounts of runs during the first half. While batters such as Dakota Harris had hot streaks, not enough of them could find a way to get runs on the board.
The Cardinals finished the first half with a 31-37 record, six games below .500, and were third in the standings, 14 ½ games behind first-place Tulsa (LAD).
Second Half Success
Springfield came back from the All-Star Break hungry and ready to tear through any team who stood in their way. They wanted to bounce back from what many considered a mediocre first half of the season, and they delivered.
The Springbirds took care of business throughout July, August, and the first half of September, stomping most of their competition, including a 10-game winning streak in August.
Two key players helped drive this success: Doyle and Rainiel Rodriguez. After a mediocre first half, the 22-year-old lefty from Boston, MA, locked in, becoming one of the Texas League’s top starting pitchers, posting a 1.78 ERA, allowing only 12 runs and striking out 66 batters.
Rodriguez, or as many called him, “The Hulk,” became a superstar on the team. The 19-year-old put up monster performances across the second half of the year, scoring 49 runs, collecting 83 hits, including 19 home runs, driving in 52 and batting .362 in 57 games.
The 417 Cards finished the second half of the season 47-22, winning the Texas League North and finishing first in the division, five games ahead of Tulsa.
Rebrand Announcement
On August 25th, the team announced that after the season, the team will no longer carry the “Cardinals” moniker. In a press conference, Springfield General Manager Dan Reiter announced that the name, logo and jerseys would change following the playoffs.
The team announced its new name, Ozarks Springbirds, on Tuesday, October 6th, 2026.
Playoffs
In the playoffs, the Cardinals continued their winning ways. They swept the first half champion Drillers in the Division Series and advanced to the Championship Series, where they faced the Amarillo Sod Poodles.
Springfield won Game One in Amarillo, 7-2. At home, however, the Baby Birds couldn’t get the job done, falling to the Sod Poodles in both Games Two and Three; as Amarillo won the Texas League title.
Team Season Stats (10-Team Texas League)
In the 2026 season, the Cardinals’ hitting ranked:
– Fourth in runs (787)
– Third in batting average (.262)
– Fifth in hits (1,190)
– Fourth in RBIs (730)
– Fourth in OPS (.796)
– Seventh in doubles (213)
While Springfield’s offense had its ups and downs, a few batters led the way throughout the season.
Rodriguez, despite being called up from Peoria on May 11th, led Springfield in hits (113), runs scored (74), home runs (23), and RBIs (66). The catcher also batted .328, tops in the Texas League.
Jesus Baez, another player called up from Peoria during the season, collected 74 hits, scored 48 runs, hit eight home runs, and drove in 45. The shortstop batted .316 during his time in the 417.
Harris, who played for the Springbirds from April until August, also put up strong offensive numbers. The 24-year-old from Tampa, FL, collected 87 hits, including 12 home runs, scored 58 runs, and drove in 61, while batting .254.
Springfield pitching ranked:
– Fifth in ERA (4.87)
– First in strikeouts (1,449) – a single-season team record
– Second in opponent’s batting average (.241)
– Second in saves (35)
– Fourth in walks (640)
Pitching was also up and down throughout the year but had some bright spots.
Starters Mason Molina and Doyle had strong seasons, while relievers Mason Burns, Andrew Schultz and Nolan Sparks also performed well throughout 2026.
Regular Season Accolades
Multiple Springfield Cardinals players earned regular-season honors during the year.
LHP Braden Davis was the first Cardinal to receive a regular-season award, named Texas League Pitcher of the Week for May 19-24.
LHP Molina and Baez were named the St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Pitcher and Player of the Month, respectively, on July 13th.
Rodriguez received several rewards during the season. He was named Texas League Player of the Week three times: for the period of July 27-August 2, August 17-23 and September 7-13. He was also named the St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Player of the Month for August.
Doyle was also named St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Pitcher of the Month for August.
Post-Season Accolades
After the regular season ended, several Springbirds received honors for their regular-season performances.
Molina, Baez and Rodriguez were named Texas League All-Stars.
Rodriguez was selected to MLB Pipeline’s All-MiLB Prospect First Team as a catcher. He was also honored by Baseball America as the top prospect in the Cardinals system. The Athletic went another step higher, naming Rodriguez their Player of the Year across Minor League Baseball.
Reliever Sandro Santana, who was acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Lars Nootbaar trade, was also on MLB Pipeline’s first team.
Outfielder Josiah Ragsdale, whom St. Louis acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for Dustin May and JoJo Romero on August 3rd, was part of the second team after becoming one of 59 Minor League players to compile a 20-homer, 20-stolen-base season.
What’s Next
More details on the Springfield Cardinals’ top hitters, relievers and starting pitchers are coming as we select the best of the upcoming articles in this series.
Check out The Cardinal Nation’s annual article series highlighting team results, top hitters and pitchers across the entire St. Louis Cardinals system. The Memphis Redbirds Season Review is up next.
The full schedule for The Cardinal Nation’s annual article series highlighting team results and top hitters and pitchers across the St. Louis Cardinals system can be found in the following article. After our free Team Recaps across affiliates, we will recognize individual player leaders through the current month and into November.
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