The Johnson City Cardinals were a Minor League Baseball team based in

Johnson City, Tennessee Johnson City is a city in Washington, Carter, and Sullivan counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, mostly in Washington County. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 71,046, making it the eighth largest city in Tennessee. Joh ...

. The team was affiliated with the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

organization from 1975 through 2020 and played in the

Rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

-level

Appalachian League The Appalachian League is a collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wood bats, its season runs from ...

. The team won 10 league championships, most recently in 2019. They played their home games at

TVA Credit Union Ballpark TVA Credit Union Ballpark is a stadium in Johnson City, Tennessee. It is primarily used for baseball, and is the home field of Johnson City Doughboys in the summer collegiate Appalachian League. It was previously home to the Johnson City Cardinal ...

. Before 1975, the team operated under several other names and affiliations. The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

before ultimately being cancelled on June 30. 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 The Johnson City Doughboys are a summer collegiate baseball team of the Appalachian League. They are located in Johnson City, Tennessee, and play their home games at TVA Credit Union Ballpark. History From 1975 to 2020, Johnson City, Tennessee, ...

, a new franchise in the revamped league designed for rising college freshmen and sophomores.

Playoffs

In 1955, Johnson City and the

Salem Rebels Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...

were declared co-champions of the

when their final playoff series was canceled due to rain. 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. *1986: Lost to Pulaski 2–1 in finals. *1987: Lost to

Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...

2–0 in finals. *1994: Lost to

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...

2–1 in finals. *2010: Defeated

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

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

2–0 to win championship. *2019: Defeated

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

2–1 in semifinals; defeated

2–1 to win championship.

Notable alumni

Many of the players fielded by Johnson City have gone on to distinguish themselves in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

. *

Matt Adams Matthew James Adams (born August 31, 1988) is an American professional baseball first baseman in the Washington Nationals organization. Nicknamed "Big City" for his imposing size and ability to regularly hit long home runs, the St. Louis Cardina ...

(2009) *

Rick Ankiel Richard Alexander Ankiel (; born July 19, 1979) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals, Ho ...

(2001) *

Ron Blomberg Ronald Mark Blomberg (born August 23, 1948), nicknamed "Boomer", is an American former professional baseball player and minor league manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a designated hitter, first baseman, and right fielder. He played f ...

(1967) *

Glenn Brummer Glenn Edward Brummer (born November 23, 1954, in Olney, Illinois) is an American former Major League Baseball catcher who played for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Rangers. Brummer was born in Olney, Illinois. His father, Bob Brummer, br ...

(1975) *

Danny Cater Danny Anderson Cater (born February 25, 1940) is an American former professional baseball first baseman, third baseman, outfielder, and designated hitter. He signed with the Philadelphia Phillies at the age of 18, on June 8, 1958. Cater played i ...

(1958) * Vince Coleman (1982) 2 x MLB All-Star; 1985 NL Rookie of the Year *

Pat Corrales Patrick Corrales (born March 20, 1941) is an American former professional baseball catcher, manager, and coach, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1964 to 1973, primarily for the Cincinnati Reds as well as the Philadelphia Phillies, S ...

(1959) * Danny Cox (1981) *

Coco Crisp Covelli Loyce "Coco" Crisp (born November 1, 1979) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and MiLB team manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals, and Oakland ...

(1999) * Tony Cruz (2007) *

Ray Culp Raymond Leonard Culp (born August 6, 1941) is an Americans, American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies (–), Chicago Cubs (), and Boston Red Sox (–). MLB career Ray was ...

(1959) 2 x MLB All-Star * Joe Cunningham (1949) 2 x MLB All-Star *

Jeff Fassero Jeffrey Joseph Fassero (born January 5, 1963) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Professional career Montreal Expos Fassero was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 22nd round of the amateur draft, but he bounced around in the min ...

(1984) * Curt Ford (1981) *

Ron Guidry Ronald Ames Guidry (; born August 28, 1950), nicknamed "Louisiana Lightning" and "Gator", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees. Guidry was also the pitch ...

(1971) 4 x MLB All-Star; 2 x AL ERA Leader (1978-1979); 1978 AL CY Young Award *

Cesar Geronimo Cesar, César or Cèsar may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * César (film), ''César'' (film), a 1936 film directed by Marcel Pagnol * César (film), ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt * César Award, a French film award Pla ...

(1967) *

Mike Heath Michael Thomas Heath (born February 5, 1955) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the New York Yankees (1978), Oakland Athletics (1979–1985), St. Louis Cardinals (1986 ...

(1974) *

Tom Herr Thomas Mitchell Herr (born April 4, 1956) is an American former professional baseball second baseman, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, and New Yo ...

(1975) MLB All-Star *

LaMarr Hoyt Dewey LaMarr Hoyt Jr. (January 1, 1955 – November 29, 2021) was an American professional baseball right-handed pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox and San Diego Padres from 1979 to 1986. He won the 1983 Americ ...

(1973) MLB All-Star; 1983 AL Cy Young Award * Stan Javier (1981-82) * Terry Kennedy (1977) 4 x MLB All-Star *

Ray Lankford Raymond Lewis Lankford (born June 5, 1967) is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres from 1990 to 2004. He was known for his combination of power, speed, and defensive prowess ...

(1987) MLB All-Star *

Joe Magrane Joseph David Magrane (born July 2, 1964) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who played for the St. Louis Cardinals, California Angels, and Chicago White Sox between 1987 and 1996, and is currently a color commentary broadca ...

(1985) 1988 NL ERA Leader *

Yadier Molina Yadier Benjamín Molina (; born July 13, 1982), nicknamed "Yadi", is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball catcher who played his entire career with the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Widely considered one of the grea ...

(2001) 8 x Gold Glove; 9 x MLB All-Star *

Bill Monbouquette William Charles Monbouquette (August 11, 1936 – January 25, 2015) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a right-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox (1958–65), Detroit Tigers (19 ...

(1969, MGR) 4 x MLB All-Star *

Jason Motte Jason Louis Motte (born June 22, 1982) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies and Atlanta Braves. The Cardinals drafted ...

(2003) 2012 NL Saves Leader *

Bobby Murcer Bobby Ray Murcer (May 20, 1946 – July 12, 2008) was an American professional baseball outfielder who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball between 1965 and 1983. He played the majority of his career for the New York Yankees, whom he later ...

(1964) 5 x MLB All-Star *

Ken Oberkfell Kenneth Ray Oberkfell (born May 4, 1956) is an American former third baseman. He played from 1977 to 1992 for six different teams. Oberkfell primarily played third base but he also played over 400 career games at second base. After retiring as a p ...

(1975) *

Terry Pendleton Terry Lee Pendleton (born July 16, 1960) is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played primarily for the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves, but he also spent time with the Florida Marlins, Cincinnati Reds, and Kansas C ...

(1982) MLB All-Star; 1991 NL Most Valuable Player *

David Peralta Senger David Peralta Guerreiro (born August 14, 1987) nicknamed "Freight Train" is a Venezuelan professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2014. He won ...

(2006-07) Gold Glove, Silver Slugger *

Tommy Pham Thomas James Pham (born March 8, 1988) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, and Boston R ...

(2006) *

Ryan Sherriff Ryan Sebastian Sherriff (born May 25, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He previously played for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Tampa Bay Rays. In 2011 as a sophomore at Glendale Community College, he was ...

(2011) *

Chris Short Christopher Joseph Short (September 19, 1937 – August 1, 1991), nicknamed "Styles", was an American professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies (1959–1972), and Milwaukee Brewers ...

(1957) 2 x MLB All-Star * Oscar Taveras (2010) Died, age 22 * Otto Velez (1970) * Jack Wilson (1998) 2004 MLB All-Star *

Bobby Wine Robert Paul Wine Sr. (born September 17, 1938) is an American former shortstop, coach (baseball), coach and manager (baseball), manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). An excellent fielder who struggled as a hitter, Wine spent 12 seasons in the N ...

(1957) Gold Glove *

Dmitri Young Dmitri Dell Young (born October 11, 1973) is an American former professional baseball player. He played all or parts of 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a left fielder, first baseman, and designated hitter, for the St. Louis Cardinals ...

(1991) 2 x MLB All-Star

References

External links

* {{Official website, http://www.milb.com/johnson-city
Statistics from Baseball-Reference
Defunct Appalachian League teams Baseball teams established in 1937 Baseball teams disestablished in 2020 Professional baseball teams in Tennessee 1937 establishments in Tennessee 2020 disestablishments in Tennessee Johnson City, Tennessee