Category: From My Seat

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From My Seat Sports

Rare Bird

Matt Koperniak (Photo: Wes Hale)

I’ve interviewed professional baseball players for more than two decades. There are talented players who, honestly, aren’t that interesting away from the diamond. They’re good ballplayers, and baseball is what they know. There are also very interesting baseball players who aren’t all that talented. Now and then, though, you find yourself in the home team’s dugout at AutoZone Park with a very good baseball player who has a very interesting story to share. Like the Memphis Redbirds’ top hitter this season, outfielder Matt Koperniak.

That story? It began on February 8, 1998, when Koperniak was born in London. (Koperniak played for Great Britain in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.) “My dad was in the military,” explains Koperniak. “He was in Italy for a bit, then England. But I have no memories of that time.” Matt and his family moved back to the States — to Adams, Massachusetts — before his third birthday.

Koperniak played collegiately at Division III Trinity College in Connecticut, part of the New England Small College Athletic Conference. He hit .394 as a junior in 2019, but beating up on the likes of Tufts and Wesleyan doesn’t typically catch the eye of major-league scouts. When the coronavirus pandemic wiped out his senior season, Koperniak received an extra year of eligibility but, having graduated with a degree in biology, he chose to sign as a free agent with the St. Louis Cardinals.

“I’ve always loved baseball,” says Koperniak, “and it’s helped me get places, including a good school. My advisor — agent now — was able to get me into pro ball, so here we are.” He played in a few showcases as well as the New England Collegiate Baseball League, enough to convince a Cardinal scout he was worth that free agent offer.

The Redbirds hosted Memphis Red Sox Night on August 10th, the home team taking the field in commemorative uniforms honoring the Bluff City’s Negro Leagues team of the 1930s and ’40s. Luken Baker (the franchise’s all-time home run leader) and Jordan Walker (the team’s top-ranked prospect) each slammed home runs in a Memphis win over Gwinnett, but by the final out it had become Matt Koperniak Night at AutoZone Park. He drilled a home run, a triple, and a single, falling merely a double shy of hitting for the cycle. It was perfectly Koperniak: Outstanding baseball blended into others’ eye-catching heroics.

“It’s trying to do the little things right,” he emphasizes, “and being a competitor. The Cardinals do a great job of getting us to play well-rounded baseball. Everybody has the same mindset: How can I help win the next game? You gotta stay in attack mode to be productive.”

Koperniak is batting .309 with 17 home runs and leads the International League with 125 hits. He plays both corner outfields with equal grace, always hitting the cutoff man and hardly ever fooled on a ball hit shallow or deep. It’s sound, fundamental baseball, the kind older fans like to describe as “the Cardinal Way.” Koperniak credits current Cardinals Paul Goldschmidt and Brendan Donovan with setting the standard for daily attention to all those “little things” that get a player to the big leagues and, importantly, keep him there.

There has been flux in the Cardinals’ outfield for several years, no player sticking for longer than three or four years. Will Matt Koperniak get a chance to roam that precious green at Busch Stadium? For now, he prepares by staying in what he calls “attack mode” every trip to the plate. And if he does get to St. Louis, Koperniak will become only the 64th NESCAC grad to don a big-league uniform (much fewer with biology degrees). He’s living a distinctive life, writing a unique story, one fundamental act at a time.

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Can’t-Miss Cards?

Jordan Walker (photo by Wes Hale)

Since the St. Louis Cardinals last played in the World Series (2013), the franchise has suited up six prospects of the “can’t miss” variety. These are the future stars who become centerpieces in annual postseason runs. Alas, the six players share two distinct similarities: each has played for the Memphis Redbirds, and each has, in fact, missed.

Oscar Taveras was the Cardinals’ Minor League Player of the Year with Double-A Springfield in 2012. By the time he suited up for Memphis in 2013, Taveras was the second-ranked prospect in all of baseball. A line-drive machine from the left side of the plate, Taveras battled injuries over two seasons with the Redbirds, but still hit .306 over 46 games in 2013 and .318 over 62 games before being promoted to St. Louis in 2014. He hit a game-tying home run in the only game St. Louis would win in the 2014 National League Championship Series, then died with his girlfriend in a car accident two weeks later. Taveras was intoxicated behind the wheel.

Michael Wacha needed only 15 games at the Triple-A level to convince the Cardinals he was ready for a big-league rotation. After posting a 2.65 ERA for Memphis in 2013, Wacha joined St. Louis and came within an out of no-hitting the Washington Nationals in only his ninth major-league start. He earned MVP honors in the 2013 NLCS, twice beating the Dodgers and not allowing a run in 13 innings. He battled injuries but remained a part of the Cardinals’ rotation for six years, winning 17 games in 2015. Since departing as a free agent after the 2019 season, Wacha has pitched for five different clubs. Now with the Kansas City Royals, he’s four wins shy of 100 for his career.

Alex Reyes was the Cardinals’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2015 at the tender age of 21. He struck out 93 hitters in only 65 innings for Memphis in 2016 before a late-season promotion to St. Louis, where he posted a 1.57 ERA over 46 innings. But Reyes only pitched in 20 games over the next four years, sidelined by one significant arm injury after another. He made the National League All-Star team as a closer in 2021, a season he topped for the Cardinals with 29 saves. But he hasn’t thrown a pitch since surrendering a walk-off homer in a wild-card loss to the Dodgers to end that season.

Jack Flaherty was the Cardinals’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2017 when he helped the Redbirds to a Pacific Coast League championship by going 7-2 with a 2.74 ERA over 15 starts. He was a certified big-league ace two years later, posting a 2.75 ERA and the most strikeouts (231) in a season for St. Louis since Hall of Famer Bob Gibson retired in 1975. But by 2023, Flaherty was a trade piece, going to Baltimore in return for current Redbirds infielder Cesar Prieto.

Dylan Carlson was the Cardinals’ Minor League Player of the Year in 2019 when he hit .361 over 18 games with Memphis after a September promotion from Springfield. He lost what would have been a full season at Memphis to the 2020 pandemic, but still took over right field in St. Louis in 2021. Carlson finished third in National League Rookie of the Year voting that season after hitting .266 with 18 home runs and 65 RBIs. But injuries have diminished his production. Carlson batted .198 over 59 games this season before the Cardinals traded him to Tampa Bay last week.


It’s unfair to include 22-year-old Jordan Walker among this group of fallen stars, but you can’t help but wonder (if not worry) with Walker posting pedestrian numbers (.252, 7 home runs through Sunday) against Triple-A pitching after leading the Cardinals with a .276 average a year ago. Prospects are fun to rank and track as they rapidly climb the minor-league ladder. But sustainable success in the big leagues remains the goal. And for a franchise now more than a decade removed from its last National League pennant, “can’t miss” must be reconsidered.

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Walker in Memphis

Jordan Walker (Photo: Wes Hale)

Few players have risen through the St. Louis Cardinals’ minor-league system with the star power of Jordan Walker. Twice the franchise’s Minor League Player of the Year, Walker entered the 2023 season as the fourth-ranked prospect throughout the minor leagues according to Baseball America. And Walker had yet to turn 21. He made the Cardinals’ Opening Day roster having never played a game at the Triple A level and proceeded to start his big-league career with a 12-game hitting streak. Not the stuff of typical rookies.

Cut to the present and Walker finds himself midway through a 2024 season that hasn’t gone precisely to plan. He again started in right field for St. Louis on Opening Day, but struggled in April with a .155 batting average and no home runs through 20 games. (In 117 games as a rookie with the Cardinals, Walker batted .276 with a .445 slugging percentage and 16 home runs.) On April 24th, the Cardinals sent Walker to Memphis to fine-tune his swing and recharge for his sophomore campaign. Over 43 games with the Redbirds, Jordan has batted .264, slugged .402, and hit three home runs.

“I’m trying to relax,” says Walker. “I’ve shortened my stance a bit. So I’m not as rigid when I start my swing. I feel like I’m seeing the ball better.” How relaxed? Last Thursday, Walker took a nap during an optional team batting practice and proceeded to pick up three hits, including a homer, in a win over the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. He also threw out a runner at the plate from right field.

Walker says he hasn’t had a conversation with Cardinals’ brass specifically about their expectations for his next promotion to the big club. But he knows it’s about the magic word for hitters at all levels: consistency. “If my swing is where it needs to be,” notes Walker, “if I’m driving the ball the way I’ve been recently, I should be fine. As long as I hit the ball hard, everything should work out.”

Had Walker played four years of college baseball, he’d just now be starting his pro career. Instead, he has a season in the big leagues on his resume, and the weight of expectations for the kind of career that takes a franchise closer to the World Series. Does that weight get heavy? “Maybe a little bit,” he says. “But I don’t think I’ve changed anything, approach-wise or mindset-wise. I just wasn’t as consistent with what got me success in the minor leagues, and what got me success last year. That’s the key. These pitchers are tough. Your swing can feel good, but if you get tough pitches, it’s always tough to hit. But I’m comfortable with my swing, I’m making good swing decisions, and I feel like I can drive the ball. With a simple approach, I’ll catch fire again. It’s an up-and-down game.”

Ben Johnson recently became only the third manager in Redbirds history to win 300 games, but he’s still getting to know Walker, who has now played a half-season, total, at the Triple A level. “With Jordan, it’s a matter of getting comfortable playing every day,” says Johnson. “He’s about to catch fire, any day now. And we’ll get him [back to St. Louis] soon.”

After a slow start, the Cardinals have played themselves into contention for a wild-card playoff spot. In addition to Walker’s absence, the team has suffered lengthy stays on the injured list for Tommy Edman, Lars Nootbaar, and Willson Contreras. That’s virtually half a batting order the club can infuse for the second half of the 2024 season. And it can be safely said, among the four, no one has a higher ceiling of potential than Jordan Walker. Greatness awaits.

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Prospecting at AZP

Victor Scott II (photo by Wes Hale)

Something is rotten in the state of St. Louis Cardinals baseball. The Memphis Redbirds’ parent club finished in last place in 2023, the first time in 33 years the proud franchise took on the scent of a cellar. Following some significant changes to the club’s starting pitching rotation, hopes were elevated for a better 2024, only to see the team open the season as though its collective wings had been clipped. There were injuries (three outfielders opened the season on the injured list), scoring droughts (the Cards endured a 12-game stretch in which they scored more than three runs exactly once), and generally dreadful play from both veterans (Paul Goldschmidt) and rising “stars” (Nolan Gorman). As Memorial Day nears, is there hope for fun summer days at the ballpark?

Memphis is playing a role, as it has since 1998 when the Redbirds arrived, in efforts to cure the Cardinals’ ills. Last year’s star rookie — right fielder Jordan Walker — opened the season with St. Louis but returned for some Triple-A development when his batting average plummeted to .155 after 20 games. Likewise, the franchise’s third-ranked prospect — center fielder Victor Scott II — started the season in the Cardinals’ batting order, but only because of those injuries to outfielders Tommy Edman, Dylan Carlson, and Lars Nootbaar. Scott batted .085 in 20 games before getting his ticket to Memphis for a first taste of Triple-A pitching.

Scott stole an eye-popping 94 bases last year, a season he split between Class-A Peoria and Double-A Springfield. He knows speed will be his meal ticket, as evidenced by the frequent bunts you’ll see from the 23-year-old Georgia native. Through 23 games with Memphis, Scott has stolen eight bases (and only been caught once). But his on-base percentage of .271 is about 80 points shy of what he’ll need to crack the Cardinals’ everyday lineup. While Scott will likely spend the summer with Memphis, look for Walker — batting .318 in 17 games for the Redbirds — to soon reclaim his place in right field for the Cardinals.

• The Cardinals acquired infielder Cesar Prieto at last year’s trade deadline in a deal that sent pitcher Jack Flaherty to Baltimore. Through Sunday, Prieto was batting .340 for the Redbirds with 27 RBIs and 27 runs scored. With five (!) St. Louis regulars batting under .240 and the club near the bottom of the National League in scoring, you gotta figure Prieto might have a place with the big club in the near future. (Veteran infielder Brandon Crawford is hitting .097 in a reserve role for St. Louis.)

• The hottest pitching prospect in the Cardinals’ system is 21-year-old righty Tink Hence, currently occupying a spot in the rotation at Double-A Springfield. In his latest start last Saturday, Hence struck out nine in six innings in a win over Midland. Should Hence show signs of growth in the coming weeks, he could make his Triple-A debut with Memphis shortly after his 22nd birthday (August 6th). With four of their starters in their mid-30s, St. Louis desperately needs a young arm (or three) to emerge, ready to retire big-league batters.

• Keep an eye on Luken Baker’s home run total. The Redbirds’ first-baseman has slammed 11 dingers through Sunday, giving him 65 for his career with Memphis. Baker needs 10 more to surpass Nick Stavinoha’s record of 74 (a standard established in 2011). 

• How quickly can a former Redbird impact the big club? If you like the modern WAR metric (a measure of a player’s overall impact, relative to an average player), the answer is less than two months. Rookie shortstop Masyn Winn — last year’s everyday shortstop with Memphis — is leading the Cardinals with 1.8 WAR. He also leads the club in stolen bases (7) and is near the top of the National League in defensive metrics for his position.

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Grand Gasol

Photo by Wes Hale

It has been a trying basketball season in the Bluff City. The Memphis Tigers suffered a midseason collapse unlike any in memory and missed out on the NCAA tournament for the first time in three years. As for our NBA favorites, the Grizzlies have made a mockery of the “MASH unit” cliche with injured stars — Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Marcus Smart — shaping the team’s lousy record more than their healthy, lesser-known replacements. The Griz have lost 50 games for only the second time in 15 seasons, an unwanted marker fans knew the team would hit as early as December.

But then came last Saturday night at FedExForum. In town to see his jersey number (33) retired was “Big Spain” himself, Marc Gasol. The younger brother of Hall of Famer Pau, Marc received the banner treatment from the franchise before the man he was traded for in a franchise-shifting (and Gasol-family-shifting) deal way back in 2008. Whether or not Pau ever receives this salute from the Grizzlies, the honor was a no-doubter for Marc, the first Memphis player to earn first-team All-NBA honors (2015), the 2013 Defensive Player of the Year, the franchise’s career leader in rebounds, blocks, and minutes played. He may have won an NBA title with the Toronto Raptors (in 2019), but Gasol had “Grit” and “Grind” engraved on his championship ring. When or if the Grizzlies consider unveiling a statue in front of FedExForum, the case could be made it should look a lot like Marc Gasol. 

We attend sporting events for the possibility of what might happen next, but we tend to go back because of what we’ve seen, the history a franchise and its players make over the course of several years. This makes the retiring of Marc Gasol’s jersey — and Zach Randolph’s in 2021 — so essential to the bond still being formed between an NBA team and the city it’s called home now for 23 years. Why cheer a club that won’t sniff the playoffs this spring? You might look back at Marc Gasol’s first winter in Memphis, when the Grizzlies went 24-58, for your answer. Memphis went 40-42 in 2009-10, then reached the playoffs the next seven years, including the Western Conference finals in 2013. Darkest before the dawn, as they say.

On the subject of reflective salutes, it might be time for the Grizzlies to consider a banner that mentions the team’s Southwest Division titles in 2022 and ’23. If you’re the Boston Celtics or Los Angeles Lakers, the rafters have no room for “championships” that don’t come with a parade. But if your franchise has yet to reach the NBA Finals? Let’s acknowledge teams that stand out for posterity, even without a parade (yet) down Beale Street.

• How severely has the injury bug infected the 2023-24 Memphis Grizzlies? Through Sunday, no fewer than 22 players have started a game for Memphis, but only two — Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane —  have started as many as 41 (half the regular season), and only Jackson will finish the season with more than 50 starts. Ten years from now, how will Trey Jemison, Jordan Goodwin, and Jaylen Nowell be remembered in these parts? Each started at least one game for this Grizzlies club. They won’t be getting a banner from the franchise, but if you, a devoted fan, recall their names in 2034, you should.

• With Vince Carter’s election to the Basketball Hall of Fame, it marks consecutive years that a former Grizzly has received the sport’s highest honor. (Pau Gasol was inducted in 2023.) Carter was part of three playoff teams (2015-17) with Memphis over the course of his 22-year career.

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Redbirds Open Campaign ’24

Luken Baker (photo by Wes Hale)

The Memphis Redbirds opened their 26th season Friday at AutoZone Park with a 6-5 comeback victory over the Charlotte Knights (Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox). The 3 p.m. first pitch allowed the entire game to be played under immaculate sunshine and in front of a larger-than-typical crowd for a Redbirds lid-lifter. The Memphis lineup was notable both for a player absent and another present, perhaps a hint that as timeless as baseball may feel to those who love the sport, it’s rarely predictable.

Let’s start with the missing player. Victor Scott II is an outfielder with the kind of electricity — speed and glovework — that calls to mind the hallowed St. Louis Cardinals teams of the 1980s. Last season, Scott stole a jaw-dropping 94 bases (50 at Class-A Peoria and 44 at Double-A Springfield) and earned a minor-league Gold Glove for his skills in center field. Scheduled to make his Triple-A debut this year with the Redbirds, Scott instead opened the season in center for the parent Cardinals after no fewer than three St. Louis outfielders (Tommy Edman, Lars Nootbaar, and Dylan Carlson) were sidelined with injuries. The fourth-ranked prospect in the Cardinals’ system, Scott is only 23 years old and will likely see some action in Memphis. Unless, like Vince Coleman four decades ago, he plays too well with the Cards to be demoted. (Scott had two hits in 14 at-bats in the Cardinals’ opening series in Los Angeles. He also stole his first big-league base.)

While Scott’s absence feels significant, Luken Baker’s return to AutoZone Park feels somewhat astounding. The big first baseman mastered Triple-A pitching in 2023, slamming 33 home runs and driving in 98 runs in only 84 games. Baker posted a slash line of .334/.439/.720 and an OPS of 1.159, enough to earn him International League MVP honors despite playing just over half the season with Memphis.

So how is the 27-year-old Baker not slugging in big-league stadiums now? That’s a question for John Mozeliak, the Cardinals’ president of baseball operations. It’s hard to imagine Baker’s trade value being higher than it was over the winter, even with his struggles (.209/.313/.314) in 33 games (99 at-bats) with St. Louis last season. He homered Friday to spark the Redbirds’ comeback and is now merely 19 shy of Nick Stavinoha’s franchise record of 74. If the long ball sells tickets, Memphis has a 285-pound cash register at first base. And as long as Paul Goldschmidt still occupies the same position for St. Louis, Baker will be selling Triple-A tickets.

• Germantown native Ben Johnson is starting his fifth season as Redbirds manager, the longest tenure for a Memphis skipper since Chris Maloney held the job from 2007 to 2011. The Redbirds have yet to have a winning season under Johnson, but they’ve yet to be dreadful on his watch, either. (Best record under Johnson: 73-77 in 2022. Worst: 71-78 in 2023.) The pre-pandemic Pacific Coast League championships of 2017 and 2018 seem longer than six or seven years ago. Does winning at the Triple-A level matter? Perhaps not to the fortunes of the big-league club, but for casual fans considering entertainment options for their evening? It can’t hurt.

• How about some perspective on the Redbirds’ affiliation with the St. Louis Cardinals, a bond that dates back to 1998 when the Triple-A franchise moved from Louisville to Memphis? Only four Triple-A franchises (among 30) have longer affiliations with their parent club: Iowa (Chicago Cubs), Omaha (Kansas City Royals), Toledo (Detroit Tigers), and Tacoma (Seattle Mariners). As for professional baseball in Memphis, no previous affiliation comes close to the 27-year marriage with the Cardinals. The second-longest is 11 years, from 1984 to 1994 when the Double-A Memphis Chicks fielded prospects for the Royals. 

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Grizzlies Defeat Raptors

Jaren Jackson Jr. goes up for a bucket against the Toronto Raptors on January 22, 2024. (Photo by: Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images)

On Monday night in Toronto, the Memphis Grizzlies secured their first wire-to-wire victory of the season by beating the Toronto Raptors 108-100. Memphis improved to 12-12 on the road while just being 4-15 at home on the season.

Memphis seems as if it has been cursed for most of the season with multiple key players dealing with injuries. In their abscence, Jaren Jackson Jr., the longest-tenured player on the roster, continues to dominate opponents and is at times unguardable. He was in his bag against the Raptors and finished with 27 points on 12-for-22 shooting, six steals (career-high), five assists, and four rebounds in 32 minutes.

The reigning Defensive Player of the Year now has 5+ assists in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.

Luke Kennard added a season-high 19 points and dished out seven assists. Kennard converted on 5-of-13 from the three-point line, and seems to have found his rhythm as of late.

Vince Williams Jr. continued to be dominant on both ends of the floor, adding 18 points and 10 rebounds (7-of-11 FG) for the first double-double of his career.

Jon Konchar scored six points, and had five rebounds, five blocks (career-high), and four assists.

Tid-bits

Every player that entered the game for Memphis recorded an assist.

Analysis

In my summation, with half the season gone, the Grizzlies have nothing left to play for. The chances to make the play-in tournament are all but over. And the team still might not have a poor enough record to get a lottery pick.

The NBA Trade Deadline is fast approaching: February 8, 2024 (3 p.m. CT). Memphis is linked to a number of players in trade rumors, but it would surprise me if the Grizzlies make a major trade at this point. I do think minor trades will likely happen. Memphis needs to solidify its bench for seasons to come.

With a healthy Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jackson Jr., this team is hard to beat, but with better role players, they would be championship contenders. For the rest of the season, Memphis should just continue to develop the young talent on the roster to have them prepared for next year.

Next Up

The conclusion of the Grizzlies four-game road trip is Wednesday night in Miami against the Heat. Tip-off: 6:30 p.m. CT

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Sports Legacy Award: Ozzie Smith

photo by Taka Yanagimoto

Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith is one of four 2024 recipients of the National Civil Rights Museum’s Sports Legacy Award. Along with Alex English, Calvin Hill, and Renee Montgomery, Smith will be saluted before and during the Memphis Grizzlies’ game against the Golden State Warriors on Martin Luther King Day.

Congratulations on the Sports Legacy Award. You’re only the second baseball legend (after Willie Mays) to receive this honor.

I guess I’m treading in tall cotton. Any honor you get from outside your sport or business . . . I feel blessed and honored. To be included with people who are doing something outside of what they’re known for.

You were born in Mobile, Alabama, and you were in Los Angeles as a child during the Watts Riots. What comes to mind when you think of Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement?

Dr. King and so many others — Andrew Young, Ralph Abernathy — had the courage to stand up and allow us as African Americans to achieve the things we were able to achieve. The fight continues today. It hasn’t ended. There’s a lot of whitewashing going on right now, as we speak. I think of the trials and tribulations: the water hoses, dogs, the pain. Everything the people who came before us had to suffer to get us to this point . . . I take my hat off to people who are willing to continue the fight. Though we’ve come a long way, we still have a long way to go.

Do you have distinct memories of April 4, 1968? You were 13 years old when we lost Dr. King.

When you have a leader like that, his impact was so powerful. Anytime you have a leader like Dr. King succumb to assassination, it has a profound effect on your life, from that point forward. You have visions of where it happened, how it happened. I’ll get the chance to walk in that space [this weekend]. I’m sure it’s very touching.

Memphis has been Cardinals country for generations, but officially since 1998 when the Triple-A Redbirds began play here. Do you get to the Bluff City at all? Have you visited the National Civil Rights Museum?

I’ve been to Memphis, but I haven’t had the opportunity to visit the museum. This will be my first time.

You’re currently president of the PGA REACH Gateway Foundation. What can you share about that program?

I retired in 1996, and for anyone who plays sports for 20 or 25 years, you’re looking for that next challenge. There’s a competitive void in your life, and I gravitated to golf. I fell in love with it so quickly. Growing up in Southern California, I never had the opportunity to pick up a golf club. It was always baseball, basketball, or football. When I was asked to be president of the St. Louis chapter [of PGA REACH], I didn’t know what that entailed.

Exposing kids not just to the game of golf, but the business of golf is a great way for them to learn discipline in life, honesty. It was through that prism that I could give kids opportunities they otherwise wouldn’t have. 

We’ve also taken on the challenge of giving veterans their lives back. As I look back on my career, the thing you miss the most is camaraderie, being with the guys. I think it’s the same thing with soldiers: you miss the people you’ve spent the majority of your time with. A lot of these guys have PTSD. PGA HOPE helps give them their lives back, and that’s just as important as giving young kids a new experience. We’re in the process of building a facility near the grounds of the old Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis. I’m very proud to be a part of this. 

There are much fewer Black players in Major League Baseball today than when you debuted in 1978. Are there steps baseball can take to better engage young Black athletes?

It will take the work of a lot of people. Most of the [development] focus these days is in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and the islands. There’s not as much red tape. We have programs here, trying to get more [African-American] kids interested. But there has to be a lot more money to get it back to the level it was in the late Sixties or early Seventies. I don’t have all the answers, but there has to be a lot more interest to get it back to the level it should be. HBCUs may be the way. Get the numbers back up. There are talented African Americans, but they don’t have the guidance or vehicle to elevate [their skills].

The Cardinals finished in last place in 2023, the first time in over three decades. What must the club do to regain its footing and return to the World Series?

It’s a real challenge to get back to prominence. You gotta pitch, you gotta hit, you gotta throw and catch. I think analytics have had a lot to do with some teams forgetting what is the heartbeat of the organization. The minor-league system has always been a big part of success for the Cardinals, the Dodgers. We need to get back to refurbishing the minor-league system, so it becomes that lifeline, allowing young guys to learn the game, and be ready when they reach the big leagues.

You’re generally considered the greatest fielding shortstop in baseball history. If there’s one fielding tip you had to share for posterity, what would it be?

I actually learned this through golf: stagnation is a killer. A baseball player can’t get started until the pitcher releases the ball. That’s where the hitter finds his rhythm, as the pitcher goes into his wind-up. As a fielder, you don’t want to be in a stagnated position. You want some type of movement, be it left, right. Some type of swaying movement that allows you to get into the flow for a ground ball or fly ball.


Ozzie Smith won 13 Gold Gloves over his 19-year career with the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals. He played in three World Series for the Cardinals and won the 1982 championship. His uniform number 1 was retired by St. Louis in 1996 and he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002.He is one of nine former Cardinals honored with a statue outside Busch Stadium.

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Redbirds 2023 Review

Ivan Herrera (Credit: Wes Hale)

Every baseball season is memorable. Even those that don’t end with a championship, as four have since the Memphis Redbirds arrived in town 25 years ago. With a 68-76 record entering their final home stand of the season, the Redbirds will not qualify for the International League playoffs. But we saw three players who starred brightly here in 2023, with hopes for even bigger things next year.

• Luken Baker slammed 33 home runs and drove in 98 runs — the latter figure tops in the IL through Sunday — in only 84 games for Memphis. The hulking first baseman posted a jaw-dropping slash line of .334/.439/.720, figures that should garner Baker some votes for IL Player of the Year, even with the limited service. (Baker spent much of the last two months riding the bench with the St. Louis Cardinals.) In just two seasons with the Redbirds, Baker has climbed to fourth in franchise history with 54 home runs. He’ll all but certainly be occupying a big-league roster spot next April, either with the Cardinals or another franchise (via trade).

• The electrifying Masyn Winn needed only 105 games with Memphis to shatter the franchise record for runs scored in a season with 99. (The previous record of 92 had held for 19 years.) The 21-year-old shortstop batted .288 and clubbed 18 homers while stealing 17 bases. He showed off his much-talked-about cannon of a right arm, one already drawing oohs and aahs at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. His impact on the club? Memphis was 59-59 when Winn was promoted to St. Louis on August 18th. They are 9-17 without him. Expect Winn to contend for the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year award.

• Among the most important, if awkward, decisions the Cardinals must make this winter involves the team’s backup catcher. Former Redbird Andrew Knizner has played the role for three seasons, the first two behind Yadier Molina and this season behind Willson Contreras. But here’s the awkward part: Ivan Herrera is a better player. In his second season with Memphis, the 23-year-old Herrera has put up a slash line of .294/.449/.495 and OPS of .944. Knizner’s numbers with St. Louis: .246/.289/.442 and .731. Like Baker, Herrera will all but surely be on a big-league roster next April. Expect St. Louis to move Herrera or Knizner before Opening Day.

As the Cardinals aim to recover from the club’s first last-place finish in 33 years (barring a two-week run that catches the Pittsburgh Pirates), their biggest need is starting pitching. Michael McGreevy tops the Redbirds with 127 innings pitched and 10 wins, but lacks the swing-and-miss arsenal St. Louis craves desperately. (McGreevy has only 101 strikeouts in those 127 innings.) Gordon Graceffo also carries high expectations, but shoulder inflammation slowed his progress in 2023. You get the sense 21-year-old Tink Hence — a top-50 prospect — may leapfrog McGreevy and Graceffo in a race to the Cardinals’ rotation. Hence split 2023 at Class A Peoria and Double-A Springfield, with mixed results. He’ll be among the star attractions in Memphis next season.

There are two more names to remember as local baseball thoughts shift to 2024. Infielder Thomas Saggese arrived in the Cardinals’ system as part of the trade that sent pitcher Jordan Montgomery to Texas at the trade deadline. After hitting .313 with 15 homers in 93 games for Double-A Frisco, Saggese batted .331 with 10 more long balls in only 33 games for Springfield. He had a four-hit game for Memphis last week and appears to be a rarity in the modern game: a pure hitter. 

Finally we have Victor Scott II. The 22-year-old outfielder has stolen 95 bases in 2023, splitting the season between Peoria and Springfield. That kind of thievery calls to mind — for Cardinal followers of a certain vintage — Vince Coleman and the runnin’ Redbirds of the 1980s, an era that included three National League pennants and the 1982 world championship. It’s not the brand of baseball we’ve seen much at Busch Stadium in recent years, nor at AutoZone Park. There would be some cross-generational poetry to an “old” way of winning baseball games helping a proud franchise escape an uncomfortable cellar.

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From My Seat Sports

Redbirds to the Rescue?

Photo courtesy Memphis Redbirds.

Dark days have fallen upon the St. Louis Cardinals. A team favored to win the National League’s Central Division in March is languishing in last place, staring at the franchise’s first losing season since 2007, and only its second this century. The Cardinals’ pitching — both starting and relief — has been dreadful. Stars have come up short of past standards, and prospects (not long ago in uniform with the Memphis Redbirds at AutoZone Park) aren’t making the impact expected or forecast. The toughest part about three months of bad baseball is that three months of the 2023 season remain. Can the Cardinals rediscover their flying wings? And will the Redbirds play a part?

There are four players who have spent most of the season with Memphis who could help ease the Cards’ pain, either short-term or long.

• Luken Baker (1B/DH) — Begging for the nickname “Kong,” Baker (6’4”, 285 lbs.) has dominated the International League, slamming 22 home runs in 64 games and posting a jaw-dropping slugging percentage of .664. In a late-May game at AutoZone Park, Baker clubbed a baseball over the leftfield wall despite shattering his bat. In an age where batting average isn’t supposed to matter, Baker was hitting .319 for the Redbirds when promoted by St. Louis on July 3rd. As large as he is, Baker is soft with the glove at first base, a better-than-adequate fielder. But with Paul Goldschmidt (the 2022 NL MVP) entrenched at that position for St. Louis, Baker may become a premium trade chip. Power is the coin of the major-league realm these days, and Baker’s purse is bursting.

• Ivan Herrera (C) — Catchers who can hit have been a rare breed since the first player donned “the tools of ignorance.” Herrera’s slash line for Memphis (.308/.432/.557) makes those of both Willson Contreras (.240/.334/.419) and Andrew Knizner (.227/.254/.418) look silly. And those are the Cardinal players from whom Herrera aims to shave some playing time. The 23-year-old native of Panama was promoted to St. Louis last week when Knizner went on the 10-day injured list. Similar to Baker, Herrera could be auditioning for 29 other franchises as the August 1st trade deadline approaches. Or he could convince the Cardinals’ front office that their catcher of the future is much less expensive than the 31-year-old Contreras.

• Michael McGreevy (P) — The Cardinals will contend for a 12th World Series crown when their starting pitching again excels. A franchise icon (Adam Wainwright) has struggled mightily in his final season. A once-and-future ace (Jack Flaherty) leads the National League in walks. A top prospect (Matthew Liberatore) posted a 6.75 ERA before returning to Memphis last week. Could McGreevy be among the rescue team? The 18th pick in the 2021 draft, McGreevy was solid at Double-A Springfield last year (6-4) and leads Memphis this season in innings pitched while posting a 5-1 record. Noted for his control, McGreevy has posted an ERA of 3.73 for the Redbirds, a figure that would be the envy of most Cardinal pitchers these days.

• Dakota Hudson (P) — Hudson was the 2018 Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year with Memphis, then led St. Louis the next season with 16 wins. But injuries and control problems had him back at Triple-A this season, where he went 5-4 with a 6.00 ERA before getting the call from St. Louis last week after Wainwright went to the injured list. Hudson will be pitching with a chip on his shoulder, which may be precisely what the 2023 Cardinals need right now. Can he survive five innings per start while keeping St. Louis in games? It’s not a high bar to leap these days.

More perspective on the Cardinals’ current mess? The franchise has had only two losing seasons (1999 and 2007) since its Triple-A affiliate moved from Louisville to Memphis in 1998. The Cardinals are staring at their first 90-loss season since 1990 and only the club’s fourth since 1917. Dark days indeed for a proud organization. Perhaps Memphis can provide some light.