The St. Louis Cardinals farm system consists of six Minor League Baseball affiliates across the United States and in the Dominican Republic. Three teams are owned by the major league club, while three others—the Memphis Redbirds, Ozarks Springbirds, and Peoria Chiefs—are independently owned.
The Cardinals have been affiliated with the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds of the International League since 1998, making it the longest-running active affiliation in the organization among teams not owned by the Cardinals. The longest affiliation in team history was the 37-year relationship with the Texas League's Houston Buffaloes from 1919 to 1942 and 1946 to 1958. Their newest affiliate is the High-A Peoria Chiefs of the Midwest League, which became a Cardinals affiliate in 2013.
Geographically, St. Louis' closest domestic affiliate is the Peoria Chiefs, which are approximately away. St. Louis' furthest domestic affiliates are the Single-A Palm Beach Cardinals of the Florida State League and the Rookie Florida Complex League Cardinals of the Florida Complex League, which share a facility some away.
Current affiliates
The St. Louis Cardinals farm system consists of six minor league affiliates.
ClassTeamLeagueLocationBallparkAffiliated Triple-A Memphis Redbirds International League Memphis, Tennessee AutoZone Park 1998 Double-A Ozarks Springbirds Texas League Springfield, Missouri Route 66 Stadium 2005 High-A Peoria Chiefs Midwest League Peoria, Illinois Dozer Park 2003 Single-A Palm Beach Cardinals Florida State League Jupiter, Florida Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium 2003 Rookie FCL Cardinals Florida Complex League Jupiter, Florida Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium 2007 DSL Cardinals Dominican Summer League Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional Las Américas Complex 2022
Past affiliates
Key SeasonEach year is linked to an article about that particular Cardinals season.
1919–1962 Minor League Baseball operated with five classes (Double-A, Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class D) from 1919 to 1935. Class A1, between Double-A and Class A, was added in 1936. The minors continued to operate with these six levels through 1945. Triple-A was established as the highest classification in 1946, and Class A1 became Double-A, with Class A through D remaining. These six levels continued through 1962. The Pacific Coast League (PCL) was reclassified from Triple-A to Open in 1952 due to the possibility of becoming a third major league. This arrangement ended following the 1957 season when the relocation of the National League's Dodgers and Giants to the West Coast ended any chance of the PCL being promoted.