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 were named for the Peoria Indian tribe for which the city was named. In 2002, the team replaced the Native American logo associated with the "Chiefs" name with a logo of a cardinal. The logo was changed again in 2005 to 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.
History Earlier professional baseball in Peoria 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, 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 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 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 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.
Current franchise
The Peoria Suns began play in 1983 when the Danville Suns relocated to Peoria from Danville, Illinois. They played their home games at Meinen Field, built in 1968, near 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 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 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,Report: Chiefs losing Cubs affiliation to Kane County and they entered into 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.
The team is owned by Peoria Chiefs Community Baseball LLC.
2008 brawl During a game on July 23, 2008, Dayton Dragons hit three Chiefs batters. The teams played again 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 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 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.Associated Press, "Castillo gets jail, probation ", ESPN, August 6, 2009. 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.""No jail time for minor league pitcher in brawl" USA Today Retrieved May 7, 2010
Season-by-season records SeasonLeagueDivisionFinishWinsLossesWin%GBPostseasonMLB affiliatePeoria Suns1983Midwest League South4th5485.38826 —California AngelsPeoria Chiefs1984Midwest League South2nd6673.4754 —California Angels1985Midwest League South1st7565.536 —Wild Card BerthWon South Division title vs. Beloit, 2–1Lost MWL championship vs. Kenosha, 3-1Chicago Cubs1986Midwest League South2nd7763 .55010Wild Card BerthWon South Division title vs. Springfield, 2–0 Lost MWL championship vs. Waterloo, 2-0Chicago Cubs1987Midwest League South2nd7169 .50723 —Chicago Cubs1988Midwest League South5th7070 .50017 —Chicago Cubs1989Midwest League South2nd8059 .5761 —Chicago Cubs1990Midwest League South7th5582 .40134.5 —Chicago Cubs1991Midwest League South6th6276 .44918.5 —Chicago Cubs1992Midwest League South4th6274 .45628.5 —Chicago Cubs1993Midwest League South5th5979 .42823 —Chicago Cubs1994Midwest League South2nd6870 .4938.5 —Chicago Cubs1995Midwest League West4th6272 .46312.5 —St. Louis Cardinals1996Midwest League Central1st7957 .581—Won Second Half Central Division titleLost quarterfinals vs. Wisconsin, 2-1St. Louis Cardinals1997Midwest League Central3rd7069 .5046 —St. Louis Cardinals1998Midwest League Central2nd7268 .5141.5Wild Card BerthLost quarterfinals vs. Fort Wayne, 2-1St. Louis Cardinals1999Midwest League Central4th6376 .45316 —St. Louis Cardinals2000Midwest League West5th6374 .46014.5 —St. Louis Cardinals2001Midwest League West6th5781 .41331 —St. Louis Cardinals2002Midwest League West1st8553 .616—Won First Half West Division titleWon quarterfinals vs. Burlington, 2–0Won West Division title vs. Cedar Rapids, 2–0Won MWL championship vs. Lansing, 3–1St. Louis Cardinals2003Midwest League West6th6573 .47114.5 —St. Louis Cardinals2004Midwest League West2nd7564 .5408Wild Card BerthLost quarterfinals vs. Kane County, 2-1 St. Louis Cardinals2005Midwest League West5th6872 .4868.5 —Chicago Cubs2006Midwest League West3rd7564 .5404Won First Half West Division titleLost quarterfinals vs. Beloit, 2-1Chicago Cubs2007Midwest League West4th7168 .5117.5 —Chicago Cubs2008Midwest League West7th6078 .43518.5 —Chicago Cubs2009Midwest League West1st8157 .587—Won Second Half Central Division titleLost quarterfinals vs. Cedar Rapids, 2–0Chicago Cubs2010Midwest League West5th7166 .51811.5 —Chicago Cubs2011Midwest League West8th6079 .43222 —Chicago Cubs2012Midwest League West7th6375 .45714.5 —Chicago Cubs2013Midwest League West4th6869 .49619.5 —St. Louis Cardinals2014Midwest League West3rd7267 .51818.5 —St. Louis Cardinals2015Midwest League West4th7563 .54313Wild Card BerthWon quarterfinals vs. Kane County, 2–0Lost West Division title vs. Cedar Rapids, 2-0St. Louis Cardinals2016Midwest League West3rd7366 .52512.5Won First Half West Division titleLost quarterfinals vs. Clinton, 2-0St. Louis Cardinals2017Midwest League West4th6970 .49610.5Wild Card BerthLost quarterfinals vs. Quad Cities, 2-1 St. Louis Cardinals2018Midwest League West3rd7663 .5474.5Wild Card BerthWon quarterfinals vs. Quad Cities, 2–0Won West Division title vs. Cedar Rapids, 2–0Lost MWL championship vs. Bowling Green, 3-1St. Louis Cardinals2019Midwest League West8th5485 .38827 —St. Louis Cardinals2020Midwest League Season cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic)St. Louis Cardinals2021High-A Central West6th4575 .37533 —St. Louis Cardinals2022Midwest League West5th5676.42417.5 —St. Louis Cardinals2023Midwest League West2nd6963.52313 Wild Card BerthLost West Division Title vs. Cedar Rapids, 2-1St. Louis Cardinals2024Midwest League West5th5972.45018 —St. Louis Cardinals2025Midwest LeagueWest6th5179.39222—St. Louis CardinalsTotals — — —2,8062,959 — — —
Roster
Notable alumni
Baseball Hall of Fame alumni
Greg Maddux (1985) Inducted, 2013 Ryne Sandberg (2007–08, MGR) Inducted, 2005
Notable award winning alumni Jerome Walton (1987) 1989 NL Rookie of the Year Rick Sutcliffe (1991) 1979 NL Rookie of the Year; 1984 NL Cy Young Award (Peoria Chiefs MLB rehab) Albert Pujols (2000) 2001 NL Rookie of the Year; 3× NL Most Valuable Player (2005, 2008–2009) Yadier Molina (2002) 9× Gold Glove; 10× MLB All-Star Nomar Garciaparra (2005) 1997 AL Rookie of the Year (Peoria Chiefs MLB Rehab) Kerry Wood (2005, 2007) 1998 NL Rookie of the Year (Peoria Chiefs MLB Rehab) Scott Williamson (2006) 1999 NL Rookie of the Year (Peoria Chiefs MLB Rehab) Josh Donaldson (2008) 2015 AL Most Valuable Player
Notable alumni Wally Joyner (1983) 4× MLB All-Star Mark McLemore (1983) Devon White (1983) 7× Gold Glove; 3× MLB All-Star Joe Maddon (MGR: 1984) 3× Manager of the Year (2008, 2011, 2015); Manager: 2016 World Series Champion Chicago Cubs Rafael Palmeiro (1985) 3× Gold Glove; 4× MLB All-Star Mark Grace (1986) 3× MLB All-Star Joe Girardi (1986) MLB All-Star; Manager: 2009 World Series Champion New York Yankees Dwight Smith (1986) Derrick May (1987) Heathcliff Slocumb (1987, 1989) MLB All-Star Steve Trout (1987) (Peoria Chiefs MLB Rehab) Rick Wilkins (1988) Scott Sanderson (1988) MLB All-Star Plácido Polanco (1995) 3× Gold Glove; 2× MLB All-Star Cliff Politte (1996) Tom Pagnozzi (1998) 2× MLB All-Star (Peoria Chiefs MLB Rehab) Rick Ankiel (1998) Coco Crisp (2000) 2011 AL Stolen Base Leader Jesse Orosco (2000) 2× MLB All-Star; (Peoria Chiefs MLB Rehab) JD Drew (2001) MLB All-Star (Peoria Chiefs MLB Rehab) Dan Haren (2002) 3× MLB All-Star Steve Kline (2002) (Peoria Chiefs MLB Rehab) Jason Motte (2003) 2012 NL Saves Leader Brendan Ryan (2003) Sam Fuld (2005) Rich Hill (2005) Jody Davis (MGR: 2006) 2× MLB All-Star Mark Prior (2006) MLB All-Star (Peoria Chiefs MLB Rehab) Jeff Samardzija (2006) MLB All-Star Darwin Barney (2007) Henry Blanco (2007) (Peoria Chiefs MLB Rehab) Welington Castillo (2007) Wade Miller (2007) (Peoria Chiefs MLB Rehab) Scott Eyre (2008) (Peoria Chiefs MLB Rehab) Josh Harrison (2008) 2× MLB All-Star