Tag: baseball

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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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From My Seat Sports

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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From My Seat Sports

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.

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From My Seat Sports

Arm of Gold

Masyn Winn (photo courtesy Memphis Redbirds)

It was one of those rare plays you see on a baseball field that makes no impact in the box score . . . but remains unforgettable. On a Tuesday night in mid-April, the Memphis Redbirds were hosting the Indianapolis Indians at AutoZone Park. Playing second base for Memphis, Masyn Winn took a cutoff throw in short right field. An Indian base-runner was cruising home from third base, not so much as looking where the baseball might be. Winn turned and fired a heat-seeking spheroid to the catcher, who tagged the Indians’ runner . . . just after he touched home plate. The throw covered at least 140 feet, maybe 150. (For perspective, the distance from third base to first is 127 feet.) There was no “hump” in the throw. It arrived in the catcher’s mitt shoulder height, precisely where Winn released it. And it arrived there fast.

“A lot of guys aren’t running anymore,” notes Winn with a grin sly beyond his years. “Coaches don’t send them. [My arm] is what I’m known for. But sometimes it still catches guys by surprise. Most [infielders] would just eat that ball, but I thought I had a chance.” 

Merely 21 years old and primarily a shortstop, Winn is the 48th-ranked prospect in his sport according to Baseball America. He’s building toward a future in the middle infield despite having a right arm that would be the envy of many players who occupy the pitcher’s mound. (Four years ago, as a junior at Kingwood High School in Texas, Winn posted a 13-0 record as a pitcher with a 0.67 ERA and 117 strikeouts in 76 innings.) He made headlines in the 2022 All-Star Futures Game by hitting 100 mph on the radar gun with a throw from shortstop to first base. That cannon of an arm, though, is a weapon that must be carefully utilized.

Winn first recognized his extraordinary arm strength at age 12 when he made a traveling national team. “Sophomore year in high school, I was throwing mid-90s,” he says. “I knew it was serious then. But I was a pitcher at the time, so didn’t really consider what I could do from short.” In Winn’s first full season as a pro (Class A in 2021), he made 24 errors in 98 games, most of them of the throwing variety. Accuracy, it seems, can improve with a reduction in velocity. Winn credits a longtime Cardinals instructor — newly elected to the franchise’s Hall of Fame — with helping him dial back the power of his right arm when it can benefit the team.

“Defensively, Jose Oquendo may be the best in the world,” says Winn. “He told me that I don’t have to show off my arm with every throw. I can go 80 or 85 percent and still make the play, then dial it up when I need to. Shortening up my motion and throwing like a shortstop [as opposed to a pitcher’s motion].”

At the plate, Winn is focused on making better contact, becoming a catalyst at the top of the Redbirds’ batting order. “I started off the year striking out a lot, so I’m trying to hit more balls on the barrel [of the bat],” he says. “It’s an approach thing. We’ve got sluggers like Jordan Walker, Luken Baker, and Moises Gomez. I’ll let them hit the bombs. I need to be more direct to the ball, get my singles, steal, get a double. Know my game.”

Winn is climbing toward a crowded middle infield with the St. Louis Cardinals. Paul DeJong has reclaimed the shortstop position after a rehab stint with Memphis. Tommy Edman (a Gold Glove winner at second base), Brendan Donovan (utility Gold Glove in 2022), and Nolan Gorman are also in the mix. “I’m gonna play a long time,” notes Winn. “I don’t need to rush anything. I’m enjoying every step. I can’t wait to be [in the big leagues], but I’m having a lot of fun. I get to play baseball.”

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From My Seat Sports

Redbirds Welcome Jordan Walker

(Credit: Springfield Cardinals / PJ Maigi)

The St. Louis Cardinals have demoted prize prospect Jordan Walker to Memphis and there’s a sniff of panic in the air. The Cardinals are off to the franchise’s worst start in half a century, having lost 16 of their first 25 games. (The 1973 Cards opened with a 5-20 record and somehow finished the season break-even, at 81-81.) St. Louis pitchers are getting clubbed (ERA of 4.45, ninth in the National League). St. Louis hitters are not clubbing (32 home runs, ninth in the National League). So their solution is to demote a young man who set a franchise record by opening his career with a 12-game hitting streak? Cardinals Twitterverse, do your thing. Yikes.

The fourth-ranked prospect in baseball according to Baseball America, Walker turns 21 on May 22nd, exactly 20 days after his debut at AutoZone Park. How young is 21 in the career of a baseball player? Consider the Cardinals’ two current superstars. Paul Goldschmidt — last season’s National League MVP — had a season of Rookie League ball behind him on his 21st birthday. Nolan Arenado — owner of 10 Gold Gloves at third base — turned 21 in Double-A. And yet there are citizens of Cardinal Nation screaming that Walker is being punished, vanquished to the land of Triple-A for not having what it takes to carry the St. Louis Cardinals right now.

This is silly. Walker made headlines by starting his big-league career with that hitting streak, a record first achieved by a player his age in 1912 (Eddie Murphy of the Philadelphia Athletics). And this may have been the worst possible development for the Georgia native. Walker earned the Cardinals’ Minor League Player of the Year award in 2022, but his first game with the Redbirds last week was also his first above the Double-A level. Players who skip the highest tier of the minor leagues and make an immediate impact in the big leagues are few and far between. The last such player in the Cardinals’ system was one Albert Pujols, and that was 703 big-league home runs ago.

With St. Louis, Walker found himself in a five-man battle for three outfield positions. And this is a crucial component of his recent demotion. Walker was drafted (in 2020) as a third-baseman, and spent the majority of his first two professional seasons at the hot corner. With Arenado entrenched at the position for the Cardinals, Walker is tasked with learning to play right field. The innings he puts in defensively with Memphis will be as important to Walker’s long-term success as his plate appearances.

There’s one more factor to consider in Walker’s change of scenery: classroom culture. The Cardinals are in their second season under 36-year-old manager Oliver Marmol, but their first in 20 years without franchise icon Yadier Molina, who retired after the 2022 season. And something’s amiss in the St. Louis clubhouse. Stars aren’t starring. Role players aren’t filling their roles. Meanwhile in Memphis, the Redbirds are playing their fourth season under 41-year-old Ben Johnson, a relentlessly positive skipper who has overseen the two longest winning streaks in franchise history (one of 15 games in 2021, then a 12-gamer just last month). 

For a young man of college age, atmosphere is everything. At least for the time being, Jordan Walker is likely better off in the Memphis “classroom” than he would be in a confused, turbulent Cardinals setting. The irony, of course, is that the long-term beneficiary of Walker’s baseball growth will be the St. Louis Cardinals. Triple-A exists for a reason: the final test for a player with a lengthy big-league career in sight. It should be fun watching Jordan Walker hit the books in Memphis.

Walker homered in his second game with the Redbirds, a Friday-night loss at Durham.

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Opinion Sports The Last Word

Silver ’Birds

Stubby Clapp has been part of three PCL championships with the Redbirds. (Photo: Courtesy Memphis Redbirds)

Rick Ankiel — Minor League Player of the Year in 1999 as a flame-throwing pitcher. Returned to Memphis in 2007 as a centerfielder and led club with 32 home runs.

Randy Arozarena — Drilled two home runs in Game 4 of the 2018 PCL finals at AutoZone Park to help Redbirds win fourth championship. Hit 10 home runs for Tampa Bay in 2020 postseason, earning ALCS MVP honors. 2021 American League Rookie of the Year.

Alec Burleson — Only Redbird to win league batting title, leading the International League in 2022 with a .331 average. Led Redbirds with 87 RBIs before hitting first big-league homer in the same game Albert Pujols slammed number 700.

Matt Carpenter — Starred for Memphis in 2011, hitting .300 and driving in 70 runs. Won Silver Slugger at second base two years later for St. Louis, helping Cardinals to National League championship.

Stubby Clapp — Backflipping second baseman for 2000 Pacific Coast League champions. Returned as manager and led Redbirds to championships in 2017 and 2018.

Allen Craig — Hit .322 to help 2009 Redbirds win PCL title, then drove in 81 runs in just 83 games for Memphis in 2010. Hit three home runs to help Cardinals win 2011 World Series.

Tommy Edman — Member of back-to-back (2017-18) PCL champions with Memphis. MVP of 2018 postseason when he hit .432 over nine games. Won Gold Glove at second base with Cardinals in 2021.

David Freese — Hero of 2009 PCL playoffs for Memphis, hitting decisive home runs in two games on the way to club’s second championship. Hero of 2011 World Series for the Cardinals, with game-tying triple and game-winning home run in Game 6.

Adolis Garcia — Hit walk-off home run at AutoZone Park in Game 2 of the 2017 PCL finals to help Redbirds win their third championship. Scored 96 runs and drove in 96 runs for 2019 Redbirds. Made 2021 American League All-Star team as a rookie with the Texas Rangers.

Dan Haren — Won 11 games and led PCL with 150 strikeouts in 2004 before being promoted and pitching in the World Series for St. Louis. Won 153 games over 13-year big-league career and started for the American League in the 2007 All-Star Game.

Dakota Hudson — Only Redbird to earn PCL Pitcher of the Year honors when he put up 13-3 mark in 2018. Led Cardinals with 16 wins as a rookie in 2019.

Adam Kennedy — Hit .305 with 15 stolen bases for inaugural Redbirds team (1998), then established a franchise record with a 20-game hitting streak in 1999 that stands to this day. Earned ALCS MVP honors (with three home runs in decisive game) on way to 2002 World Series crown with Angels.

Lance Lynn — Won 13 games for 2010 Redbirds and led PCL with 141 strikeouts. Pitched in 2011 World Series for Cardinals and won at least 15 games in three consecutive seasons for St. Louis.

Keith McDonald — Catcher for 2000 PCL champions. During brief promotion in July 2000, became only the second player to homer in his first two major-league at-bats.

Yadier Molina — Spent two months with 2004 Redbirds before starting 19-year career with Cardinals. Played in four World Series and won two. With Adam Wainwright, set MLB record for starts by a battery (328). Won nine Gold Gloves and established National League record by playing in 104 postseason games.

Tyler O’Neill — Hit three homers and drove in 10 runs in 2017 PCL playoffs to help Redbirds to third championship. Slammed 26 homers in only 64 games for Memphis in 2018. Two-time Gold Glove winner with St. Louis.

Plácido Polanco — Member of inaugural Redbirds team (1998) and one of only three former Redbirds to accumulate 2,000 hits in the major leagues. MVP of 2006 ALCS with Tigers and winner of three Gold Gloves.

Albert Pujols — Slammed 13th-inning home run at AutoZone Park to win 2000 PCL championship. Three-time National League MVP and two-time World Series champion with the Cardinals. Fourth in MLB history with 703 home runs.

Skip Schumaker — Only player to have 300 hits for both Memphis and St. Louis. Member of Cardinals’ 2011 World Series champs and currently manager of the Miami Marlins.

Bud Smith — Won two games in 2000 PCL playoffs to help Memphis win first PCL championship. Went 8-5 for Redbirds in 2001 before promotion to St. Louis. Tossed no-hitter in 11th big-league start, at San Diego on September 3, 2001.

Nick Stavinoha — Appeared in five seasons (2007-11) for the Redbirds. Owns franchise record for games (479), hits (531), home runs (74), and RBIs (316).

Michael Wacha — Made 2013 PCL All-Star team for Memphis, then earned NLCS MVP honors for the Cardinals, helping St. Louis to World Series.

Adam Wainwright — Won 14 games over two seasons with Memphis before winning 195 so far with the Cardinals (third-most in franchise history). As closer, secured Cardinal wins in 2006 NLCS and World Series.

Patrick Wisdom — Slugger helped Memphis to back-to-back PCL championships in 2017 and ’18. Led 2017 Redbirds with 31 home runs before earning MVP honors in the PCL finals.

Kolten Wong — Slick second baseman, hit .303 for 2013 Redbirds with 10 home runs and 20 stolen bases. Drilled walk-off homer in Game 2 of the 2014 NLCS for Cardinals and later won a pair of Gold Gloves.

Frank Murtaugh is the managing editor of Memphis magazine. He writes the columns “From My Seat” and “Tiger Blue” for the Flyer.

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From My Seat Sports

Redbirds Wrap-Up

Matthew Liberatore (Credit: Memphis Redbirds)

Every baseball season leaves memories. At the Triple-A level, those memories come wrapped with a layer of hope for the future. Here are a few impressions from the 2021 Memphis Redbirds season that may prove lasting.

• A quiet phone. A season’s top highlight for a Triple-A player isn’t a game-winning home run or a complete-game shutout, but “The Call,” a first invitation to the big leagues. There weren’t a lot of these in 2021 here in Memphis. Infielder José Rondón was promoted by the St. Louis Cardinals after only 21 games with the Redbirds, but has seen limited action (primarily as a pinch-hitter) with the big club. Outfielder Lars Nootbaar hit .308 in 35 games for Memphis before his promotion and has become somewhat of a cult hero in St. Louis, chants of “Noooooooot!” rising from Busch Stadium with the rookie’s every appearance. Nootbaar made a sensational catch to prevent a home run in New York against the Mets earlier this month and hit two homers in the Cardinals’ 14th consecutive win last Friday night in Chicago. His impact hasn’t been merely a fun surname.

• Twin prospects. The Cardinals’ top two prospects — pitcher Matthew Liberatore and second-baseman Nolan Gorman — made significant strides toward the majors in 2021. Pitching for the first time above Class A, the 21-year-old Liberatore has posted an 8-9 record with a 4.15 ERA (through Sunday). Not impressive numbers. But Liberatore has hurled 121 innings against Triple-A hitters, many of them with experience in the majors. Expect him to compete for a Cardinals rotation spot next spring, St. Louis having gone through cases of duct tape to keep its starters competitive this season. As for Gorman (also 21 and a childhood pal of Liberatore’s from Arizona), a spot on the Cardinals’ roster in 2022 is all but certain after he hit .276 with 14 home runs in 74 games for Memphis, and after slamming 11 homers in 43 games for Double-A Springfield. With power from the left side and versatility on the infield, Gorman could represent what Matt Carpenter once did on the Cardinals roster.

• Streakers! The Redbirds fell to 21-36 when they lost the first game of a doubleheader at Louisville on July 9th. It would be their last loss for two weeks. After taking the final two games of that series with the Bats, Memphis swept six games against the Norfolk Tides at AutoZone Park, then swept seven games back at Louisville to set a new franchise record with 15 wins in row. The streak shattered the previous mark of 11 set by the 2017 Pacific Coast League champions. “We kept winning ballgames,” reflects Gorman, “so we started saying, ‘Let’s see how far we can take this.’ Every game meant something. We had a lot of fun with it. We’d go down 2-0 or 3-0 in the fifth inning, but we never felt like we were out of it. We knew we’d pull it off in the end. It happened quite a few times. There was a lot of confidence in the clubhouse. It was fun to be a part of.”

• Hidden gem. It’s not all about the prospects. First baseman Juan Yepez was not among the Cardinals’ top 20 prospects at the beginning of the season, but the case could be made he was the 2021 Memphis Redbirds MVP. After a strong start (five homers in 19 games) at Springfield, the Cardinals promoted Yepez to Memphis and he will finish the season as the team’s leader in home runs (currently 21), slugging percentage (.575), and OPS (.790). With Paul Goldschmidt entrenched at first in St. Louis, Yepez may not have a long future with the Cardinals. But the way he’s hit in 2021, the 23-year-old appears to have a future somewhere in the big leagues.

• A bobble and bombs. Now and then, the connection between AutoZone Park and Busch Stadium can feel surreal. Such was the case on September 18th, a Friday night. The Redbirds distributed Dylan Carlson bobbleheads to the first 2,000 fans at the game, one in which Memphis came from behind to beat Louisville. Up the river in St. Louis, Dylan Carlson — the Cardinals’ rookie rightfielder — hit a home run from both sides of the plate, the second one a grand slam, in a victory over the San Diego Padres. Coincidence? Probably. A reminder of the happy baseball marriage between Memphis and St. Louis? Absolutely.

The Redbirds (58-67) host the Charlotte Knights (Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox) Wednesday through Sunday at AutoZone Park to conclude their 2021 season.

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From My Seat Sports

Birds and Buds

Last Saturday, I took a buddy of 38 years(!) to Busch Stadium for his first visit to the nest of the St. Louis Cardinals. Had the opportunity to introduce a long-distance traveler to several former Memphis Redbirds, in my happy place. Audie Artero didn’t grow up a Cardinals fan as I did (third generation), but he grew up a teammate of mine (basketball and soccer, in addition to baseball). We were small-town partners, and not just in the outfield for Northfield (VT) High School. We tended to travel as a tandem, at least when not on a date or scouting foreign turf (perhaps a party “way up” in Montpelier).

Ours is a cosmic friendship, of a sort, as the odds of the two of us ever crossing paths were astronomical. I was born in Tennessee and found my way to a small hamlet in central Vermont via California (among other family stops). Audie was born in North Carolina and found his way to Northfield via Texas (among other family stops). Our connective thread: Our fathers were hired, a year apart, by Norwich University.

Audie is now a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force, and has called Guam home for more than two decades. This makes the days we actually share a room — or baseball stadium — a little more significant than visits across a time zone or two. We tend to make the most of them, and we’ve managed to get together the old-fashioned way every odd year since 2009. (I trail Audie by a few ocean-widths of air travel.)

Qualities in a friend you keep on the other side of the globe? It starts, of course, with our high school experience. We “shared our morning days,” as Oliver Wendell Holmes put it. But I’ll note a couple of Audie’s shining traits. I’ve never witnessed him act cruel, in the slightest, to another person. (Except on a basketball court. He introduced himself in a pickup game and swatted my first shot with malice beyond the reach of most 14-year-olds.) This is a guy who excuses himself when someone takes his place in line. And Audie has virtually no ego, despite an abundance of smarts and talent. (There was no Mutombo finger-wag after that block. He took possession of the ball, and scored.)

Senior year in high school, I entered an essay contest in which we were tasked with writing about three people we admired, past or present. I wrote about Thomas Jefferson, Mohandas Gandhi, and Audie Artero. Took second place. Good friends, it turns out, make for inspired writing and good reading.

Audie and I have each been blessed with happy marriages for more than a quarter century. We’ve each raised a pair of daughters. (Like mine, Audie’s got his mother’s good looks.) Our friendship would make a decent Hallmark movie were it not for a few minor laws broken along the way. (In a small town, you can often answer the blue lights with a sincere apology.) The long distance component — Memphis is 7,500 miles from Guam — would be the tear-jerker, but our story has been packed with so much laughter, audiences would be too exhausted from the happy to waste any energy on the sad.

We followed our night at the ballpark with a Sunday tour of Anheuser-Busch. Audie and I have contributed to the company’s profit margin over the years, so a view of the Budweiser barrels, you might say, was overdue. It was one of those experiences, we often agreed, we’d enjoy someday. No need to write such plans down, or create a list, not even with 7,500 miles part of the equation. It’s funny. When “someday” arrives with a special friend, no matter how long it takes, it feels right on time.

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From My Seat Sports Sports Feature

Transfer Nation

Penny Hardaway (U of M Athletics / Joe Murphy)

Let’s be glad there’s no such thing as an NIT championship parade. How awkward would that have been? Before Penny Hardaway’s Memphis Tigers could deliver their 2021 trophy to the Laurie-Walton Family Basketball Center, nearly half of Hardaway’s nine-man rotation announced their intentions to leave the program. Sophomores Boogie Ellis, D.J. Jeffries, and Damion Baugh will transfer and freshman Moussa Cisse is dipping his toes into the NBA draft waters, though not hiring an agent just yet. Even one of Hardaway’s two four-star recruits for next season — Jordan Nesbitt — departed for Saint Louis University after enrolling at the U of M for the spring semester. Exhale. And deep breaths. The 2020-21 Tiger season is over . . . and so is that team, with an exclamation point.

Such is life in college basketball today. Forget the players; teams themselves are one-and-done. All of them. Something we’ve come to know as the transfer portal has created all-but-unfettered free agency in the sport, with more than 1,000 players “entering the portal” this offseason. And yes, two of those players — swingmen Davion Warren and Earl Timberlake — are already headed to Memphis. So if you’re doing the math, Memphis has subtracted five players (should Cisse actually enter the NBA draft) and added two for year four of the Coach Penny era.

There’s no need for grinding teeth or screaming into the Twitterverse over the roster volatility. The NCAA has, for generations, exploited talented athletes for financial gain, most glaringly the “March Madness” telethon each spring that crowns basketball’s champion. If we’ve reached the point where players can at least choose — without penalty — their program(s) of choice after actually experiencing life as a cash cow, it’s a better, more honest world. Makes the job of a coach and his recruiting staff a fiery gauntlet, but hey, that’s why they’re paid the big bucks.

• Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game would have been a nice look in Atlanta this summer. Scheduled to be played six months after the great Hank Aaron’s passing, the Midsummer Classic would have made for an uplifting salute to an American legend and a warm welcome-back as vaccinations allow more and more fans to actually enter stadiums. And considering Georgia voters changed the legislative branch of our government by sending two Democrats to the U.S. Senate, the showcase sporting event might have been seen as a “thank you” from an under-represented segment of our population. Aaron would have appreciated that.

Alas, the All-Star Game will not be going down to Georgia. With those new Senators still decorating their offices, the Peach State’s legislature enacted bills that serve as restrictions on voting. (Don’t you dare provide a voter a bottle of water!) So MLB yanked the All-Star Game and will stage the event in Denver. The decision was made quickly by commissioner Rob Manfred, but surely with loud whispers in his ears from corporate sponsors not thrilled about pouring millions of dollars into a state so bold-faced in its anti-democratic legislation.

Get used to this. The most powerful force in the United States of America is money. No man or woman, no voice or column, no march or protest will get things done in this country like the mighty dollar. It’s the one variable that can swing, yes, legislation. Piss off the “liberal media,” that’s fine. Only so many ears (and wallets) CNN (an Atlanta company!) can reach. But find yourself on the wrong side of the table from Coca-Cola (an Atlanta company!) or Budweiser, with millions of baseball fans in the mix? Those campaign donations will drop like a batter with a fastball to the chin.

No one wants politics mixed with their sports entertainment. But sports entertainment breathes the oxygen of American business. The mix has already been made. Major League Baseball simply used its All-Star Game as the most recent — sorry for this — hammer for change.