The Peoria Chiefs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals . The team was established in 1983 as the Peoria Suns . They are located in Peoria, Illinois , and are named for the Peoria Indian tribe for which the city was named. In 2005, the team replaced the indigenous imagery associated with the Chiefs name and moved to a logo of a dalmatian depicted as a fire chief . The Chiefs play their home games at Dozer Park , which opened in 2002. They previously played at Vonachen Stadium near Bradley University from 1983 through 2001. The Chiefs have made the playoffs a total of 13 times, through eight wild-card berths, three first-half titles, and two second-half titles.
45-472: The history of professional baseball in Peoria dates to the late 19th century. The Peoria Reds , Peoria Canaries , and Peoria Blackbirds played in several early leagues during parts of 1878 to 1895. The first ballpark used by these teams was reportedly called Sylvan Park and was located at the corner of Northeast Glendale Avenue and Spring Street on the location of the present-day St. Augustine Manor. In 1883,
90-801: A Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals . The team was established in 1983 as the Peoria Suns . They are located in Peoria, Illinois , and are named for the Peoria Indian tribe for which the city was named. In 2005, the team replaced the indigenous imagery associated with the Chiefs name and moved to a logo of a dalmatian depicted as
135-567: A fire chief . The Chiefs play their home games at Dozer Park , which opened in 2002. They previously played at Vonachen Stadium near Bradley University from 1983 through 2001. The Chiefs have made the playoffs a total of 13 times, through eight wild-card berths, three first-half titles, and two second-half titles. The history of professional baseball in Peoria dates to the late 19th century. The Peoria Reds , Peoria Canaries , and Peoria Blackbirds played in several early leagues during parts of 1878 to 1895. The first ballpark used by these teams
180-477: A career-high 16 home runs and 50 RBIs in 121 games. Despite all that, Cozart was hampered by the complications from the surgery on his knee in 2015, which eventually caused patellar tendinitis in his right knee and caused him to miss the final three weeks of the season. Cozart had another career year with the Reds in 2017, batting .297/.385/.548 and setting career highs in home runs (24), triples (7; tied for 5th in
225-454: A change at shortstop. On July 7, 2011, less than 24 hours after an article on Reds.com said there would be no transaction, the Reds optioned Janish and recalled Cozart. Switching uniform numbers from #60 to #2, Cozart started that night at Milwaukee, playing shortstop and batting seventh. In his debut game, he went 1–3 with a run scored. Cozart hit his first home run in the eighth inning off of his college teammate Lance Lynn , on July 17, against
270-1041: A concussion but recovered. On August 8, 2009, Castillo was convicted of felonious assault causing serious physical injury and was sentenced to 30 days in jail. In April 2010, a judge released Castillo from probation "on the condition that he leave the United States and not return for a minimum of three years." Pitchers Catchers Infielders Outfielders Manager Coaches [REDACTED] 7-day injured list * On St. Louis Cardinals 40-man roster ~ Development list # Rehab assignment ∞ Reserve list ‡ Restricted list § Suspended list † Temporarily inactive list Roster updated September 24, 2024 Transactions → More rosters: MiLB • Midwest League → St. Louis Cardinals minor league players Baseball Hall of Fame alumni Notable award winning alumni Notable alumni Zack Cozart Zachary Warren Cozart (born August 12, 1985)
315-950: A concussion but recovered. On August 8, 2009, Castillo was convicted of felonious assault causing serious physical injury and was sentenced to 30 days in jail. In April 2010, a judge released Castillo from probation "on the condition that he leave the United States and not return for a minimum of three years." Pitchers Catchers Infielders Outfielders Manager Coaches [REDACTED] 7-day injured list * On St. Louis Cardinals 40-man roster ~ Development list # Rehab assignment ∞ Reserve list ‡ Restricted list § Suspended list † Temporarily inactive list Roster updated September 24, 2024 Transactions → More rosters: MiLB • Midwest League → St. Louis Cardinals minor league players Baseball Hall of Fame alumni Notable award winning alumni Notable alumni Peoria Reds The Peoria Chiefs are
360-552: A new franchise in the Three-I League in 1953. This club disbanded after 1957, and Peoria was again without professional ball, for the next 25 years until the current Chiefs set up shop. The Woodruff Field site is now a softball facility called Woodruff Park. The Peoria Suns were established in 1983. They played their home games at Meinen Field , built in 1968, near the Bradley University campus. The team's name
405-581: A new season attendance record of 259,794, an average of 3,800 per game. Sandberg returned to manage the Chiefs in 2008. The team set a Midwest League single-game attendance record on July 29, 2008, when the Chiefs drew a crowd of 32,103 to Wrigley Field in Chicago for a game against the Kane County Cougars . The Chiefs' affiliation with the Cubs ended after the 2012 season, and they entered into
450-404: A new season attendance record of 259,794, an average of 3,800 per game. Sandberg returned to manage the Chiefs in 2008. The team set a Midwest League single-game attendance record on July 29, 2008, when the Chiefs drew a crowd of 32,103 to Wrigley Field in Chicago for a game against the Kane County Cougars . The Chiefs' affiliation with the Cubs ended after the 2012 season, and they entered into
495-624: A player-development contract with the St. Louis Cardinals . Under Major League Baseball 's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Chiefs were organized into the High-A Central . In 2022, the High-A Central became known as the Midwest League, the name used by the regional circuit before the 2021 reorganization. During a game on July 23, 2008, Dayton Dragons hit three Chiefs batters. The teams played again
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#1732786925003540-430: A player-development contract with the St. Louis Cardinals . Under Major League Baseball 's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Chiefs were organized into the High-A Central . In 2022, the High-A Central became known as the Midwest League, the name used by the regional circuit before the 2021 reorganization. During a game on July 23, 2008, Dayton Dragons hit three Chiefs batters. The teams played again
585-546: A single, triple, and a home run going a double shy of the cycle in the Reds 8–3 loss. In 138 games, he finished the year batting .246/.288/.399 with 33 doubles, 15 home runs, and 35 RBIs. In 2013, Cozart batted .254/.284/.381 with 30 doubles, 12 home runs, and 63 RBIs in 151 games. He also led the National League with 10 sacrifice flies. Cozart had a down year at the plate in 2014, batting only .221/.268/.300, with both his on base percentage and his slugging percentage
630-860: Is an American former professional baseball shortstop . He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Angels . The Reds selected Cozart in the second round of the 2007 MLB draft . He made his MLB debut with the Reds in 2011, and was named an All-Star in 2017. Cozart signed with the Angels as a free agent before the 2018 season. Cozart attended Collierville High School in Collierville, Tennessee , graduating in 2004. He played football , basketball, and baseball. In his senior year, he batted .443 with five home runs and 41 RBIs. Cozart attended
675-503: The Bradley University campus. The team's name was changed to the Chiefs in 1984. The 1984 team was managed by future Major League Baseball manager Joe Maddon . The 1988 team, managed by future major league manager Jim Tracy , was the subject of Joseph Bosco's book The Boys Who Would Be Cubs . Meinen Field was renovated before the 1992 season and renamed Vonachen Stadium in honor of Chiefs owner Pete Vonachen . The team moved to Dozer Park in downtown Peoria on May 24, 2002. During
720-566: The Class A Midwest League . He batted .239/.288/.332 in 184 at bats for Dayton with two home runs and 18 RBIs, along with two triples. He returned to Dayton in 2008, this time hitting .280/.330/.457 for a full season. He hit 14 home runs, including two multi-homer games and one grand slam . Cozart drove in 49 runs and hit six triples in 418 at bats. His performance earned him a trip to the Midwest League All-Star game, and he
765-681: The Three-I League from 1905 to 1917. After the resumption of following the peak of American involvement in World War I , the Peoria Tractors name gained favor in 1919, with the growth of the nearby branch of the company later called Caterpillar Inc. In 1923, the team opened a new ballpark called Woodruff Field in honor of a long-time mayor of Peoria. The new park was just across Grant Street from Lake View Park. The Tractors continued to play in several leagues before folding after
810-607: The University of Mississippi , where he played college baseball for the Ole Miss Rebels . Baseball America named him a third-team All-American in 2006. Cozart had a .310/.367/.473 career slash line in college. The Cincinnati Reds selected Cozart in the second round of the 2007 Major League Baseball draft . He signed for a signing bonus of $ 407,250. The Reds assigned Cozart to the Dayton Dragons of
855-522: The anterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments and the biceps tendon in his right knee . He would need reconstructive surgery following the injury, causing him to miss the remainder of the season. He batted .258/.310/.459 with 9 home runs in 53 games. On April 4, 2016, Cozart batted leadoff on opening day for the Reds and went 3-for-3 with 2 doubles and an RBI in a 6–2 win over the Phillies . He finished 2016 batting .252/.308/.425 while hitting
900-502: The 1937 season. The city was then without professional baseball for the next 15 years. The name Peoria Chiefs first appeared with a new franchise in the Three-I League in 1953. This club disbanded after 1957, and Peoria was again without professional ball, for the next 25 years until the current Chiefs set up shop. The Woodruff Field site is now a softball facility called Woodruff Park. The Peoria Suns were established in 1983. They played their home games at Meinen Field , built in 1968, near
945-402: The Angels batting .219/.296/.362 with 5 home runs and 19 RBIs in 58 games. He played third base, second base, and shortstop. On April 25, 2019, Cozart was placed on the injured list due to a neck strain. He was hitting .109 through the first month of the season, playing primarily third base. On July 12, it was announced that he would require surgery on his injured left shoulder and would miss
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#1732786925003990-525: The Dragons manager, Donnie Scott, and the two argued for a few minutes before the umpires broke it up. During the coaches' argument, pitcher Castillo fired a ball at the Dragons' dugout. The ball struck a fan, who was taken to the hospital. Brandon Menchaca proceeded to tackle Castillo from behind as both benches cleared, delaying the game for 69 minutes. After the game, Castillo was arrested for felonious assault. The injured fan, Chris McCarthy, suffered
1035-469: The Dragons manager, Donnie Scott, and the two argued for a few minutes before the umpires broke it up. During the coaches' argument, pitcher Castillo fired a ball at the Dragons' dugout. The ball struck a fan, who was taken to the hospital. Brandon Menchaca proceeded to tackle Castillo from behind as both benches cleared, delaying the game for 69 minutes. After the game, Castillo was arrested for felonious assault. The injured fan, Chris McCarthy, suffered
1080-528: The Mary E. Barney Award as Louisville's Most Valuable Player. As one of six players to spend all of the season with Louisville, he was fourth in the International League in games (136) and fifth in hits (141). He also led all IL shortstops with a .977 fielding percentage. Cozart was rated the 10th-best prospect in the Reds organization. On November 19 he was added to the Reds' 40-man roster . He
1125-779: The Month honors. He had a 13-game hitting streak from May 28 to June 9, during which he hit four home runs. Cozart finished the season hitting .262/.360/.398, with ten homers and 59 RBIs. He also had two triples and ten stolen bases. He was named a Southern League All Star. His performance earned him an invitation to the Arizona Fall League . In 13 games for the Peoria Saguaros of the AFL, he hit .340/.393/.560 with two home runs, ten RBIs, and three stolen bases. The Reds invited Cozart to spring training in 2010. He spent
1170-503: The NL), and runs scored (80), while tying a career high with 63 RBIs in 122 games. He ranked among overall NL leaders in slugging percentage (10th), average vs LHP (.337, 6th), and hardest to GIDP (87.6 AB, 10th). He was voted to his first-ever All-Star game as a player and a starter for the NL. However, he played through most of the season with a quad injury, which caused him to serve two stints on
1215-600: The White House and plans to vote for him in the 2024 presidential election . In October 2024, Cozart responded to the Red's tweet on Twitter , where the team had tweeted in support of Spirit Day , an annual LGBTQ+ awareness day. The tweet's caption read: "The Reds join MLB in going purple today in honor of #SpiritDay! We are proud to support LGBTQ youth and speak out against bullying." He replied: "This sh*t [ sic ]
1260-562: The club moved a few blocks toward Peoria Lake , to a facility called Lake View Park , on the southeast corner of Northeast Adams Street and Grant Street, which would remain the home of various Peoria clubs for the next four decades. The 1895 club was dubbed the Peoria Distillers , referencing the Hiram Walker plant. From 1891 to 1911, Frank E. Murphy from Green Bay, Wisconsin , became involved with baseball, beginning with
1305-512: The disabled list. He became a free agent after the season. On December 15, 2017, Cozart signed a three-year, $ 38 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels . On June 13, 2018, Cozart left a game with a shoulder subluxation while diving for a ball. Two weeks after his injury, it was revealed that he had suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder, and he underwent season-ending surgery. Cozart finished his first season with
1350-411: The following day, and in the first inning, Chiefs pitcher Julio Castillo hit Dragons batter Zack Cozart in the head. Two batters later, Castillo hit Angel Cabrera in the arm, and nearly hit another Dragon player in the head after that. Cabrera then spiked the Chiefs shortstop at second base on a slide. At that point, Chiefs fill-in manager Carmelo Martinez began arguing with the umpire. This brought out
1395-411: The following day, and in the first inning, Chiefs pitcher Julio Castillo hit Dragons batter Zack Cozart in the head. Two batters later, Castillo hit Angel Cabrera in the arm, and nearly hit another Dragon player in the head after that. Cabrera then spiked the Chiefs shortstop at second base on a slide. At that point, Chiefs fill-in manager Carmelo Martinez began arguing with the umpire. This brought out
Peoria Chiefs - Misplaced Pages Continue
1440-450: The growth of the nearby branch of the company later called Caterpillar Inc. In 1923, the team opened a new ballpark called Woodruff Field in honor of a long-time mayor of Peoria. The new park was just across Grant Street from Lake View Park. The Tractors continued to play in several leagues before folding after the 1937 season. The city was then without professional baseball for the next 15 years. The name Peoria Chiefs first appeared with
1485-469: The latter's elbow. Replays showed that McLouth would likely have been safe anyway. On August 12, Cozart had Tommy John surgery to repair the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow, ending his season. In 11 Major League games, Cozart batted .324/.324/.486 with 2 home runs and 3 RBIs. Cozart was named the opening day starting shortstop for the Reds on April 5, 2012. The Reds won that game 4–0 with Cozart going 2–4. On April 7, Cozart went 3–4 with
1530-531: The lowest of all qualified MLB batters, and posting lower offensive numbers in nearly every statistical category. On October 23, 2014, he was nominated for the Gold Glove for National League Shortstops. In 147 games, he had 4 home runs and 38 RBIs. In 2015, Cozart got off to a solid start. On June 10, during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies , Cozart slipped on first base, tearing
1575-402: The new park's first year, the team set a franchise attendance record of 254,407 and won the Midwest League championship. Former Cubs catcher Jody Davis managed the 2006 team. Baseball Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg was hired to manage the 2007 Chiefs, which went 71–68 and finished the second half 40–30 in a tie for the division title, but missed the playoff on a tiebreaker. The team set
1620-402: The new park's first year, the team set a franchise attendance record of 254,407 and won the Midwest League championship. Former Cubs catcher Jody Davis managed the 2006 team. Baseball Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg was hired to manage the 2007 Chiefs, which went 71–68 and finished the second half 40–30 in a tie for the division title, but missed the playoff on a tiebreaker. The team set
1665-466: The purchase of the Peoria team of the Midwest League, which he later renamed the Peoria Hoosiers . That nickname would stick with the various Peoria clubs for the next couple of decades, including their first stretch with the Three-I League from 1905 to 1917. After the resumption of following the peak of American involvement in World War I , the Peoria Tractors name gained favor in 1919, with
1710-581: The remainder of the season. On December 10, 2019, Cozart and Will Wilson were traded to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations. He was released by the Giants on January 15, 2020. Cozart lives in Brentwood, Tennessee . He and his wife, Chelsea, have a son, Cooper. In July 2024, Cozart said he supported Donald Trump's 2024 bid for
1755-498: The rival Cardinals. He had 10 hits in his first 25 Major League at bats, and at least one hit in each of his first 6 games. On July 23, in a game against the Atlanta Braves , Cozart hyperextended his left elbow on a play at second. Joey Votto fielded a bunt and threw to second. Cozart covered second and had to reach into the line of the runner, Nate McLouth , to field the throw. McLouth slid into Cozart's arm, hyperextending
1800-667: The season with the Louisville Bats of the Class AAA International League , hitting .255/.310/.416 in 553 at bats (first in the International League ) with 91 runs (leading the league), four triples and 30 stolen bases (tied for 5th in the league; the fourth-most by any Reds minor league player). Cozart put up career highs in power with 17 home runs and 67 RBIs. He was named a Baseball America Triple-A All-Star for 2010, and received
1845-453: Was changed to the Chiefs in 1984. The 1984 team was managed by future Major League Baseball manager Joe Maddon . The 1988 team, managed by future major league manager Jim Tracy , was the subject of Joseph Bosco's book The Boys Who Would Be Cubs . Meinen Field was renovated before the 1992 season and renamed Vonachen Stadium in honor of Chiefs owner Pete Vonachen . The team moved to Dozer Park in downtown Peoria on May 24, 2002. During
Peoria Chiefs - Misplaced Pages Continue
1890-407: Was dubbed the Peoria Distillers , referencing the Hiram Walker plant. From 1891 to 1911, Frank E. Murphy from Green Bay, Wisconsin , became involved with baseball, beginning with the purchase of the Peoria team of the Midwest League, which he later renamed the Peoria Hoosiers . That nickname would stick with the various Peoria clubs for the next couple of decades, including their first stretch with
1935-597: Was named a Baseball America Class-A All-Star. Midwest League managers voted him the best defensive shortstop of the year. Cozart led the Dragons in batting average for the season. The Reds promoted Cozart to the Carolina Mudcats of the Class AA Southern League for the 2009 season. He hit six of his ten home runs in June and drove in 12 runs, earning him the Reds' Minor League Player of
1980-471: Was placed on the Reds 40-man roster after the 2010 season, but was optioned to Louisville on March 21, 2011. Cozart enjoyed a hot start to 2011, hitting .310/.357/.467 through his first 77 games. He went 100-for-323 with 26 doubles, two triples, seven homers, and 32 RBIs, along with nine steals. The Reds shortstops, Paul Janish and Édgar Rentería , were hitting a combined .226 with one homer and 29 RBI through July 6, and Reds fans everywhere were calling for
2025-430: Was reportedly called Sylvan Park and was located at the corner of Northeast Glendale Avenue and Spring Street on the location of the present-day St. Augustine Manor. In 1883, the club moved a few blocks toward Peoria Lake , to a facility called Lake View Park , on the southeast corner of Northeast Adams Street and Grant Street, which would remain the home of various Peoria clubs for the next four decades. The 1895 club
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