For information about the Cardinals Caravan, call the Marion Civic & Culture Center at (618)-997-4030.
The 2024 Cardinals Caravan schedule and roster is set. Visiting six states in just four days, the Caravan is a great way for fans outside of St. Louis to get up close and personal with their favorite team! Get the latest scoop on the upcoming season from current Cardinals players, alumni and broadcasters! And, kids, 15 and under will receive one autograph from each current and former player!
A group of current and former players will visit the Marion Civic & Cultural Center at noon on Sunday, Jan. 14. The current players are headed by Major League outfielder Alec Burleson and relief pitcher Drew Rom. Minor league players include MLB’s No. 42 prospect righthanded pitchers Tink Hence and Sem Robberse, who was acquired in the Jordan Hicks deal with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Former Cards pitcher Jason Simontacchi and infielder Xavier Scruggs were the two alumni announced with the current players.Burleson has spent his two abbreviated Major League seasons with the Cardinals. In those two years, he has played 123 games and notched a .237 batting average with a .297 on-base percentage and nine home runs. Burleson was limited to 107 games in his first full season in 2023 due to the amount of outfielders getting playing time and a thumb fracture on Sept. 19 ending his season.
Rom had a short stint with St. Louis, only playing for the Redbirds in the 2023 season. He appeared in eight games, allowing 51 hits and 34 runs over 33.2 innings pitched. Rom had a respectable strikeout–to-walk ratio, striking out 32 batters while only walking 19 batters. In his five minor league seasons, Rom notched a 34-15 record with a 3.71 ERA. In over 450 innings pitched in the minor leagues, he struck out 532 batters and walked 162 batters.
One of the most exciting young arms in the Cardinals farm system, Tink Hence has Cardinals fans looking towards the future.
The 21-year-old righty has posted a 3.57 ERA in three seasons of minor league play expanding from Single A Palm Beach to Double A Springfield. Hence has pitched over 156 innings with an opponent’s batting average of .235 and a 1.20 WHIP. Hence was selected to NL Futures team in the Futures Game during the All-Star break in 2023. He totaled one strikeout and one walk over an inning pitched in the game.
Robberse, Toronto’s No. 7 prospect in 2022, has appeared in 74 games over four seasons of minor league play. He posts a 16-20 record with over 334 innings pitched. Robberse holds a 3.85 ERA over his four years and a .236 opponent’s batting average and a 1.29 WHIP. He also struck out 326 batters while walking 129 batters.
Simontacchi spent three seasons (2002, 2003, and 2004) with the Cardinals. His best year came in 2002, when he tallied an 11-5 record in 24 starts. He pitched over 143 innings, striking out 72 batters and walking 54 batters. Simontacchi saw both starting action and bullpen action in 2003. He appeared in 46 games and started 16 of them. He posted seven holds and one save in 2003, pitching over 126 innings.
Scruggs played the 2014 and 2015 seasons with the Cardinals, but saw little playing time in the Major Leagues. In his 26 games with St. Louis, Scruggs had 61 plate appearances and tallied 14 hits, nine RBIs and three extra-base hits. He was designated for assignment in 2015 and last played in the MLB for the Miami Marlins in 2016.
