photo: Memphis Redbirds
The Memphis Redbirds’ outstanding season came with lessons that will surely be taken with them in the future. The first half of the season was everything you could ask for, but the second had some humbling moments. The Redbirds finished with an overall record of 83-67, won the International League first half championship but lost in the IL Championship Series.
First Half Success
The Redbirds started the season off on a good note with a seven-game win streak which indicated how much talent and how good they could be. The Redbirds were winning at least three games per series against every team they played.
The batting and pitching in the first half were on another level. For instance, electrifying catcher Jimmy Crooks had 13 home runs, 29 RBIs, 30 walks, an OBP of .412, and an OPS of .979 before joining the St. Louis Cardinals at the end of May.
Pitchers Luis Gastelum, Max Rajcic, and Quinn Mathews all played a big factor in the success of the Redbirds holding their opponents to 5.15 runs per game. All three advanced to St. Louis in the second half, however.
The Redbirds finished first in entire 20-team International League during the first half of the season with a 47-28 mark, one game ahead of Rochester (WSH) and four games ahead of their rival Nashville Sounds (MIL). Interestingly, they were just 21-25 at home but a fantastic 26-13 on the road.
Second Half Lessons
After the All-Star break, the Redbirds didn’t come out swinging as they did in the first. Though the Redbirds lost a few players to the St. Louis Cardinals, the teams they were playing looked like they had them figured out.
Over the course of July, August, and the beginning of September, the Redbirds were losing to teams they were dominating statistically on paper. Josh Fleming, who was signed after his release by the Iowa Cubs, didn’t have the best of luck pitching, with a 6.37 ERA in six starts. Also, Austin Love and Ryan Murphy (both with 7.36 ERAs) had their second half struggles out of the bullpen.
The Redbirds finished the second half of the season 39-36. They were 21-18 at home and 15-21 on the road. The Redbirds finished 13th in the IL, nine games out of the lead.
Renovation Announcement
On June 23rd, the Memphis City Council unanimously passed a resolution allocating $5 million for renovations and repairs to AutoZone Park. It is for life-safety and compliance repairs, contingency and critical repairs, and future plans.
International League Championship Series
In the three-game series, all at home, the Redbirds put up a fight but fell in three games. In game one against the Rochester Red Wings, they lost by one run. Then turned it around in the second, showing how this team was in the first half of the season with a dominating victory. In the end, the Redbirds couldn’t finish off the Red Wings to advance to the Triple A Championship.
Still, it was Memphis’ first post-season appearance since 2018 when then-manager Stubby Clapp’s team won the Pacific Coast League title. 2026 was also the club’s first-ever International League playoff berth since joining the league in 2021.
Team Season Stats (20-Team International League)
In the 2026 season, the Redbirds’ hitting ranked:
- 6th in home runs (192)
- 3rd in batting average (.263)
- 4th in runs (829)
- 5th in RBIs (781)
- 8th in OBP (.349)
- 6th in OPS (.787)
Key Batters
Joshua Baez – Before the center fielder was called up to St. Louis Cardinals in mid-August, he led Redbirds in home runs (34) and RBIs (90), 21 stolen bases, and finished with .901 OPS.
Blaze Jordan – The 23-year-old third baseman out of Southaven, MS was promoted to the majors in June but played a big factor with the Redbirds before then with 11 home runs, 35 RBIs, 19 walks, 37 runs, and an .313 average.
Redbirds’ pitching ranked:
- 1st in strikeouts (1420)
- 14th in home runs allowed (157)
- 5th in walks (667)
- 9th in ERA (4.57)
Key Pitchers
Luis Gastelum – The right-handed reliever out of Los Mochis, Mexico only allowed 11 earned runs and two walks in 43 2/3 innings over 36 appearances. He had 49 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.27 before joining St. Louis in early July.
Max Rajcic – The 25-year-old pitcher from Orange, CA had 46 strikeouts in 26 relief appearances totaling 40 2/3 innings. He only allowed 13 earned runs on 31 hits, and 14 walks. Rajcic joined St. Louis in June but only made six appearances before requiring Tommy John surgery.
Regular Season Accolades
Quinn Mathews – The left-handed pitcher was named International League Pitcher of the Month for July.
Pete Hansen, Hancel Rincon and Mathews – All three were IL Pitchers of the Week during May, June and July, respectively.
Despite some good performances, no Redbirds earned league Pitcher or Player of the Week or Month honors during 2026.
Post Season Accolades
Quinn Mathews and Joshua Baez – The pitcher and outfielder were named International League All-Stars following the season.
What’s next
More details on the Memphis Redbirds’ top hitters, relievers and starting pitchers are coming as we select the best of the upcoming articles in this series.
Be sure to check out the Cardinal Nation’s annual article series highlighting team results, top hitters and pitchers across the entire St. Louis Cardinals system. The Memphis Redbirds Season Review is up next.
The full schedule for The Cardinal Nation’s annual article series highlighting team results and top hitters and pitchers across the St. Louis Cardinals system can be found in the following article. After our free Team Recaps across affiliates, we will recognize individual player leaders through the current month and into November.
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