Springfield Cardinals manager Patrick Anderson makes a pitching change against the Arkansas Travelers on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, at Hammons Field. The Cards won 10-3. (Photo by Mary Ellen Chiles)
Springfield Cardinals first-year manager Patrick Anderson said before the season that fans might not always understand some of his decisions for leaving players in games when they’re struggling.
“We all want to win. What winning means with development is winning that day for each individual,” Anderson said. “There’s going to be times when people look at me from the stands like I’m crazy. ‘Why did you leave that guy in or whatever,’ but I need to be able to give that guy some experience.
“He might get his butt handed to him a little bit, but he needs to learn how to deal with it.”
Debating the skipper’s moves are a part of baseball and always will be. But at the minor-league level, where player development is more important than the win-loss record, managing from the box seats comes with an asterisk.
When fans come to Hammons Field to take in a Baby Birds game, they never know which player might someday not only make it to St. Louis, but find big-league success. Even ones who might be getting knocked around in the Texas League.
Kyle Leahy is a prime example. The right-handed pitcher was 0-8 with an 8.20 earned run average as opponents hit .352 against him during Springfield’s 2021 season. The unheralded 17th-round draft choice in 2018 was removed from St. Louis’ 40-man roster in October of 2023.
No other team moved to sign Leahy. To his credit, he didn’t give up. Earlier this week, Leahy struck out Philadelphia star slugger Bryce Harper in a key situation while helping the big-league Cardinals win their ninth straight game.
Leahy spoke in a 2022 Springfield Daily Citizen story about his struggles the year before, mentioning “tough love” from Darwin Marrero, Springfield’s pitching coach at the time that helped him persevere.
Springfield Cardinals right-hander Kyle Leahy takes the mound for Springfield in 2022. (Photo by P.J. Maigi, Springfield Cardinals)
Fans likely wondered in 2021 why Marrero and manager Jose Leger kept running Leahy to the mound, with line drives flying all over Hammons Field when he was out there. Anderson said it sounds like part of the typical process.
Anderson didn’t have Leahy prior to arriving in the Cardinals’ organization as manager at High-A Peoria in 2021, but he swells with pride when he sees players like Leahy — and not only top prospects like Masyn Winn and Victor Scott II — succeed in the big time.
“You never know when it’s going to click,” Anderson said of not giving up on players who struggle as they learn in the minor leagues. “Whether it’s maturity or whether it be something else that clicks at whatever level, be it physically or mentally. It’s neat to see guys be able to turn that corner and have success.”
Leahy’s emergence as a legit big-league relief pitcher is not the only success story of former Springfield Cardinals fueling St. Louis to its surprising surge into contention in the National League Central a quarter of the way through the 2025 season.
Just over half the St. Louis Cardinals’ roster consists of Springfield Cardinals alums. Winn, Scott, Brendan Donovan, Alec Burleson, Lars Nootbar, Ivan Herrara and Pedro Pages have been regular offensive contributors. There’s still hope that Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman will find their swings.
Pages is another fun story. The sixth-round 2019 draft choice out of Florida Atlantic University wasn’t considered much of an offensive threat while spending some of the 2022 and all of the 2023 seasons in Springfield. Pages was solid defensively and a respected team leader, often serving as an interpreter for younger Spanish-speaking teammates navigating their way through Ozarks’ summers.
Called up to St. Louis in 2024 out of necessity due to injuries at catcher, Pages hasn’t looked back. He was so impressive that the Cardinals were comfortable to move high-priced veteran Willson Contreras to first base and open the catcher position to Pages and Herrera.
Catcher Pedro Pages once starred for the Springfield Cardinals. (Photo: P.J. Maigi, Springfield Cardinals)
Former Springfield pitchers joining Leahy as excelling on the mound have been Andre Pallante along with recent Springbirds Gordon Graceffo and Michael McGreevy, a combined 3-0 in limited duty. Of course, the pitcher who’s made the most of his big-league chance is Ryan Helsley, who was a starter in Springfield in 2018 before becoming one of baseball’s top closers.
Even veteran lefty pitcher Steven Matz, who had so many injury rehab appearances here the last two years that he almost seems like a Springfield Cardinals alum, has been a key piece of St. Louis’ surging pitching staff.
It’s early, but the big-league Cardinals could be a contender for the long haul with a bunch of guys we’ve seen up close in downtown Springfield.
Anderson said the satisfaction of seeing someone he’s had a hand in helping in the minor leagues make it to the big show never gets old.
“In the minor leagues, as a manager and coach, that’s our dream,” Anderson said. “You try to help them out. It’s a feel-good thing, but ultimately it’s the players that do it. We say it’s a thankless job, but we get excited when guys not only get there, but do something there.”
Springfield Cardinals’ homestand
Tuesday – Springfield 7, Amarillo 2
Wednesday – Springfield 7, Amarillo 5
Thursday, May 15 – Amarillo 5, Springfield 4
Friday, May 16 – Amarillo vs. Springfield, 6:35 p.m.
Saturday, May 17 – Amarillo vs. Springfield, 6:05 p.m.
Sunday, May 18 – Amarillo at Springfield, 1:05 p.m.
Ticket info: (417) 863-0395
Lyndal Scranton is a Springfield native who has covered sports in the Ozarks for more than 35 years, witnessing nearly every big sports moment in the region during the last 50 years. The Missouri Sports Hall of Famer, Springfield Area Sports Hall of Famer and live-fire cooking enthusiast also serves as PR Director for Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri and is co-host of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast. Contact him at Lscranton755@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @LyndalScranton. More by Lyndal Scranton