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.
