The Cardinal Nation is proud to roll out our 18th annual choices of the top players at each level of the St. Louis Cardinals system, following season recaps by affiliate. The 2024 series runs each day from Saturday, September 28 into early November.
Continuing our annual tradition into an 18th year, the staff of The Cardinal Nation recap the 2024 season at each level of the St. Louis Cardinals system. We then crown three award winners for each team – The Cardinal Nation Minor League Starting Pitchers, Relievers and Players of the Year.
Our selections will be unveiled, one team recap or award per day, every day, from Saturday, September 28 into early November. Club recaps from rookie to Triple-A are first, then the Dominican Summer League (DSL) Reliever of the Year, all the way through the Memphis Redbirds Player of the Year.
Several special awards follow, including our top players across the entire Cardinals minor league system for 2024 as well as the best-performing rookies and top emerging and comeback players. The series will continue with our choice as the top manager in the organization and conclude with the system’s top hitting and pitching performers by various statistical measures.
Those at the keyboard are our team of locally-based reporters – covering every Cardinals minor league affiliate first-hand – as they select the very best of the best at each level and overall.
Participating TCN staff members include Curtis Chamblee (Memphis), Jayden Pettus (Springfield), Porter Staloch (Peoria), Ryan Anthony (Palm Beach), Paul Ivice (Florida Complex League) plus Leonda Markee (Dominican Summer League). Blake Newberry will single out the top first-year players and system-wide stats leaders.
Clockwise from upper right: Blake Newberry, Curtis Chamblee, Jayden Pettus, Porter Staloch and Ryan Anthony.
Note: While the team reports and all winning names are made available to everyone as this master article is updated daily, the detailed commentary behind most of the player awards in this series are exclusively for The Cardinal Nation members.
This 40-article series includes analysis from our local reporters as to tradeoffs made and what we saw in the best players to take the field at each level of the Cardinals system during the 2024 season.
Again, we begin with a daily series recapping each minor league club’s 2024 season in depth, looking at records, injuries, player movement, key stats and much more. Once the articles are published, click on the highlighted names below to read them if you missed them the first time.
Click on the name highlighted in the table above to be taken to that detailed article. In addition, select each team name to read the 2024 overall summary for that level.
Then, join the daily discussion at The Cardinal Nation’s free message board, as each selection is unveiled.
If you ever forget the location of this article, you can always return by using the permanent link on The Cardinal Nation homepage. Underneath the site logo in the left column, click on “Season Recaps/Top Players”, and select the year.
Our annual Cardinals Top 50 Prospect Ranking countdown for 2025 will begin in November after this series concludes. Please remember that the two processes are separate and distinct.
This effort is to recognize the top performances on the field in 2024, whether the players are projected to have a big-league future down the road or not. In other words, this is all about current year results at the assigned level of play, not future potential.
Now Available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than 60 of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.
Special half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
The Cardinal Nation’s Brian Walton is joined by scouting analyst Blake Newberry for a weekly discussion of St. Louis Cardinals news, with a focus on player development and the minor leagues.
Our podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in 20-25 minutes. More information on everything we discuss can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.
This week, Brian and Blake discuss the St. Louis Cardinals announcements made on Tuesday, October 22. They begin with the new assistant general manager, Rob Cerfolio, and his upcoming hire of two directors. Next are the new coaches, Brant Brown and former Cardinal Jon Jay. The closing subject is potential upcoming roster changes at the major league level.
All video of episodes of the return of Wednesday With Walton and Newberry at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.
The audio is also simulcast each week via the Scoops Sports Network and your favorite podcast apps.
Now Available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than 60 of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.
Special half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
The Cardinal Nation’s Brian Walton is joined by scouting analyst Blake Newberry for a weekly discussion of St. Louis Cardinals news, with a focus on player development and the minor leagues.
Our podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in 20-25 minutes. More information on everything we discuss can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.
This week, Brian and Blake discuss the St. Louis Cardinals organization Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year, Jimmy Crooks and Quinn Mathews. They then check on results posted by the eight Cardinals players competing in the Arizona Fall League. They include position players Thomas Saggese, Leonardo Bernal and Nathan Church and pitchers Trent Baker, Alex Cornwell, Ixan Henderson, Brycen Mautz and Matt Svanson.
All video of episodes of the return of Wednesday With Walton and Newberry at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.
The audio is also simulcast each week via the Scoops Sports Network and your favorite podcast apps.
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than 60 of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.
Special half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
photo: Jimmy Crooks (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
Catcher Jimmy Crooks and lefty Quinn Mathews are the St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year.
St. Louis Cardinals release
The St. Louis Cardinals announced today their 2024 Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year selections, honoring catcher Jimmy Crooks and left-handed starting pitcher Quinn Mathews for their accomplishments on the field.
“We are proud to recognize Quinn Mathews and Jimmy Crooks as our club’s Minor League Pitcher and Player of the Year,” said John Mozeliak, Cardinals President of Baseball Operations. “Quinn quickly rose through our system in dominating fashion, posting numerous quality starts and impressive strikeout totals along the way, while Jimmy guided Springfield to their winningest season in the franchise’s 20-year history. We congratulate them on all their success this season and look forward to continuing their development to become impactful Major League players.”
Crooks, 23, had a breakout season slashing .321/.410/.498 with 11 home runs, 19 doubles, two triples, 62 RBI, 42 runs scored, and an organizational-best .908 OPS across 90 games at Double-A Springfield. The Euless, Texas native ranked among the Cardinals minor league leaders in batting average (2nd), on-base percentage (2nd), slugging percentage (3rd), RBI (8th), extra-base hits (T9th) and home runs (T10th) (min. 300 plate appearances).
He is the fifth Cardinals minor leaguer since 2012 to slash greater than .320/.400/.495 in a single season (min. 300 plate appearances). The left-handed batter ranked T3rd in the Cardinals farm system with 11 games of three-or-more hits and reached base safely in 74 of his 82 games started (90.2%) this season.
He was instrumental in the Springfield Cardinals qualifying for the Texas League playoffs as both first and second-half champions, including a franchise-record 79 wins, batting third or fourth in the order in 70 games. In his 73 starts behind the plate this season, Springfield went 45-28 with Crooks throwing out 25 of 76 (32.9%) attempted base stealers. Following the season, Jimmy was recognized as the Texas League’s Most Valuable Player and a Post-Season All-Star by Minor League Baseball.
Selected in the fourth round (127th overall) of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Oklahoma University, Crooks becomes the third catcher to win the organization’s Player of the Year award, joining Iván Herrera (2023) and Carson Kelly(2017). He finishes the year ranked as one of the Cardinals top prospects by MLB Pipeline (No. 5) and Baseball America (No. 11).
Mathews, 24, completed his first professional season with an 8-5 record, 2.76 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and a Minor League-leading 202 strikeouts across 26 starts (143.1 IP) split between all four full-season minor league affiliates: Single-A Palm Beach (6 starts), High-A Peoria (7 starts), Double-A Springfield (9 starts) and Triple-A Memphis (4 starts). The 6’4” southpaw ranked among all Cardinals minor league pitching leaders in strikeouts (1st), quality starts (14, 1st), innings pitched (2nd), WHIP (2nd), games started (T2nd), opponents average (.179, 4th), strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.12, 6th) and strikeouts-per-nine-innings (12.68, 6th) (minimum 30.0 innings pitched).
He became just the second MiLB pitcher to eclipse 200 strikeouts in a season since 2011 and the 10th Cardinals minor leaguer to do so dating back to 1962. Mathews’ 12.68 strikeouts-per-nine-innings was the second-highest by a Cardinals minor league starter since 2000 (min. 20 games started), behind Alex Reyes’ 13.41 mark across 22 starts in 2015.
After posting a 2.18 ERA with 110 strikeouts to just 20 walks in 74.1 innings across his first 13 starts at Palm Beach and Peoria, Quinn was promoted to Springfield on June 24. Shortly thereafter, Mathews was named to the National League All-Star Futures Game where he pitched a scoreless inning of relief and struck out two on July 13.
In his final five starts with Springfield, Mathews registered a 0.85 ERA (3 ER/31.2 IP), struck out 49 batters and limited opponents to a .139 batting average. He was named the August Texas League Pitcher of the Month and promoted to Memphis on August 28.
Mathews was twice named the Cardinals Minor League Pitcher of the Month in April and June, becoming only the third Cardinals minor leaguer ever to take home Pitcher of the Month honors twice in his first professional season.
Following the season’s end, the Aliso Viejo, California native was recognized by Minor League Baseball as Pitching Prospect of the Year and Debut of the Year, while also being named to the All-MiLB First Team and a Texas League Post-Season All-Star. Mathews was also selected as the Minor League Pitcher of the Year by Baseball America, ending the season ranked as the organization’s 3rd-best prospect and 37th overall minor league prospect according to the publication.
Selected by the Cardinals in the fourth round (122nd overall) of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Stanford, Mathews is the fourth Cardinals minor leaguer to be named Pitcher of the Year in his first professional season, joining Max Rajcic (2023), Anthony Reyes (2004) and Rick Ankiel (1998).
Now Available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than 60 of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.
Special half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
The Cardinal Nation’s Brian Walton is joined by scouting analyst Blake Newberry for a weekly discussion of St. Louis Cardinals news, with a focus on player development and the minor leagues.
Our podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in 20-25 minutes. More information on everything we discuss can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.
This week, Brian and Blake return to the St. Louis Cardinals’ end of season press conference and consider possible ramifications. They include the departure and replacement of hitting coach Turner Ward, various payroll reduction strategies focusing on starting pitching, what it might mean to become more like Milwaukee, the hiring of a new farm director and coaching changes, impacts on scouting and the international program and more.
All video of episodes of the return of Wednesday With Walton and Newberry at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.
The audio is also simulcast each week via the Scoops Sports Network and your favorite podcast apps.
Now Available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than 60 of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.
Special half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
The Cardinal Nation’s Brian Walton is joined by scouting analyst Blake Newberry for a weekly discussion of St. Louis Cardinals news, with a focus on player development and the minor leagues.
Our podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in 20-25 minutes. More information on everything we discuss can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.
This week, Brian and Blake first discuss the St. Louis Cardinals prospects heading to the Arizona Fall League. They then move to the news of and ramifications from Chaim Bloom’s new role revamping the organization’s player development and performance functions in 2025 before taking over as president of baseball operations in 2026.
All video of episodes of the return of Wednesday With Walton and Newberry at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.
The audio is also simulcast each week via the Scoops Sports Network and your favorite podcast apps.
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than 60 of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.
Special half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
Mathews, who finished his first professional season at Triple-A Memphis, pitched 143 1/3 innings across four affiliates this season and finished with:
2.76 ERA
8-5 record (26 starts)
202 SO (12.7 SO/9)
0.98 WHIP (5.7 H/9)
Seven 10+ SO games
14 Quality Starts
17 games allowing 2 runs or fewer
Mathews became just the second MiLB pitcher to eclipse 200 strikeouts in a season since 2011 and the 10th Cardinals minor leaguer to do so since 1962.
Last week, Mathews also received three awards from Baseball America. He was among the five starting pitchers on the All-MiLB First Team. Mathews was also named BA’s 2024 Player of the Year for the Cardinals organization and he received their top honor as Pitcher of the Year across all of Minor League Baseball.
Now Available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than five dozen of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.
Special half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
photo: Palm Beach Cardinals, 2024 Florida State League Champions
The Cardinal Nation’s Brian Walton is joined by scouting analyst Blake Newberry for a weekly discussion of St. Louis Cardinals news, with a focus on player development and the minor leagues.
Our podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in 20-25 minutes. More information on everything we discuss can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.
This week, Brian and Blake focus on affiliate results across the St. Louis Cardinals system during 2024 and how they stack up across Minor League Baseball. All-Stars and top performers across the organization are highlighted, including Tink Hence, Jimmy Crooks, Quinn Mathews and many more!
All video of episodes of the return of Wednesday With Walton and Newberry at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.
The audio is also simulcast each week via the Scoops Sports Network and your favorite podcast apps.
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than 60 of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.
Special half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
“The 1964 Cardinals never won a game they could afford to lose; and never lost a game that they had to win,” wrote Bob Broeg, the late St. Louis Post-Dispatch sportswriter.
Broeg’s quote serves as fitting epitaph for the 1964 World Championship team that started the season as probable contenders and ended the season as an improbable pennant winner. The St. Louis ballclub rallied from 6.5 games behind the first place Philadelphia Phillies with only 12 games left in the season to claim the flag, then went on to defeat the New York Yankees in the World Series.
The 1964 team proved an evolution in team building. That club’s nucleus helped win three National League crowns in five seasons. In the years prior, the Cardinals endured an 18-year drought without a championship, looking more like the Cubs of Chicago rather than a proud franchise that had won nine pennants in 21 seasons between 1926 and 1946.
One reason St. Louis had fallen behind competitors was because it was one of the last teams to recruit African American talent. The Brooklyn Dodgers started the process in 1947 with the historic signing of Jackie Robinson, then added catcher Roy Campanella – who went on to win three league MVP Awards – and stellar starting pitcher Don Newcombe.
Their cross-town rival Giants followed suit when they signed Monte Irvin and Willie Mays. Not coincidentally, the Giants and Dodgers won 11 of 17 pennants from 1947 and 1963. The Braves won three pennants of their own in that span—two with Henry Aaron leading the way.
The Cardinals’ Stan Musial continued as a bona fide superstar during that time, but his bat alone could not carry the team when competitors were adding extraordinary black talent to their rosters.
That changed after August Busch, Jr. purchased the club. When he learned of the lack of black ballplayers on his newly acquired team, he quipped, “They drink beer, too.” The Cardinals soon got on board for racial equity and a competitive track.
Bing Devine’s club
Vaughan “Bing” Devine worked his way up from office boy to general manager after over 25 years with the Cardinals in various capacities. He acquired several players via astute trades that garnered a talented cast of characters who also had character.
The 1964 team’s core included team captain Ken Boyer whose leadership qualities later led to a job as the team’s field manager before his untimely death. Boyer played solid defense at third base and swung a consistent bat over a 10-year run averaging nearly .300, typically hitting about 25 home runs and 90+ RBI per season.
In addition, a promising 22-year-old now in his second full season named Tim McCarver proved to be an all-star catcher and fiery field leader who later became a Hall of Fame broadcaster.
Devine added two key black players via trades to shore up his team’s fortunes. First baseman Bill White came from the Giants – a team already overloaded at that position with Orlando Cepeda and Willie McCovey. White bookended the infield corners with Boyer and produced similar, consistent numbers. White later became a broadcaster for the New York Yankees and the first African American president of the American League. A strong influence in the clubhouse, White was no ‘yes man’ as evidenced in his autobiography entitled Uppity.
Curt Flood arrived via Cincinnati. A seven-time Gold Glove Award recipient, Flood patrolled center field and anchored the team’s outfield defense for a decade.
A consistent hitter, batting over .300 six times with 200 hits twice, Flood’s value exceeded his numbers. He played fundamentally sound baseball, ran the bases with flair, and could bunt or hit to the right side to advance a runner. A man of integrity and grit, Flood later challenged the Lords of Baseball in his antitrust lawsuit that he filed after he was unceremoniously traded after the 1969 season at a time when no one else dared challenge the powers that be.
Two other trades solidified the middle of the diamond. Shortstop Dick Groat—a former batting crown champ and league MVP – arrived from Pittsburgh in 1963. A dependable if not spectacular defender, Groat was growing long in the tooth but still provided spark in the lineup, hitting .319 in 1963, and .293 in 1964.
In a separate trade with the Pirates, Devine acquired second baseman Julian Javier, a fair hitter who ran well and demonstrated defensive range and a deft double play pivot, which earned him the nickname “The Ghost”.
For starting pitching, Devine pulled lefthander Curt Simmons from the bone pile. A one-time stalwart for the Philadelphia Phillies, Simmons suffered arm trouble, and seemed on the way out of baseball. But he redefined his savvy approach to pitching and won 18 games for the ’64 club.
Homegrown Redbirds included Ray Sadecki, a left-handed bonus baby who pitched for 18 years in the big leagues and had one of his better seasons early in his career, winning 20 games in 1964. The incomparable Bob Gibson came up around the same time, with less ballyhoo but ultimately with more verve.
Building on success
The St. Louis Cardinals of the early 1960s enjoyed a slow but steady rise in fortunes. By 1963, the club established itself as a contender. In September 1963, also Musial’s swan song, the team went on a tear. The Cards won 19 of 20 to pull within a game of the first place Los Angeles Dodgers, who arrived in town for a crucial three game, mid-September series.
In those days, there were no wild card teams or division playoff series. The team that finished first in the league standings went on to the World Series, so September pennant races provided the season’s sizzle followed intently by not only the locals but by the nation’s sports world.
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ dominant pitching paved the way for pennants after a near miss in 1962, capturing flags in three of the next four years. Johnny Podres handcuffed the Cardinals with a three-hitter as the Dodgers scored twice in the ninth to win, 3-1. Sandy Koufax shut out St. Louis with a four-hitter the following day. In the finale, the Dodgers rallied late from a 5-1 deficit to close out the sweep. Los Angeles then swept the New Yankees in the 1963 World Series. But the 1963 Cardinal team provided hope for 1964.
Slow Start, Big Trade, Trouble Brewing
The Dodgers slumped in 1964 due in part to Koufax’s arm trouble that limited him to ‘only’ 223 innings while winning ‘just’ 19 games. Yet, the Cardinals seemed incapable of filling the void. Musial’s retirement left a hole in the outfield. In fact, there were holes in both outfield corner positions leaving journeymen to fill the gaps. Worse still, reliable Bill White was mired in a long slump that extended to the All-Star break, while Bob Gibson, who won 18 games in 1963, struggled with a near .500 won-loss record.
Likewise, the ballclub treaded water. At the break, the team’s record stood at 39-40, in sixth place in the 10-team National League, a full 10 games behind the surprising league-leading Philadelphia Phillies.
Around this time, Mike Shannon was recalled from the minor leagues to bring his defense and strong arm to right field. He finished the season with a respectable .261 batting average, adding occasional pop from his right-handed bat.
But the big addition to the club proved to be a lightning-fast left fielder from the Chicago Cubs named Louis Clark Brock, acquired by GM Devine at the then-June 15 trade deadline. The trade basically involved an exchange with the Cubs obtaining Redbirds hurler Ernie Broglio, who won 21 games in 1960, and 18 games in 1963. Most on the team were initially mystified by the deal.
Brock was a raw talent called to the big leagues by Chicago perhaps before ready. Impatient Cubs fans rode him because of his defensive miscues, labeling him ‘Brock as in Rock’. The 24-year-old arrived in St. Louis with a mediocre .253 batting average that matched his new team’s middling record.
St. Louis manager Johnny Keane told his struggling new addition that he was his everyday left fielder and gave the young greyhound the green light to run the base paths. Buoyed by the show of confidence, Brock hit .348 the rest of the season and stole 33 bases, igniting the Cardinals, though it took time for the smoldering team to catch fire.
Meanwhile, team turmoil evolved into clubhouse tension involving Groat and the manager. The air was cleared, but the team’s owner seethed over hearing of it second hand. Combined with the team’s play, it led to the dismissal of general manager Devine, and a behind-the-scenes interview with Leo Durocher for the 1965 managerial job.
In the dog days of August, the Cardinals finally played better, though they were still far behind the league leader. White was again a robust hitter, Sadecki was winning consistently, and Gibson had found his groove. Since the All-Star break, the club won 32 of 51 games, a solid .627 winning percentage. Yet, the month ended with the Redbirds in fourth place, 7½ games behind the Phillies.
On September 9, the Cardinals visited Shibe Park in Philadelphia for a crucial two-game series, needing a sweep to move within four of first. They won the opener but limped home when Chris Short beat Sadecki 5-1. The outlook appeared near hopeless from the vantage point of fourth place, six games behind with just 22 games remaining.
The following 10 days brought no improvement in the standings. On the 20th, with only 12 games to go, the Phillies stood in first with a 90-60 record, 6½ games in front of both St. Louis and Cincinnati. The Phillies announced the sale of World Series tickets for a wonderous season that they called ‘The Year of the Blue Snow’.
But then the snow turned yellow. The Philadelphia nightmare began in an incongruous fashion in a game with the Reds during which Chico Ruiz stole home with two outs in the sixth inning with mega star Frank Robinson at the plate, scoring the only run of a 1-0 game. Phillies skipper Gene Mauch ranted afterwards, calling it an idiotic play. Little did he know that wild play ignited what became a 10-game losing streak.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals and Reds started streaks of their own. The Phillies were swept by the Reds and Braves, while the Cardinals kept winning, setting up a high stake, three-game set at Busch Stadium against the fading Phillies. Philadelphia’s seemingly insurmountable lead stunningly evaporated with Cincinnati in first by a game over Philadelphia, and 1½ games ahead of the onrushing Redbirds.
In the first game of that series, Gibson’s pitches could be heard cracking into the catcher’s mitt as fans murmured that McCarver’s hand would be like hamburger after the game. Mauch’s prior riding and ridiculing one of the leagues’ foremost competitors who was affectionately called Hoot by his teammates proved the wrong man to rile. St. Louis won, 5-1. The next two games were won by Sadecki – his 20th – 4-2; and by old man Simmons, 8-5. Meanwhile, the Pirates won two of three over the Reds.
Amazingly, on the eve of the year’s final weekend series, the seemingly illusory league standings read like this:
W
L
GB
St. Louis
92
67
……
Cincinnati
92
68
1/2
Philadelphia
90
70
2½
Then the 1964 season became even more bizarre. The last-place Mets behind Al Jackson beat Gibson and the Cardinals 1-0, and the following day bombed St. Louis 15-5. This underscored Broeg’s aphorism noted at the top of this article about never winning a game that they could ‘afford’ to lose.
Meanwhile, the Phillies came out of their trance and beat the Reds on Friday. Those two clubs had an odd Saturday off, placing Cincinnati in a tie for first place with St. Louis, leaving Philadelphia one game back and praying for a triple tie for first place at season’s end – a first ever in major league history.
The Phillies just needed to win their final game, and hope that the Mets – a team that finished 53 and 109 for the season—would pull off an amazing sweep against St. Louis. But following through on the second half of Mr. Broeg’s aphorism, the Cardinals won the game that they had to win.
The Phillies did their part, beating the Reds 10-0 behind Rookie of the Year Richie Allen, who rocketed two home runs out of the park. As was their ’64 wont, the Cardinals took a more tortuous path. Falling behind in the fifth inning, the Cardinals brought in Gibson with one day’s rest after he had just pitched eight innings on Friday. He kept the Mets in check for four innings, while his team rallied big.
Gibson yielded the ninth inning to Barney Schultz, a 38-year-old journeyman whose knuckleball danced that September, a Cinderella month for him personally as well as for his team. Mr. Busch was in his box hoarsely screaming with the rest of the fans as McCarver caught a foul popup for the final out in an 11-5 victory, and the improbable pennant for the St. Louis Cardinals.
World Series winner
The Cardinals’ opponent in the 1964 World Series was the New York Yankees, a seasoned team that also fought through a tough pennant race. The Baltimore Orioles faltered in the closing days of the season, ceding the pennant to the dynastic Bronx Bombers, their fifth straight and 14th in 16 seasons. Few realized it, but the Yankees were an old team rotting from within and would not win another pennant for 12 long years.
Underscoring that point, the Yankees wheeled out Whitey Ford for Game 1 of the Series. Ford still holds the record for most consecutive scoreless innings pitched in World Series play (29 2/3 innings) and most career Series wins with 10. But Whitey’s arm was shot at that point in the season. Shannon cracked a mammoth home run off the Yankee left-hander as the Cardinals romped to a 9-5 win. Ford did not pitch again in the Series.
Due to pitching three games in one week before the Series, Gibson was held back to pitch Game 2. He went up against New York rookie Mel Stottlemyre who was called up from the minors in midseason and won nine games during the season’s stretch run with an ERA of 2.06. Gibson pitched well but was jinxed by poor defense and a disputed play, and in the end bested by Stottlemyre.
Game 3 in Yankee Stadium matched 18 game winners Simmons and Jim Bouton with both pitching well. Schultz replaced Simmons in the bottom of the ninth, and Mickey Mantle hit what Schultz called a ‘non-knuckling’ knuckleball into the upper deck for a 2-1 New York victory. It was Mantle’s record-breaking 16th home run in World Series play, breaking a tie with Babe Ruth.
The Yankees pounced for three runs in the first inning, ushering Sadecki to an early Game 4 shower. The score stayed that way until the fifth inning when the Yanks botched a double play ball, leaving the bases loaded for Boyer whose 119 RBI in the regular season was recognized with the league’s MVP award. He added four more RBI when Al Downing threw an ill-advised changeup that stayed up in the strike zone that Boyer launched down the left line for a grand slam. Clutch relief pitching from Ron Taylor and Roger Craig preserved a 4-3 win.
Stottlemyre and Gibson hooked up again in Game 5. Gibson carried a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the ninth, but with a runner aboard, Gibson made a miraculous defensive gem when a liner up the middle hit him and ricocheted towards the third base line. Reacting cat-like, he corralled the ball and as he did, instinctively hopped upwards and threw sidearm across his body with bulls-eye bullet to first to beat the runner by an eyelash for the out. That play saved the game, and likely the Series because the next batter Tom Tresh, hit a two-run homer that knotted the score. In the 10th, McCarver hit a three-run shot, and Gibson finished the job striking out 13 Yanks along the way.
The Series returned to St. Louis, but the New Yorkers pounded Redbirds pitching with home runs by Mantle, Roger Maris and Joe Pepitone. Once again, the Cardinals lost a game that they could afford to lose, setting up the decisive Game 7 they had to win.
It came down again to Stottlemyre versus Gibson, this time each with only two days of rest. The Cardinals pounded Yankee pitching that day jumping to a 7-0 lead with Boyer and Brock both launching home runs.
In the seventh, Mantle hit a three-run homer to cut the lead to 7-3. Incredibly, the St. Louis manager left Gibson in for the ninth inning despite his ace pitching on fumes. Gibson had pitched in 20 innings in three games in the season’s final week, plus 27 more in the World Series – a total of 47 hardball innings in just 16 days. Gibson surrendered two ninth-inning home runs but remained on the hill to secure the Series’ final out.
When asked why he left his starting pitcher in the game, the Redbirds skipper simply stated, “I had a commitment to his heart.” In a final note of implausibility, manager Keane, still seething over Devine’s firing and the Durocher rumors, resigned a few days after the Series. Keane took the managing job with the same New York Yankees, but not before telling Gibson, “Hoot, you are on your way.”
Indeed, so were the St. Louis Cardinals, a team that went on to win two more pennants in 1967 and 1968. Led by their core of Gibson, Brock, McCarver and Flood along with Shannon and Javier, they astutely added the necessary pieces along the way to put the team back atop the National League.
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of all-new player scouting reports. Order your PDF or printed book copy today!
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!
photo: Chen-Wei Lin (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The Cardinal Nation’s Brian Walton is joined by scouting analyst Blake Newberry for a weekly discussion of St. Louis Cardinals news, with a focus on player development and the minor leagues.
Our podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in 20-25 minutes. More information on everything we discuss can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.
This week, after covering recent transactions with Thomas Saggese and Tekoah Roby, Brian and Blake focus on the top pitchers across the St. Louis Cardinals system during August. Individual results are compared to consensus Pitcher of the Month, Palm Beach’s Chen-Wei Lin. Among standout pitchers covered are Quinn Mathews, Leonel Sequera, Ixan Henderson, Hancel Rincon, Michael McGreevy, Gordon Graceffo and many others.
All video of episodes of the return of Wednesday With Walton and Newberry at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.
The audio is also simulcast each week via the Scoops Sports Network and your favorite podcast apps.
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than 60 of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.
Special half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
photo: Jimmy Crooks (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The Cardinal Nation’s Brian Walton is joined by scouting analyst Blake Newberry for a weekly discussion of St. Louis Cardinals news, with a focus on player development and the minor leagues.
Our podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in 20-25 minutes. More information on everything we discuss can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.
This week, Brian and Blake focus on the top hitters across the St. Louis Cardinals system during August. Players results are compared to The Cardinal Nation’s choice as Player of the Month, Springfield catcher Jimmy Crooks. Among other standout players covered are Rainiel Rodriguez, Mike Antico, Bryan Torres, Darlin Moquete, Matt Koperniak and Ian Petrutz.
All video of episodes of the return of Wednesday With Walton and Newberry at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.
The audio is also simulcast each week via the Scoops Sports Network and your favorite podcast apps.
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than 60 of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.
Special half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
The Cardinal Nation’s Brian Walton is joined by scouting analyst Blake Newberry for a weekly discussion of St. Louis Cardinals news, with a focus on player development and the minor leagues.
Our podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in 20-25 minutes. More information on everything we discuss can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.
This week, Brian and Blake open with the St. Louis Cardinals’ bullpen change with Shawn Armstrong out and Riley O’Brien in. Next up is the many moves across the minor league system and ramifications, currently and looking ahead to roster expansion on September 1. Among the players covered are Michael Siani, Victor Scott, Tekoah Roby, Jimmy Crooks, Leonardo Bernal, Sammy Hernandez, Quinn Mathews, Michael McGreevy, Ian Petrutz and J.J. Wetherholt.
All video of episodes of the return of Wednesday With Walton and Newberry at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.
The audio is also simulcast each week via the Scoops Sports Network and your favorite podcast apps.
Now Available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than 60 of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.
Special half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
photo: Jordan Walker (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The Cardinal Nation’s Brian Walton is joined by scouting analyst Blake Newberry for a weekly discussion of St. Louis Cardinals news, with a focus on player development and the minor leagues.
Our podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in about 20 minutes. More information on everything we discuss can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.
This week, Brian and Blake open with the St. Louis Cardinals’ curious handling of Jordan Walker and the return of Luken Baker. The main section is a one-year revisit of the Cardinals’ 2023 deadline trades, which brought six pitchers and three position players, all prospects, into the system. Successes, disappointments and especially injuries come into play.
All video of episodes of the return of Wednesday With Walton and Newberry at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.
The audio is also simulcast each week via the Scoops Sports Network and your favorite podcast apps.
Now Available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than 60 of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.
Special half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
Minor League Baseball has announced that CF/2B Bryan Torres has been named Texas League Player of the Week for the week of August 13 -18. This marks the first time in his career that he has won a weekly award. Torres joins LHP Cooper Hjerpe (June 17 – 23, Pitcher) and OF Nathan Church (April 15 – 21, Player) as Springfield Cardinals to win a weekly award this season from MiLB. Both Church (April) and LHP Quinn Mathews (June) have additionally won St. Louis Cardinals Player and Pitcher of the Month honors this season, respectively.
Torres led qualifying players in the Texas League this past week, hitting .609 (14-for-23) in five games against the Frisco RoughRiders. He had multiple stand-out performances to help the Cardinals go 5-1 on the week. On Wednesday, August 14, the 27-year-old played a pivotal part in a come-from-behind 7-6 win on the road. Torres notched his first career five-hit game, going 5-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Thursday night, the centerfielder saved the game in the bottom of the ninth with a diving catch that would have allowed the game-winning run to score had he not caught it. He would later drive in the eventual game-winning run in the top of the tenth with an RBI single. Torres would perform similarly on Sunday night with a go-ahead single in the top of the ninth, ultimately leading Springfield to win five games in the six-game road series.
The Puerto Rico native has logged 36 multi-hit games this season, including five this past week. That seasonal mark leads the Texas League. Torres was primarily a catcher and corner-infielder in the Milwaukee Brewers and San Francisco Giants systems. He elected free agency after the 2021 season and played two seasons with the Milwaukee Milkmen of the American Association. He won back-to-back American Association batting titles in 2022 (.374) and 2023 (.370). He was named MVP of the Puerto Rican Winter League in 2023 while playing with the Gigantes de Carolina. The St. Louis Cardinals signed him as a Minor League free agent this past offseason. Including his work in centerfield in 2024, Torres has now played every position in his Minor League career except pitcher and shortstop.
For additional information
Torres is one of nine former independent league players who have joined the Cardinals organization in the last 11 months. Details on them all, including Torres, can be read here:
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than five dozen of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.
Special half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.
Making major updates to The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 Prospect List as Blake Newberry and Brian Walton insert four new players, including a day three pick from the 2024 draft. The two exchange notes as to who should go where and why.
This content is for paid members only. Join The Cardinal Nation today! Register
The Cardinal Nation’s Brian Walton is joined by scouting analyst Blake Newberry for a weekly discussion of St. Louis Cardinals news, with a focus on player development and the minor leagues.
Our podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in 15-20 minutes. More information on everything we discuss can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.
This week, Brian and Blake discuss their upcoming St. Louis Cardinals Top 50 Prospect List re-ranking for August, highlighting notable risers and fallers and four new entries. Prospects profiled in depth include Darlin Saladin, Luis Gastelum, Rainiel Rodriguez, Keiverson Ramirez, Leonel Sequera, Ian Petrutz and many more.
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation to read both voters’ individual rankings and much more information about the TCN August Top 50 that could fit into this podcast.
All video of episodes of the return of Wednesday With Walton and Newberry at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.
The audio is also simulcast each week via the Scoops Sports Network and your favorite podcast apps.
Now Available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than 60 of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.
Special half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
photo: Thomas Saggese (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The Cardinal Nation’s Brian Walton is joined by scouting analyst Blake Newberry for a weekly discussion of St. Louis Cardinals news, with a focus on player development and the minor leagues.
Our podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in 15-20 minutes. More information on everything we discuss can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.
This week, Brian and Blake discuss July results by selected players across the Cardinals system, including the two Pitchers and Players of the Month. Highlighted hitters are winners Thomas Saggese and Rainiel Rodriguez and pitchers Keiverson Ramirez and Jose Davila.
Other notable players covered include Jordan Walker, Victor Scott, Jimmy Crooks, Leonardo Bernal and Ivan Herrera. Additional pitchers discussed are Jason Savacool, Ixan Henderson, Ian Bedell, Gordon Graceffo, Max Rajcic, Edwin Nunez, Matt Svanson, Zack Showalter and Leonel Sequera.
All video of episodes of the return of Wednesday With Walton and Newberry at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.
The audio is also simulcast each week via the Scoops Sports Network on your favorite podcast apps.
Now Available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than 60 of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.
jSpecial half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
photo: J.J. Wetherholt (University of West Virginia)
The Cardinal Nation’s Brian Walton is joined by scouting analyst Blake Newberry for a weekly discussion of St. Louis Cardinals news, with a focus on player development and the minor leagues.
Our podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in 15-20 minutes. More information on everything we discuss can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.
This week, Brian and Blake share their general impressions of the Cardinals’ trade deadline moves and a host of minor league transactions announced on Tuesday. The latter is headlined by the activation of nine 2024 draft picks, including first-rounder J.J. Wetherholt.
All video of episodes of the return of Wednesday With Walton and Newberry at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.
The audio is also simulcast each week via the Scoops Sports Network on your favorite podcast apps.
Now Available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than 60 of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.
Special half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
Placing 2024 draftees into The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 Prospect List headlines our July monthly update as Blake Newberry and Brian Walton have differing views of no. 1. The two exchange notes as to who should go where and why.
This content is for paid members only. Join The Cardinal Nation today! Register
photo: John Mozeliak, J.J. Wetherholt, Randy Flores (St. Louis Cardinals)
The Cardinal Nation’s Brian Walton is joined by scouting analyst Blake Newberry for a weekly discussion of St. Louis Cardinals news, with a focus on player development and the minor leagues.
Our podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in 15-20 minutes. More information on everything we discuss can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.
This week, Brian and Blake share their general impressions of the Cardinals’ 2024 draft including focus areas, before discussing some of the standout player selections. They conclude with where the new signees will slot into The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 Prospect List, including differing views of the system’s number one prospect.
All video of episodes of the return of Wednesday With Walton and Newberry at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.
The audio is also simulcast each week via the Scoops Sports Network on your favorite podcast apps.
Now Available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than 60 of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.
Special half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
photo: Hagen Smith (University of Arkansas Athletics)
The Cardinal Nation’s Brian Walton is joined by scouting analyst Blake Newberry for a weekly discussion of St. Louis Cardinals news, with a focus on player development and the minor leagues.
Our podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in 15-20 minutes. More information on everything we discuss can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.
This week, Brian and Blake hold their final pre-draft review, discussing a variety of players connected to the Cardinals and the seventh overall selection per various industry mock drafts. Players include Hagen Smith, Chase Burns, Braden Montgomery, Bryce Rainer, Nick Kurtz, J.J. Wetherholt and at least one dark horse.
Notes
Due to next week’s draft, we will not have a July 17 episode, but we will be back with a bang on the 24th with our first cut as to where the new draft picks will slot into The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 Prospect List.
All video of episodes of the return of Wednesday With Walton and Newberry at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.
The audio is also simulcast each week via the Scoops Sports Network on your favorite podcast apps.
Now Available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than 60 of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.
Special half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
The Cardinal Nation’s Brian Walton is joined by scouting analyst Blake Newberry for a weekly discussion of St. Louis Cardinals news, with a focus on player development and the minor leagues.
Our podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in 15-20 minutes. More information on everything we discuss can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.
This week, Brian and Blake celebrate the Fourth by detailing The Cardinal Nation’s June Player and Pitcher of the Month across the St. Louis Cardinals system, Chase Davis and Keiverson Ramirez. Last month’s results by a number of other hitting and pitching finalists are also covered.
All video of episodes of the return of Wednesday With Walton and Newberry at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.
The audio is also simulcast each week via the Scoops Sports Network on your favorite podcast apps.
Now Available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than 60 of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.
Special half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
photo: Cooper Hjerpe (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
Springfield’s Cooper Hjerpe repeats from last week in the Texas League and is joined by Leonel Sequera, the top pitcher in the Florida Complex League from June 24-30.
Springfield Cardinals release
Minor League Baseball announced on Monday (July 1) that Springfield Cardinals starting pitcher Cooper Hjerpe has been named the Texas League Pitcher of the Week for the week of June 24 – 30. It’s the third time this season a Cardinal has won a weekly award, including his own (June 17-23) and Nathan Church’s honor (April 15-21).
After winning the same award the previous week, he becomes the fourth Springfield Cardinal all-time to win a weekly MiLB honor in consecutive weeks. LHP Tim Cooney is the only other pitcher to complete the feat August 5-18, 2013. Moises Gomez (April 11-24, 2022) and Colby Rasmus (August 13-27, 2007) both won Player of the Week in consecutive weeks.
Hjerpe faced the Arkansas Travelers on Wednesday, matching a career-high with eight strikeouts at Hammons Field. He threw five hitless frames for the second straight start, running his hitless innings streak to ten straight.
Including this latest award, Hjerpe has been named Pitcher of the Week three total times in his Minor League career. He also won the honor in the Midwest League (A+) while with the Peoria Chiefs on May 28, 2023. The southpaw is the number six overall prospect and number three pitching prospect in the St. Louis Cardinals farm system. The organization drafted him 22nd overall in the 2022 MLB Draft after an electric season at Oregon State where he was a Golden Spikes Award finalist.
Cardinals announcement
Congratulations to RHP Leonel Sequera (FCL) on being named Florida Complex League Pitcher of the Week!
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than five dozen of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.
Special half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.
photo: Luis Gastelum (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
The Cardinal Nation’s Brian Walton is joined by scouting analyst Blake Newberry for a weekly discussion of St. Louis Cardinals news, with a focus on player development and the minor leagues.
Our Wednesday podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in 15-20 minutes. More information on everything we discuss can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.
This week, Brian and Blake cover key second half promotions across the St. Louis Cardinals minor league system before shifting to major changes in the June Top 50 Prospect Rankings per The Cardinal Nation. Players highlighted include Quinn Mathews, Chen-Wei Lin, Adam Kloffenstein, Darlin Saladin, Gerardo Salas, Luis Gastelum, Dakota Harris, Nick Dunn and many more.
Notes
All video of episodes of the return of Wednesday With Walton and Newberry at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.
The audio is also simulcast each week via the Scoops Sports Network on your favorite podcast apps.
Now Available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than 60 of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.
Special half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
In our monthly update of the St. Louis Cardinals 2024 Top 50 Prospect List, six players including a Palm Beach contingent join the rankings and amid questions, a Top 10 shakeup occurs, with Quinn Mathews a continued beneficiary.
This content is for paid members only. Join The Cardinal Nation today! Register
The Cardinal Nation’s Brian Walton is joined by scouting analyst Blake Newberry for a weekly discussion of St. Louis Cardinals news, with a focus on player development and the minor leagues.
Our Wednesday podcasts are quick hitting and timely, covering a short list of current topics in 15-20 minutes. More information on everything we discuss can be found in articles here at The Cardinal Nation.
This week, Brian and Blake cover three main topics across the St. Louis Cardinals minor league system. They are player moves announced Tuesday, led by Willson Contreras’ Memphis rehab, league Players of the Week Dakota Harris and Chase Davis and a half-dozen names linked to the organization’s seventh overall selection in next month’s draft.
Notes
All video of episodes of the return of Wednesday With Walton and Newberry at The Cardinal Nation can be found here.
The audio is also simulcast each week via the Scoops Sports Network on your favorite podcast apps.
Now Available – 2024 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about more than 60 of the best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including in-depth scouting reports, 2023 recap, extensive draft and international histories and more.
Special half-price off deal for paid subscribers. Order your PDF or printed book copy today.
Subscribe to The Cardinal Nation for the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
On June 15, 1964, the Chicago Cubs gift-wrapped outfielder Lou Brock to the St. Louis Cardinals in a package headlined by former 20-game winner Ernie Broglio. 60 years later to the day, Paul Lore looks back at the late Hall of Famer’s career.
By Paul Lore, guest contributor
On June 15, 1964, the hated Chicago Cubs gift-wrapped outfielder Lou Brock to the St. Louis Cardinals in a package headlined by former 20-game winner Ernie Broglio. The Wrigley faithfully rejoiced with the departure of a player they derisively called Brock as in Rock. The trade proved synonymous with Brock as in Mock as Redbirds fans ‘thanked’ the Cubs for 15 years for delivering one of the most dynamic and beloved players in St. Louis Cardinals history.
Born on June 18, 1939 to a sharecropper family, Brock grew up near El Dorado, Arkansas, a small town in the Deep South located just north of the Louisiana state line. He was born too late to play in the old the Negro Leagues, but young enough to be infused with the soul of old school black baseball whose players ran the bases with aggressive abandon.
As a youngster, Brock played sandlot baseball in the rural south, a far cry from today’s organized baseball with uniforms, score boards and coaches. He attended Southern University, a ‘black college’ for those who sought escape from a segregated, poverty-stricken world, where he tried out for the school’s baseball team. As an unknown, the 18-year-old had to prove himself quickly or be cut from the squad. There, he first demonstrated his penchant to perform under pressure as he tattooed baseballs driven by an explosive bat that sprang like spring steel from a tightly wound body blessed with sinewy power.
By the late 1950’s, scouts scoured the hinterlands for an untapped talent pool to compete with the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers, and later the Milwaukee Braves, teams that won every National League pennant from 1951 to 1959 because they struck black gold by signing talented African American players.
The Chicago Cubs paid heed and sent Buck O’Neil to search the bushes for players to pull their team out of the doldrums.
O’Neil ‘discovered’ Billy Williams and Lou Brock, two players who made the Hall of Fame, albeit in decidedly different paths. Sweet swinging Billy Williams made it as Cub. However, the raw backwoods talent took more time to refine. The impatient Cub fans road him because of his defensive miscues. After three years in Chicago, the Cubs traded Brock to the Cardinals in a trade that left Cardinals players—both black and white—scratching their heads. History proved otherwise.
The 24-year-old arrived in St. Louis in June of 1964 to play for a team with pennant hopes after a near miss in 1963. He brought with him a mediocre .253 batting average that matched his new team’s moribund .500 record. St. Louis manager Johnny Keane, a religious man without bias except for those who could help the team win, told his young speedster that he was his everyday leftfielder, and gave the young greyhound the green light to run the base paths.
Brock hit .348 the rest of the season and stole 33 bases igniting the Cardinals that rallied from far back to win their first pennant in 18 years. He hit .300 in his first World Series, with Game 1 highlighting his impact when he scored the opener’s first run when he singled, took third on another hit, and scored on a short fly to the outfield.
The Cardinals won two more pennants and another World Championship with their leadoff man extraordinaire. St. Louis romped to the pennant in 1967, as Brock hit .299 with 21 home runs while leading the league in runs scored and stolen bases.
Game 1 of the World Series against Boston typified Brock’s electrifying post-season play, in a game won by St. Louis, 2 to 1. Lou collected four hits, stole two bases and scored both runs for the Cardinals.
In Game 3, he rocketed a drive over a startled Carl Yastrzemski in left field as he cut the bases in record time for a hard-slide triple to ignite that victory. The Cardinal leftfielder finished the Fall Classic with a .414 average, and ordinarily would have won Series MVP but for his famed teammate Bob Gibson who won the award and the car based on three overpowering World Series victories. KMOX radio recognized Brock’s excellence by giving him a car, too.
It was more of the same the following season known as the “Year of the Pitcher” when Brock led the league in doubles, triples and stolen bases. The World Series against the Detroit Tigers provided Brock with yet another opportunity to display his unique talent.
The preceding year, he set a Series record with seven stolen bases against the Red Sox, and he would swipe seven more against Detroit. Brock possessed what Stan Musial called inner conceit. Lou ran the bases with a swagger that said you cannot throw me out. It was a part of his psyche that made for clutch hitting and compelling devil dare on the base paths. But like a tragic Greek figure, he was destined for a reversal of fortune.
With the Cardinals clinging to a one run lead in Game Five, the Tigers’ nemesis cracked another double, his third straight hit. Javier followed with a line-drive single hit directly towards leftfielder Willie Horton. Nonetheless, Lou had grown to believe that he could not be thrown out by anyone. But on this fateful play, Horton fielded the ball on a big hop, and fired a missile on a line to home plate.
The Cardinal speedster went in standing up and collided with the Tiger catcher just as he caught the ball. The umpire called Brock out in a hotly disputed call. Brock maintained that he was correct in trying to score on the dead run rather than sliding, and after having turned in such a superman performance that he was unfairly scapegoated for his role in the Series’ pivotal play. Lou was certainly correct on the latter point. That lost run proved critical as the Tigers rallied to win that game, and later the Series in seven games despite Brock’s phenomenal performance that included three doubles, a triple and two long home runs with a .464 batting average.
In the end analysis, Brock’s World Series statistics match any of the Games’ greats. In 21 games, he lit up the scoreboard with a .391 batting average (second all-time); a slugging percentage of .655 (sixth); four home runs, and 14 stolen bases (first).
St. Louis failed to make it to the post season in the 1970’s, due to blundering trades that included giveaways of pitchers Steve Carlton and Jerry Reuss, either of whom would have made the difference in several close but no cigar pennant races. Brock did his best to carry the team that lacked the excellence and esprit de corps of previous Redbirds ball clubs. The fleet-footed batsman continued his consistent hitting and electrifying base running. He led the league in runs scored in 1971, and in 1974 he carried a mediocre team to a near-miss division crown when he stole 118 bases at the age of 35.
Throughout this pennant-barren decade, Lou Brock remained a St. Louis favorite whose partisans knew baseball on an intellectual and visceral level. The St. Louis favorite possessed charisma—a rare trait in the pastoral world of baseball—whenever he came to the plate, and especially when he ran the bases. His deadpan stares and feints on the base paths, the stolen bases and his audacious sprints stretching singles into doubles and doubles into triples upset opponents and thrilled fans.
Aggravated opposing pitchers oft shaved the Cardinals’ roadrunner high and tight in retaliation. Bob Gibson once remarked that he earned his stern reputation in part because he defended his teammate with his own chin music.
In August of 1979, he needed two more hits to reach 3000. The audio system played Paul McCartney’s hit, “With a Little Luck”, but Lou hardly needed it as he seemed to always rise to the occasion. He led off the first inning with a single, and in his second time up pitcher Dennis Lamb threw one high and tight that nearly decked the Redbird favorite. On the next pitch, he lined a drive right back at the sacrificial Lamb that drilled the Cub hurler for hit number 3000.
Brock finished his career with over 900 stolen bases and 3,023 hits, yet inadequate numbers for some statistical desk jockeys like Bill James who only ranked Lou #15 as all-time leftfielders behind the likes of such luminaries as Tim Rains, Minnie Minoso and Jessie Burkett, presumably because they drew more bases on balls that fit within their defining formula for winning baseball games.
Yet, Brock’s career defies the modern-day statistical number crunchers who attempt to rank players with the precision of diamond cutters. Statisticians whiff on the true measure of Brock’s greatness because his dynamic play and clutch performances cannot be numerically quantified. While he owned impressive career numbers, the whole of his game was greater than the sum of its’ parts. Indeed, Lou Brock possessed that indefinable je ne sais quoi, which translated into pennants.
In response, one can quote a show me Missourian named Mark Twain who once said: “There are lies, damned lies and statistics.” Limiting analysis to Brock’s career through numerical analysis leads to underrating his ‘ranking’ in the pantheons of baseball greats. The man who rose from the backwoods of the old Jim Crow world of the Deep South played the game fearlessly, with the flair for the dramatic that ignited his team and electrified his fans. Louis Clark Brock defined winning baseball, and his charismatic play made the game a thrill to watch.
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its seventh year. It includes 282 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including dozens of all-new player scouting reports. Order your PDF or printed book copy today!
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!