When the Cardinals Caravan rolls into town each year, kids in the crowd get the chance to seek advice from current and former St. Louis Cardinals.
Jim Edmonds, a former all-star outfielder for the Cardinals, told a young outfielder to just keep practicing and improving his skills.
Danny Cox, who pitched in the 1985 World Series for the Cardinals, advised the youngsters to try every sport to figure out what they want to do and can do.
Andrew Knizner, the youngest of the group that visited the Missouri Farm Bureau on Friday, told the crowd of a few hundred fans he would have chosen football if he wasn't playing baseball. So far his decision is working out.
Knizner is one of the top prospects in the Cardinals' system, splitting time with the Springfield Cardinals and Memphis Redbirds last season as a catcher.
Joining Knizner on the Caravan is Dakota Hudson, who has spent time with Knizner in the minor leagues before getting called up to the majors last season.
"He's got electric stuff," Knizner said of Hudson. "I caught him a little bit in Double-A in 2017 and caught him a little bit last year, so seeing his progression over just a year really shows the work he puts in to becoming a better pitcher each and every day. I don't think it was a surprise to anyone to see him get up to the big leagues and perform very well. He's got a very good career ahead of him."
Knizner does too if he keeps producing like he did last season when he hit .313 with seven home runs and 45 RBI in the minors.
And the Caravan gives him the opportunity to pick the brains of Hudson, Mike Mayers and Chasen Shreve.
"We all bounce stuff off of each other," Shreve said.
Shreve has pitched in the majors for six years and Mayers for three.
"It's cool hearing a different side because most of the time I'm hanging out with position players, hitters," Knizner said. "But it's cool to hear these guys talk about the pitching side and I can learn a lot just listening to these guys talk."
Away from the Caravan, Knizner also has nine-time All-Star catcher Yadier Molina to lean on.
"As far as accelerating my catching, who better to do it with than one of the best catchers of all time," Knizner said. "So I think working out with him and learning from him is the best thing for me."
But for these few days in January, Knizner is just like the kids in the audience - seeking advice from Edmonds, Cox and Joe Magrane, another former Cardinal with World Series experience.
"One of the best things is hearing the alumni talk about what the game was like when they played and hearing stories of what they did coming up and what's important, the values that you should play the game with," Knizner said. "And that's pretty cool to see how baseball has changed over time, but hasn't changed too much. It's still the same game."