When Albert Pujols and Ryan Helsley are introduced as members of the National League All-Star team Tuesday night in Los Angeles, it will extend a remarkable streak for, of all teams, the Memphis Redbirds. The local Triple-A franchise, you see, has been represented by a former player in every All-Star Game since 2003. (This year’s event will make it 19 in a row, as the pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 contest.)
It seems like a good time to name an All-Star team among the many Redbirds alumni to play in the Midsummer Classic. So here we go.
Catcher — Yadier Molina. The St. Louis Cardinals legend — a 9-time Gold Glove winner — has played in seven All-Star games (and was named to three others). Molina drove in a run in the 2009 event at Busch Stadium, making his All-Star debut in the stadium he’s called home since it opened in 2006. He made Cardinals history in 2017 in Miami, when he became the first St. Louis player in 43 years to homer in the All-Star Game.
First Base — Albert Pujols. The future Hall of Famer — he’s hit 685 home runs through Sunday’s games — will be appearing in his 11th All-Star Game (10th as a Cardinal), this time as a “legacy” selection during his 22nd and final season. Pujols had a memorable non-appearance at the 2007 event, when he was not brought off the bench in a game his National League squad lost, 5-4. What makes it especially memorable is the NL manager that night was Pujols’s skipper with the Cardinals, Tony LaRussa.
Second Base — Placido Polanco. A member of the inaugural Memphis Redbirds team in 1998, Polanco played in the All-Star Game as a Detroit Tiger (in 2007) and a Philadelphia Phillie (in 2011). He’s one of only three former Redbirds (along with Molina and Pujols) to accumulate more than 2,000 hits in the big leagues.
Third Base — Matt Carpenter. This three-time All-Star won a Silver Slugger at second base in 2013, but he made the All-Star team at the hot corner the next season. After a late-career decline in St. Louis, Carpenter has found his power stroke this season with the New York Yankees, having hit 13 home runs in just 31 games.
Shortstop — Paul DeJong. Runner-up in the 2017 National League Rookie of the Year vote, DeJong played in the 2019 All-Star Game on his way to slamming 30 home runs, a record for Cardinal shortstops. He has struggled the last three seasons, though, and finds himself currently playing short . . . for the Memphis Redbirds.
Leftfield — Allen Craig. Craig caught the final out (in leftfield) to clinch the 2011 World Series championship for St. Louis. He hit three home runs in that Fall Classic and made the 2013 All-Star team, helping the Cardinals return to the World Series by driving in 97 runs. He also helped Memphis win a Pacific Coast League championship in 2009 with a .322 batting average and 26 home runs. In 2010, he drove in a remarkable 81 runs in just 83 games for Memphis.
Centerfield — Adolis Garcia. One of only two Redbirds to hit a walk-off home run in the PCL championship series (the other was Pujols), Garcia made the 2021 American League All-Star team as a member of the Texas Rangers. He hit 31 home runs last season, stole 16 bases, and drove in 90 runs.
Rightfield — J.D. Drew. Not only did Drew make his first All-Star team in 2008 (as a member of the Boston Red Sox), he earned the game’s MVP award, drilling a two-run homer in the seventh inning to help the American League to a 4-3 win. Alas, it was also Drew’s final All-Star Game.
Pitcher — Adam Wainwright. Dan Haren started the 2007 All-Star Game, but if Molina is the catcher for this fantasy club, the pitcher must be Wainwright, who started the 2014 Midsummer Classic for the National League. Earlier this season, Wainwright and Molina established a new MLB record for team wins by a starting battery.
