PEORIA, Ill. – Peoria’s boys of summer will be back on the field this weekend.
The Peoria Chiefs begin their 2026 Midwest League season on Friday night with a three-game trip to Cedar Rapids. The Chiefs will return on Tuesday for the home opener after South Bend.
The Opening Day roster of 13 position players and 17 pitchers was revealed on Wednesday. Five of the St. Louis Cardinals’ top 30 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline, will begin their year in Peoria. Some of the more notable players playing for the Chiefs to start 2026 include catcher Rainiel Rodriguez, right-handed pitcher Tanner Franklin, and outfielder Yhoiker Fajardo.
Manager Roberto Espinoza is in his 2nd year leading the Chiefs. He says winning is always a priority. But Espinoza notes that developing the future stars of the Cardinals is just as important, and the most exciting part of leading the team.
“All these guys are chasing a dream, their dream is to be in the big leagues at some point,” Espinoza said. “I talked to them about this and our goal is to help them as a coach to achieve that dream.”
Espinoza says his team is full of players that will compete at a high level with a lot of energy.
Another new face to the Chiefs this year is behind the microphone, with Bradley University graduate Larry Larson as the new play-by-play announcer. The Rockford native comes back to Peoria after spending 2025 as the voice of the Tampa Bay Rays’ affiliate, the Charleston RiverDogs, and prior to that a role with the Beloit Sky Carp.
Larson says being the voice of a Peoria team carries a lot of weight for him, in a city that enjoys its sports teams. In addition, he’s also excited about the potential of the prospects playing at Dozer Park this year.
“We’re going to have a lot of players that could be on the next great Cardinals team coming through,” Larson said. “So, having the chance to broadcast, hopefully, some big moments with those players is a lot of fun.”
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