A panel of current and former Cardinals stopped by the convention center to meet with fans and sign autographs[hs soon Monday afternoon.
WILL MUITER | The Sun
Cardinals Caravan stopped by at the Paducah-McCracken Co. Convention & Expo Center Monday afternoon for their annual trip to Paducah, with current members in the St. Louis Cardinals’ organization Jimmy Crooks, Nathan Church, Andre Granillo, and Joshua Baez in attendance, as well as former left fielder Mark Sweeney, who played with St. Louis from 1995-97.
A large crowd gathered on Monday at the convention center to meet some players from the St. Louis Cardinals.
WILL MUITER | The Sun
“It’s fun,” Andre Granillo, who made his Cardinals debut on the mound in 2025, said. “The fan base is so passionate. I mean, there’s so many fans in places I never would have thought of outside St. Louis. They love their Cardinals baseball. They’re lining up to get people’s autographs and ask us a bunch of questions, so it’s fun.”
Andre Granillo signs a hat for a fan during the Cardinals Caravan on Monday afternoon.
WILL MUITER | The Sun
The players spent the first hour of the event recanting their journeys as Cardinals, as well as taking questions from the many children in attendance. Questions from the kids ranged from “What’s your favorite cartoon?” to “What has it been like navigating through the organization under new management?” The panel served as a great way for the community to gain a personable feel and true experience as to what it takes to be a professional baseball player.
After the forum, the players signed various memorabilia for fans, including bats, balls, gloves, and posters of the team.
Joshua Baez, who has yet to make his Major League Baseball debut but is the Cardinals’ 13th ranked prospect, spoke about the human connection formed in these caravans that normally do not occur on the diamond or at Busch Stadium.
“It just gives them a chance to get to know me,” Baez said. “I feel like that’s important as well. There’s not just a player on the field, there’s a human inside that jersey.”
As some Cardinals’ fans may know, Chaim Bloom just took over as the President of Baseball Operations, and has been making some big changes, the most notable being last Tuesday when 8x All-Star Nolan Arenado was traded to the Diamondbacks, marking the start of a new era for the Cardinals. Players on the panel said they want their identity to be a team of “dirtbags” willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done, promising future success to the fans.
Spring training for the Cardinals officially kicks off on February 21 in a game against the Washington Nationals.