Three notable Springfield Cardinals alums, including top prospect JJ Wetherholt, are set to appear at Hammons Field and the Bass Pro Tournament on Champions on Jan. 16 during the annual St. Louis Cardinals Caravan.
Joining Wetherholt, who’s expected to contend for a starting infield position with St. Louis during spring training, will be outfielder Victor Scott II and pitcher Kyle Leahy. Both have gone on from their time in Double-A Springfield to key roles with the big-league Cardinals.
Infielder Jose Fermin will round out the players on the Caravan, and former big-leaguer Kerry Robinson will also be on hand. Announcers Ricky Horton and Mike Claiborne will serve as emcees for the event, which will have a 12:30 p.m. program at Hammons Field and a 7:15 p.m. appearance at Great Southern Bank Arena during the tournament for elite high school basketball teams.
At the Hammons Field event, which will be held in the Bill Rowe Indoor Training facility, fans 16 and older will receive two tickets to a 2026 Cardinals game, and kids 15 and younger can collect one autograph from each player.Â
The Bass Pro Tournament of Champions appearance will be autographs only for youngsters and requires a ticket to the basketball tournament.Â
Meet the players
Seven of Victor Scott II’s nine home runs in 2023 came with the Springfield Cardinals, following his midseason promotion from High-A Peoria. (Photo by P.J. Maigi, Springfield Cardinals)
Wetherholt, the Texas League Player of the Year despite playing only the first half of the season in Springfield before a promotion to Triple-A Memphis, began his first full season in professional baseball with the Double-A Cardinals. He played in 62 games and hit .300 with seven home runs, 34 RBIs and had 14 stolen bases.
Scott hit .323 with seven home runs and 44 stolen bases in 66 Double-A games in 2023 with Springfield. He hit .216 with St. Louis in 2025 and has 39 stolen bases in 44 attempts in 191 major-league games the last two seasons. He was also a Gold Glove finalist among center fielders last season.
Leahy spent portions of three seasons with Springfield before making his debut in St. Louis in 2023. He was one of the Cardinals’ top pitchers in 2025, with a 4-2 record and 3.07 earned run average in 62 appearances.Â
Fermin has appeared in 96 games at multiple infield positions with St. Louis over the last three seasons as he split time between the big leagues and Triple-A Memphis.
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