With a Double-A best .331 batting average while leading several other offensive categories, 2B/OF Bryan Torres is The Cardinal Nation’s Springfield Cardinals Player of the Year. C Jimmy Crooks is runner up.
All posts by Jayden Pettus
2024 Springfield Cardinals Starting Pitcher of the Year
2024 Springfield Cardinals Reliever of the Year
2024 Springfield Cardinals Season Review
photo: Springfield Cardinals 2024 1H Division Champs (Springfield Cardinals)
The Double-A Springfield Cardinals finished their record-breaking 2024 season with a first-round playoff loss, but still have many accomplishments to be proud of.
2024 recap
Looking back, the 2024 season was one of great success for the Springfield Cardinals, despite falling short in the playoffs. The team finished both the first and second half with a winning record on its way to setting a new franchise record with 79 wins.
Springfield began the season with a nine-game winning streak – the franchise’s longest win streak ever – setting the tone for how the 2024 campaign would unfold for the club.
After finishing April with a 15-7 record, the Cardinals lagged a bit in May and June with a record below .500 in both months. Despite the dip in win percentage, Springfield led the Texas League North Division for a majority of the first half, including at the end, ending with a record of 37-32.
The first half North Division title punched Springfield’s ticket to the playoffs at the midway point.
Even so, the Cardinals continued to be a problem for their Texas League opponents in the second half. The team carried a winning record through the remaining two and a half months, finishing second in the North in the second half with a record of 42-27 and an overall record of 79-59.
Springfield faced off against the Arkansas Travelers in the best-of-three Texas League North Division Series with home field advantage. The Cardinals took Game 1 in Arkansas, putting them squarely in the driver’s season. However, Springfield dropped Games 2 and 3 at home, putting their season to an end sooner than hoped.
A record-breaking season
The Cardinals established multiple team and individual records this season. In addition to the two records mentioned above, the team set six more, for a total of eight records set on the year.
Springfield had great success away from home, winning 42 games on the road to surpass the previous franchise record of 38 in 2008.
The team’s pitching staff recorded 1,279 total strikeouts to beat the previous franchise record of 1,263 set in 2019.
Bryan Torres had a spectacular year at the plate, leading the Texas League and the Double-A at large in multiple offensive categories. Finishing the season with a .331 batting average, the 27-year-old topped the previous franchise record of .324 by Tyler Minges in 2005.
Springfield’s closer Matt Svanson tied the franchise’s save record of 27, also held by Mark Worrell (2006) and Chris Perez (2007).
Long-time Springfield Cardinal Chandler Redmond set the record with 66 career home runs in a Springfield uniform, surpassing Xavier Scruggs’ previous record of 59.
Tink Hence tied the Cardinals’ single-game strikeout total with 13 on May 25. He joined Trey Hearne and Alex Reyes.
The Cardinals made back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time in franchise history.
Team Stats (Stat – Texas League Rank)
Springfield led the Texas League in five offensive categories during their successful 2024 campaign. They were second in two key pitching stats.
Hitting
- 1,221 hits – 1st
- 1,011 strikeouts – 1st
- .266 batting average – 1st
- .348 on base percentage – 1st
- 683 runs scored – 1st
- .725 OPS – 2nd
- 171 stolen bases – 4th
- 521 walks – 5th
- .377 slugging percentage – 5th
- 94 home runs – 8th
Pitching
- 40 saves – 2nd
- 1,279 strikeouts – 2nd
- 510 walks – 5th
- 4.30 earned run average – 6th
- 655 runs – 7th
- 1,117 hits – 8th
Team leaders – hitting
Bryan Torres
Torres led most offensive categories for the Cardinals with 148 hits, 28 doubles, 69 walks, 33 stolen bases, a .331 batting average and a .418 on base percentage.
Jimmy Crooks
Crooks had a fantastic year at the plate, leading the team with a .410 on base percentage and a .908 OPS.
Nathan Church
Church had a great start at the plate before going cold during the middle part of the season, but ultimately finished strongly, leading the team with 81 runs scored while racking up 482 at-bats.
Matt Lloyd
Lloyd was the team’s most prolific slugger in 2024, leading the Cardinals with 17 home runs and 77 runs batted in.
Team leaders – pitching
Max Rajcic
Rajcic was Springfield’s most consistently healthy starter this year, allowing him to lead the team in wins with 10, innings pitched with 131 and strikeouts with 131.
Brandon Komar
Rajcic was the only pitcher whose stats qualified for ranking, but Komar started and ended the season with the team and threw 79 ⅓ innings. The righty led the staff in ERA of any pitcher with 70 innings pitched or more at 2.50.
Matt Svanson
Svanson had one of the best seasons as a closer in Springfield history. He led the team with 53 appearances and the league with 27 saves in 27 opportunities.
Individual accolades
Several members of the Springfield roster received awards for their performance this season.
Jimmy Crooks
Crooks was named the 2024 Texas League MVP and a Texas League All-Star. The Cardinals’ backstop threw out 24% of attempted stolen bases against and led the Texas league with a .498 slugging percentage.
He became the third consecutive Springfield Cardinal to win the award and joined Thomas Saggese, Moises Gomez, Dylan Carlson, Oscar Taveras and Matt Adams as Cardinals to earn the award. Additionally, this was the second time Crooks has been named an All-Star in his two-full-year professional career, as he earned a Midwest League All-Star award last year with Peoria.
Tink Hence
Despite multiple stretches of absence due to injury, Hence was named the Texas League Pitcher of the Year and a Texas League All-Star. The hard-throwing young righty set a career-high in strikeouts with 109 in 79 ⅓ innings pitched.
Hence joined Dakota Hudson as the only other Springfield pitcher to earn TL POY. The 22-year-old was previously named Florida State League Pitcher of the Year and All-Star in 2022 with Palm Beach.
Quinn Mathews
Mathews quickly rose through four levels of affiliated ball in his first season as a professional. As Springfield was Mathews’ home for the longest of the four levels, the southpaw was named as a Texas League All-Star. In nine starts for the team, he carried a 2.41 ERA and held opposing hitters to a .186 average while striking out 70 batters in 52 ⅓ innings. The Minor League strikeout leader finished with 202 strikeouts in total, becoming the first Minor Leaguer since 2011 to do so, and the 10th Cardinal Minor Leaguer of all time.
Matt Svanson
Svanson was the best closer in Double-A, completing 27 saves in 27 opportunities. In 53 appearances, the righty carried a 2.69 ERA with 59 strikeouts in 63 ⅔ innings pitched. This is his second All-Star selection and first in the Cardinals system.
Jose Leger
Leger is the first manager in Springfield franchise history to be named Texas League Manager of the Year.
Leading the team to a record-setting 79 wins, the fourth-year manager currently has 264 victories at the helm, ranking second in franchise history.
On Deck
Much more detail on the Springfield Cardinals’ top hitters, relievers and starting pitchers is coming as we select the best of the best in upcoming articles in this series.
- Tuesday, October 8: Springfield’s Reliever of the Year
- Monday, October 14: Springfield’s Starting Pitcher of the Year
- Sunday, October 20: Springfield’s offensive Player of the Year
Check out The Cardinal Nation’s annual article series highlighting team results and top hitters and pitchers across the entire St. Louis Cardinals system. The Memphis Redbirds Team Review is next up.
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Springfield Cardinals – 2024 Playoff Edition
The Double-A Springfield Cardinals’ 2024 season came to an end, as they fell two games to one to the Arkansas Travelers in the Texas League North Division Series. Still, the Cardinals played well, led by 3B/LF Matt Lloyd, who went 6-for-13 (.462) including two home runs to drive in four and score three times.
Springfield Cardinals Notebook – 2024 Week 24
The Double-A Springfield Cardinals went 1-3 in their final four games of the 2024 regular season, finishing with a second-half record of 42-27. UT Bryan Torres’ outstanding season was hot right up to the end, batting .361 over the last two weeks, driving in five runs and scoring six, while walking five times and stealing three bases.
Springfield Cardinals Notebook – 2024 Week 23
The Double-A Springfield Cardinals went 4-2 over the last week and are heating up heading into the Texas League North Division Championship Series with the Arkansas Travelers. TCN’s no. 10 prospect Chase Davis has been on fire since joining the Cardinals last week, going 5-for-14 (.357) in four games, with two doubles, a homer and three walks to drive in three runs and score three times.
Springfield Cardinals Notebook – 2024 Week 22
Springfield Cardinals Notebook – 2024 Week 21
Springfield Cardinals Notebook – 2024 Week 20
Springfield Cardinals Notebook – 2024 Week 19
Springfield Cardinals Notebook – 2024 Week 18
Springfield Cardinals Notebook – 2024 Week 17
Springfield Cardinals Notebook – 2024 Week 16
Springfield Cardinals Notebook – 2024 Week 15
Springfield Cardinals Notebook – 2024 Week 14
Springfield Cardinals Notebook – 2024 Week 13
Springfield Cardinals Notebook – 2024 Week 12
The Springfield Cardinals went 5-2 over the last week, finishing in first place in the Texas League North Division at the end of the first half and clinching an automatic spot in the postseason. LHP Cooper Hjerpe had a phenomenal week, pitching 10 hitless innings across two starts and earning the Texas League Pitcher of the Week award.
Springfield Cardinals Notebook – 2024 Week 11
Springfield Cardinals Notebook – 2024 Week 10
Springfield Cardinals Notebook – 2024 Week 9
Springfield Cardinals Notebook – 2024 Week 8
Springfield Cardinals Notebook – 2024 Week 7
The Springfield Cardinals went 3-4 over the last week and have lost their last two series but still remain in first place of the Texas League North Division by half a game. OF Nathan Church has been on fire in his last seven games, going 8-for-27 (.296) and driving in eight runs while scoring seven times.