Biography"In 1994 the Springfield Cardinals moved to Madison, WI to become the Madison Hatters. That left a gap in Springfield, IL which was filled two weeks before the Midwest League season opened when stadium lease negotiations failed in Waterloo, IA, forcing the Waterloo Diamonds to move. The Waterloo club, a San Diego Padres affiliate, was renamed the Springfield Sultans. They won the first half southern division title with a 38-32 record but went 31-39 in the second half and fell in the playoffs. The overall 69-71 record was a pleasant surprise for a team with no All-Stars and which was outscored 723-674. Manager Ed Romero's club had SB leader Earl Johnson (.280/.328/.317, 80 SB) in the outfield as well as Bobby Bonds Jr. (.276/.382/.411). The team drew just 54,218 fans, the least in the circuit."--Baseball-Reference, 2021
