Cardinals' Double-A Affiliate Rebrands Ahead of 2027 Minor League Season

The Springfield Cardinals featured many top prospects in 2026

Springfield Cardinals' Rainiel Rodriguez sprints to third base against the Amarillo Sod Poodles in Game 2 of the Texas League Championship series in Springfield, Missouri, on Tuesday, Sept. 22. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Double-A Springfield Cardinals will have a new identity next year.

The Springfield Cardinals have rebranded and will now be known as the Ozarks Springbirds, the St. Louis Cardinals' Double-A affiliate announced Tuesday. "The new name and logos were created with three things in mind: Our City, Our Region and Our Birds, creating a new identity for Southwest Missouri to rally around," the organization said. The Springfield Cardinals had been St. Louis' Double-A affiliate since 2005.

Several top prospects in the St. Louis Cardinals' farm system got their first taste of Double-A action with Springfield in 2026. And now, depending on where they start the 2027 season, some of those highly touted minor leaguers could be among the first players to don the new Ozarks Springbirds uniforms next year.

Multiple Cardinals prospects turned heads in Double-A this past season

Tennessee's Liam Doyle (12) throws the ball during an NCAA Baseball Tournament Knoxville Regional game between Tennessee and Miami Ohio on May 30, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

In 2026, the Springfield Cardinals went 78-59 and lost in the Texas League Championship Series to the Amarillo Sod Poodles, the Arizona Diamondbacks' Double-A affiliate. Most notably for St. Louis fans, though, a few players who could be a big part of the Cardinals' future in the big leagues put on a show with Springfield this year.

St. Louis' No. 1 prospect, catcher Rainiel Rodriguez, made his Double-A debut in May. And in 87 regular-season games with Springfield, the 19-year-old posted impressive numbers at the plate, hitting .328 with 23 home runs and 66 RBIs. Overall, the young prospect finished the 2026 campaign with a .324 batting average, a .413 on-base percentage, and a .987 OPS with 27 homers and 87 RBIs in 115 minor league games.

The Cardinals' No. 15 prospect on MLB Pipeline, infielder Jesus Baez, was also firmly in the spotlight with Springfield this year. In his first 59 Double-A games, the 21-year-old hit .316 with 25 homers and 68 RBIs. In 113 total games in 2026, he hit .283 with 39 home runs and 109 RBIs. Those 39 homers were the second-most in the minors this year, only behind Milwaukee Brewers power-hitting prospect Andrew Fischer.

On the mound, left-hander Liam Doyle spent all of 2026 with the Springfield Cardinals in his first full minor league season. The 2025 fifth-overall draft pick made 23 Double-A starts this year, posting a 3.76 ERA and 130 strikeouts in 103 innings.

It's unclear whether Rodriguez, Baez, and Doyle will open the 2027 season at Double-A. Either way, they could be among the Cardinals' top prospects who play for the Ozarks Springbirds next year.