The Johnson City Cardinals were a Minor League Baseball team based in Johnson City, Tennessee.[1] The team was affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals organization from 1975 through 2020 and played in the Rookie-level Appalachian League.[1] The team won 10 league championships, most recently in 2019. They played their home games at TVA Credit Union Ballpark.[2] Before 1975, the team operated under several other names and affiliations.
| Johnson City Cardinals | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||
| |||||
| Minor league affiliations | |||||
| Class | Rookie (1963–2020) | ||||
| Previous classes | Class D (before 1963) | ||||
| League | Appalachian League (1911–13; 1921–24; 1937–55; 1957–61; 1964–2020) | ||||
Previous leagues | Southeastern League (1910) | ||||
| Major league affiliations | |||||
| Team |
| ||||
| Minor league titles | |||||
| League titles (10) |
| ||||
| Division titles (8) |
| ||||
| Team data | |||||
| Name |
| ||||
| Ballpark | TVA Credit Union Ballpark (1956–2020) | ||||
The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic before ultimately being cancelled on June 30.[3][4] In conjunction with a contraction of Minor League Baseball beginning with the 2021 season, the Appalachian League was reorganized as a collegiate summer baseball league, and the Cardinals were replaced by the Johnson City Doughboys, a new franchise in the revamped league designed for rising college freshmen and sophomores.[5][6]
Playoffs
editIn 1955, Johnson City and the Salem Rebels were declared co-champions of the Appalachian League when their final playoff series was canceled due to rain.[7][8]
From 1986 to 2019, Johnson City reached the playoffs by virtue of winning their division or clinching a playoff spot eight times. The results of their postseason play during this time was as follows.[9]
- 1986: Lost to Pulaski 2–1 in finals.
- 1987: Lost to Burlington 2–0 in finals.
- 1994: Lost to Princeton 2–1 in finals.
- 2010: Defeated Burlington 2–0 in semifinals; defeated Elizabethton 2–0 to win championship.
- 2011: Defeated Danville 2–1 in semifinals; defeated Bluefield 2–1 to win championship.
- 2012: Lost to Burlington 2–1 in semifinals.
- 2014: Defeated Elizabethton 2–1 in semifinals; defeated Danville 2–1 to win championship.
- 2016: Defeated Elizabethton 2–1 in semifinals; defeated Burlington 2–0 to win championship.
- 2019: Defeated Bristol 2–1 in semifinals; defeated Burlington 2–1 to win championship.
Notable alumni
editMany of the players fielded by Johnson City have gone on to distinguish themselves in Major League Baseball.[10]
- Matt Adams (2009)
- Rick Ankiel (2001)
- Ron Blomberg (1967)
- Glenn Brummer (1975)
- Danny Cater (1958)
- Vince Coleman (1982) 2 x MLB All-Star; 1985 NL Rookie of the Year
- Pat Corrales (1959)
- Danny Cox (1981)
- Coco Crisp (1999)
- Tony Cruz (2007)
- Ray Culp (1959) 2 x MLB All-Star
- Joe Cunningham (1949) 2 x MLB All-Star
- Jeff Fassero (1984)
- Curt Ford (1981)
- Ron Guidry (1971) 4 x MLB All-Star; 2 x AL ERA Leader (1978-1979); 1978 AL CY Young Award
- Cesar Geronimo (1967)
- Mike Heath (1974)
- Tom Herr (1975) MLB All-Star
- LaMarr Hoyt (1973) MLB All-Star; 1983 AL Cy Young Award
- Stan Javier (1981–82)
- Terry Kennedy (1977) 4 x MLB All-Star
- Ray Lankford (1987) MLB All-Star
- Joe Magrane (1985) 1988 NL ERA Leader
- Yadier Molina (2001) 8 x Gold Glove; 9 x MLB All-Star
- Bill Monbouquette (1969, MGR) 4 x MLB All-Star
- Jason Motte (2003) 2012 NL Saves Leader
- Bobby Murcer (1964) 5 x MLB All-Star
- Jerry Narron, MLB player, coach, and manager
- Ken Oberkfell (1975)
- Terry Pendleton (1982) MLB All-Star; 1991 NL Most Valuable Player
- David Peralta (2006–07) Gold Glove, Silver Slugger
- Tommy Pham (2006)
- Ryan Sherriff (2011)
- Chris Short (1957) 2 x MLB All-Star
- Oscar Taveras (2010) Died, age 22
- Otto Velez (1970)
- Jack Wilson (1998) 2004 MLB All-Star
- Bobby Wine (1957) Gold Glove
- Dmitri Young (1991) 2 x MLB All-Star
References
edit- ^ a b "Johnson City, Tennessee Register City Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
- ^ "Howard Johnson Field". milb.com. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
- ^ "A Message From Pat O'Conner". Minor League Baseball. March 13, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball Season Shelved". Minor League Baseball. June 30, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ "MLB, USA Baseball Announce New Format for Appalachian League". Major League Baseball. September 29, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
- ^ "Johnson City's Appy League Team to Be Known as the Doughboys". WJHL. February 2, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
- ^ "Appy Playoffs Are Cancelled Due To Rain". Bristol Herald Courier. Bristol, Tennessee. AP. September 4, 1955. p. C1. Retrieved February 17, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (2007). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (Third ed.). Baseball America. p. 485. ISBN 978-1932391176.
- ^ "2016 Appalachian League Media Guide". milb.com. pp. 47–59. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
- ^ "Notable Alumni". milb.com. Retrieved October 10, 2016.