The Springfield Cardinals wasted no time turning one of the strangest umpiring moments of the season into a promotion.
After Doug Eddings reportedly told St. Louis pitcher Hancel Rincón to fix the angle of his hat during the Cardinals’ game against the Colorado Rockies on Sept.
4, Springfield leaned all the way into the controversy. The team announced a giveaway for Thursday, Sept. 10: the first 2,000 fans through the gates will receive a Springfield Cardinals Crooked Cap, with Thirsty Thursday drink specials also part of the night.
The whole episode began badly for Rincón in his major league debut. He allowed three earned runs and got just one out in the Cardinals’ wild win over Colorado after Eddings’ order to adjust his cap. Cardinals manager Oli Marmol called it a "power-hungry move," and the situation only got worse later in the inning when Eddings missed a call at the plate that helped the Rockies score again.
St. Louis’ comeback from a two-run deficit in the ninth kept the mood around Cardinals Nation from turning much darker. For Springfield, though, the incident became an easy target - and a smart one.
Fans in Springfield know Rincón well. He started eight games there in 2025 and posted a 3.61 ERA before moving to the bullpen with Triple-A Memphis in 2026, where he kept building on his breakout. Even though he’s no longer in Springfield, the Double-A club has continued to benefit from the organizational turnover under Chaim Bloom, who has been making sell-offs as the organization’s president of baseball operations.
That roster is stacked with names Cardinals fans are already circling. Rainiel Rodriguez, Liam Doyle, Tanner Frankin, Yhoiker Fajardo, Tai Peete and Jesús Báez are among the players Springfield is counting on as future contributors in St. Louis.
The results back up the buzz, too. Springfield has already clinched a playoff berth after going 41-20 in the second half, the best record in the Texas League, and that mark puts them into the postseason under Double-A playoff rules. Now the club is chasing back-to-back Texas League titles, and its lineup and rotation look deep enough to make that a real possibility.
For anyone tracking the Cardinals’ future - or just looking for a good minor league baseball story - the crooked cap giveaway on Sept. 10 is the latest reason to pay attention to Springfield.
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