Tag: Redbirds

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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

Silver Season

Redbirds shortstop Masyn Winn (Credit: Ben Munson/St. Louis Cardinals)

The Memphis Redbirds have begun their 25th season — 23rd at AutoZone Park — with a flashback of sorts. Way back in 2001, a 21-year-old slugger by the name of Albert Pujols was to be the team’s headliner, having delivered the home run that won the 2000 Pacific Coast League championship for Memphis. Pujols stole the show, though, at the St. Louis Cardinals’ spring camp, made the big-league roster, and 703 home runs later, is bound for the Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible in 2028.

Jordan Walker would like to be “the next Pujols,” at least by measure of his predecessor’s Rookie of the Year season 22 years ago. The 20-year-old Walker excelled at Double-A Springfield last year (.306/.388/.510), and climbed to fourth in the Baseball America rankings of all minor-league prospects. With a strong performance in Jupiter, Florida, Walker earned a roster spot with the Cardinals and made his big-league debut last week following the annual Opening Day Clydesdale parade at Busch Stadium. Fans of the Cardinals’ Triple-A franchise may not see Walker until St. Louis returns for an exhibition game at AutoZone Park.

Into the headliner’s spotlight for Memphis steps another top-50 prospect, shortstop Masyn Winn. Blessed with an arm that would be the envy of many big-league pitchers — he’s hit the high 90s on throws to first base — Winn brings extraordinary athleticism to a premium infield position, calling to mind Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith, the Cardinals’ acrobatic legend of the 1980s and ’90s. Only 21 years old, Winn led the Cardinals’ minor-league system with 36 doubles last season (split between Class A and Double A). He hit .333 and slugged .556 in 18 spring-training games with the Cardinals, but last Friday’s opener at Charlotte was Winn’s first game at the Triple-A level. With the St. Louis middle-infield currently occupied by Tommy Edman and Brendan Donovan (both former Redbirds), Winn will have to perform to earn his call to The Show.

• Three familiar faces are back with the Redbirds after extended time in the big-leagues. Dakota Hudson earned Pitcher of the Year honors from the Pacific Coast League in 2018, then won 16 games for the Cardinals as a rookie the next season. But he’s struggled with control, a problem compounded by the fact Hudson can’t overpower hitters with velocity. This is likely a make-or-break season for the 28-year-old righty, at least in the Cardinals’ system.

Juan Yepez slammed 22 homers in 92 games for the 2021 Redbirds, then spent most of 2022 with the Cardinals, shadowing the great Pujols as he learned the ropes in a supporting role (12 homers in 76 games) for St. Louis. But Yepez essentially lost his spot in the outfield/DH rotation to Walker this spring, so like Winn, he’ll need to hit — hard and often — to regain a roster spot with the Cardinals.

Oscar Mercado may have the most compelling story as the Redbirds open their season. Mercado played an electric outfield for the 2018 Redbirds and stole 31 bases in 100 games for Memphis. But a crowded Cardinals outfield led to a trade to Cleveland, where Mercado finished 8th in voting for the 2019 American League Rookie of the Year. He’s battled injuries for the last three years, though, and signed a free agent contract with St. Louis last November. Still only 28 years old, Mercado finds himself in somewhat of a Groundhog Day season, aiming to prove himself a major-league talent five years after doing precisely that here in Memphis.

• There’s a new playoff format for Triple-A this season. The International League (and Pacific Coast League) will award a first-half champion on June 25th, then a second-half champion at season’s end in September. The two teams will play a best-of-three series for the league title, then face the opposing circuit’s champ in Las Vegas on September 30th for the Triple-A National Championship.

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From My Seat Sports

Burly Batter

Alec Burleson (photo by Daniel Scruggs)

The Memphis Redbirds have won four championships since beginning play in 1998. But the franchise has never fielded a batting champion or league MVP. (Dakota Hudson won the 2018 Pitcher of the Year award for the Pacific Coast League.) Which means Alec Burleson could make some significant history here in 2022. Through Thursday’s games, the 23-year-old Redbirds outfielder is hitting .338, 27 points higher than the second-place batter in the International League. While recent teammates Brendan Donovan, Juan Yepez, and Nolan Gorman have made the leap to St. Louis and are now getting regular playing time with the Cardinals, Burleson continues to master the craft of hitting at the Triple-A level. And quite living up to his nickname: “Burly.”

Burleson emphasizes that he’s “not an analytics guy,” so even an old-school stat like batting average isn’t a motivator. But he knows the challenge of hitting a baseball consistently, and has a measured approach — it starts with a simple, gentle stance from the left side of the plate — to making life difficult for Triple-A pitchers. “Every arm we face is a big-league arm,” says Burleson. “Locking in every day on preparation, having a set approach . . . that’s huge. And sticking to [the approach]. If you stick to what you do best in the box, it puts you in the best position for success. I have the same routine, the same cage work. Trusting that — and not trying to do something different — has allowed me to have continued success this year. If something goes wrong, there’s only so much in my swing that could be off. I want to enter the box only worried about the pitch I’m going to hit, and not worried about mechanics.”

Burleson has shown power at the plate (16 home runs), and the kind that translates to big-league success. Tuesday night at AutoZone Park, Burleson drilled a three-run shot over the right-centerfield wall that proved to be the game-winner against Jacksonville. Left-handed batters who can go yard to the opposite field tend to play well into their 30s. Then there’s the homer Burleson hit June 15th against the Nashville Sounds, the first and only inside-the-park job in Redbirds history. “I didn’t know if it was going to go over the fence or not,” he says. “I saw it kick [away], and I was thinking three . . . but [Redbirds manager Ben Johnson] was shouting, ‘You gotta go.’ I thought it was going to be a close play at the plate. I was very winded, catching my breath for a couple of innings.”

Burleson credits Johnson and hitting coach Brandon Allen among a group of influences this season, and he also appreciates some wisdom received recently from big-league veteran Corey Dickerson (with the Redbirds on a rehab assignment). “Talking to him about left-on-left situations helped me a lot,” says Burleson. “He’s been in the big leagues a long time, so it’s good to hear that knowledge.”

A native of Charlotte, Burleson adopted the New York Yankees as his favorite team despite his father pulling for the Atlanta Braves. His favorite players were Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, men who earned their stripes primarily at the plate. Which makes the award Burleson won as a freshman at East Carolina in 2018 all the more surprising: American Athletic Conference Rookie Pitcher of the Year. (Burleson went 5-2 with four saves and a 3.33 ERA on the mound for the Pirates.) He smiles slightly when asked if he ever considered the Shohei Ohtani approach: pitch when you can, and hit when you’re not on the bump. “When I was drafted, it was as an outfielder,” he notes. “The bat was going to carry me to the next level. Everybody around me knew.”

The Redbirds are competing for their first postseason appearance since 2018 and their first International League championship. (Memphis competed in the Pacific Coast League through the 2019 campaign.) Through Thursday, they occupy third place in the IL’s West Division, just 2.5 games behind Nashville. Burleson describes a clubhouse that arrives at the ballpark ready to work, with Johnson’s professionalism in the manager’s office the team standard. “Ben expects a lot out of us,” he says, “to get our work done every day. That’s felt among all the guys. We want to have as much success as we can, and it’s not so much individuals. We pull for each other. It’s fun to come to the park with these guys.”

Burleson will have a hard time cracking the Cardinals’ outfield, so count on his name coming up in trade rumors this month. The 10th-ranked prospect in the St. Louis system is sure to draw attention from trade partners. But for the time being, Burly will take that gentle stance in a Redbirds uniform, and hammer baseballs toward a batting title.

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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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We Recommend We Recommend

Celebrate Independence Day with the Redbirds

CREDIT: Memphis Redbirds

Every year since the Redbirds were introduced to our city in 2000, the Memphis Redbirds Independence Day games have served as a staple for Memphians looking to celebrate the holiday. After all, how much more of an All-American experience can you get beyond combining baseball, hot dogs, and fireworks? The Redbirds have you covered.

This year, our beloved baseball team will play against the New Orleans Baby Cakes in front of a packed house of 10,000 attendees.

The first 1,000 fans to show up will receive free sunscreen samples from the American Cancer Society as part of Minor League Baseball’s aptly named “Cover Your Bases” initiative.

Memphis Redbirds

Take me out to the ball game.

“We also have a specialty ticket that includes a ticket to the game and an all-you-can-eat hamburger/hot dog buffet, which is always very popular,” says Michael Schroeder, director of media and public relations for the Redbirds and 901FC.

Other food items included in the unlimited buffet: potato chips, cookies, bottled water, and two Coca-Cola beverages per person.

“It’s a good way to let us do the grilling so you can just sit back with family and friends and watch some baseball while eating great food and enjoying post-game fireworks,” says Schroeder.

After the game, Schroeder promises the Minor League Baseball team will deliver AutoZone Park’s biggest fireworks extravaganza in history.

And because the Redbirds’ Independence Day celebrations occur on July 3rd, attendees can get a head start on Fourth of July festivities a day early and/or celebrate two days in a row. “No matter when it is, we create a memorable night at the ballpark,” Schroeder says.

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From My Seat Sports

FROM MY SEAT: Cardinal Baseball, Memphis Style

Busch Stadium in
St. Louis has never looked more like AutoZone Park in Memphis. It’s not so much
the facade, the concourse, or the downtown setting. Rather, it’s the players in
uniform for the Cardinals, a team surprising experts coast to coast by playing
themselves into contention for a wild-card playoff berth, if not the National
League’s Central Division title. And in a time of crisis (read: Albert Pujols on
the disabled list), Memphis Redbird alumni will play a critical role in
determining how long St. Louis remains in contention.

Over the next
month, we’re very likely to see a Cardinal lineup that consists of the
following: Braden Looper at pitcher, Yadier Molina at catcher (or Bryan
Anderson, should Molina end up on the DL, too, after being hurt in a collision
at home plate Sunday), Chris Duncan at first base, Adam Kennedy at second,
Brendan Ryan at shortstop, Troy Glaus at third, Ryan Ludwick in leftfield, Rick
Ankiel in centerfield, and Skip Schumaker in rightfield. With the sole exception
of Glaus, every one of those players spent significant time refining their craft
at Third and Union in downtown Memphis. Add a few pitchers to the mix — rookie
Chris Perez, Randy Flores, and the just-recalled Anthony Reyes, to name three —
and there will be few Cardinal victories that don’t come via the bats and arms
of players we’ve cheered here in the Bluff City.

What can we make
of all this familiarity up I-55? For one thing, it’s a degree of vindication for
the much-criticized Cardinal minor-league system. Having gone 114-174 over 2006
and 2007, the Redbirds have been unsightly, so much so that local ownership has
stubbornly refused to sign the paperwork that will extend the affiliation with
St. Louis beyond 2008. But the cupboard hasn’t been entirely bare, not when
players like Schumaker and Ryan — hardly marquee names during their days in
Memphis — are now helping to win games in the big leagues. (Ryan may prove to be
Kennedy’s ticket out of town, actually. In the second year of a three-year
contract, Kennedy’s production has nose-dived from the level he displayed over
seven years with the Angels, with whom he was the ALCS MVP in 2002. If the
hyper-kinetic Ryan can find a steady approach to playing the Tony LaRussa Way,
he’ll be an everyday middle-infielder in 2009.)=

For most of this
decade, the Cardinals rode a wave of imports to the kind of perennial success
normally reserved for teams with larger payrolls. Edgar Renteria, Jim Edmonds,
Scott Rolen, Jason Isringhausen, Mike Matheny, and Chris Carpenter were all
critical components to the franchise earning five division titles, two pennants,
and a world championship. And they all cut their minor-league teeth for other
franchises. But with the departure of longtime general manager Walt Jocketty
(now in charge at Cincinnati), the Cardinals appear focused on planting seeds
for homegrown stars who can help win now and provide economic flexibility for
the occasional free-agent splash. Looking at the current Memphis roster, Colby
Rasmus (the organization’s top-ranked prospect), Joe Mather (back from two weeks
in the big leagues), and Mike Parisi (back in the Redbird rotation after a stint
with St. Louis) are just three players all but guaranteed to have two cardinals
on their uniform a year from now.

The Cardinals
showed considerable character last weekend, rebounding from a 20-2 drubbing by
Philadelphia Friday night to win the next two games and take the series from the
Phillies. The big blow in Saturday’s win was a two-run homer by Kennedy (alas,
his first of the season). On Sunday, Reyes earned the win in relief when Ankiel
scored with two outs in the 10th inning on a ball hit by Duncan. The location
was St. Louis and the packed stadium was colored the red of Cardinal Nation. But
the faces and flavor of both wins were distinctly Memphis.

Categories
Sports Sports Feature

Horses, ‘Birds, and Hoops

Mark this down, sports fans: On June 7th at Belmont Park in New York, Big Brown will become the 12th Triple Crown winner in horse-racing history and the first in 30 years. If you watched Saturday’s Preakness Stakes, you saw the same dominance I did. At the peak of his game was an undefeated colt having his way with a field of 13 horses and actually gaining ground over the last quarter-mile of a tour de force in Baltimore.

Any concerns about Big Brown handling the longer test that is the Belmont Stakes — a mile-and-a-half, a quarter-mile longer than the Kentucky Derby — are now the equivalent of dirt clods in the path of a horse whose greatness happens to be on display in a year of otherwise less-than-inspiring thoroughbred 3-year-olds.

The one concern Big Brown’s handlers might have is weather. With only five races to his credit, how Big Brown might handle a muddy track is a variable his fans hope doesn’t come into play.

Ten horses have won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness only to lose the Belmont since Affirmed edged Alydar in all three in 1978. Big Brown’s destiny belongs with horse racing’s ultimate pantheon. And for some perspective on how long this 30-year drought has been, consider the following:

The longest previous Triple Crown drought was 25 years, between Citation in 1948 and Secretariat in 1973.

In June 1978, Tiger Woods and Tom Brady were 2 years old, Albert Pujols wasn’t born, and LeBron James … well, his mom wasn’t even dating.

In 1978, it had only been 70 years since the Chicago Cubs won the World Series.

• Every baseball player has a mother. Many have sisters and most have wives or girlfriends. Which makes Sunday’s “Paint the Park Pink” the most heartfelt promotion in 11 years of Redbirds baseball in Memphis. Those pink jerseys may have clashed with the red hats and helmets but all for the right cause. If only 10 Mitchell Boggs strikeouts and a Joe Mather home run could beat breast cancer the way they did the Oklahoma Redhawks.

• It’s become clear that Chris Duncan is the odd man out in a three-man battle among former Memphis Redbirds for two corner outfield positions with the St. Louis Cardinals. Ryan Ludwick has clubbed a team-leading 11 home runs and forced Cardinal manager Tony LaRussa to find him a spot in the middle of the batting order. Skip Schumaker has made himself an asset with his speed, defensive skill, and role as a leadoff hitter; he delivered his third walk-off game-winning hit of the season Sunday. All of which leaves Duncan, a natural first-baseman or DH, in a position where his trade value is a larger consideration for the Cardinals than his development as a leftfielder.

How ironic it would be if Duncan ends up being packaged with Anthony Reyes in a deal to bring St. Louis a middle-infielder with pop. Less than two years ago, Duncan and Reyes were unlikely rookie heroes for a world-champion Cardinal team.

• Through Sunday, 11 NBA playoff series had been completed and the higher seed had won all 11. This remains the perennial distinction between pro basketball and the college game, where upsets are the norm come postseason. How ironic that underdog fans were left relying on the defending champion San Antonio Spurs for a “Cinderella story” in the NBA’s big dance.

When third-seeded San Antonio managed to beat second-seeded New Orleans in Game 7 Monday night, it was official: The Spurs(!) are your NBA Cinderella.