photo: Ian Bedell (Peoria Chiefs)
Peoria Chiefs release
Three Chiefs were named to the Midwest League All-Star Team with Ian Bedell earning Pitcher of the Year honors as Minor League Baseball released the all-star submissions Wednesday.
In addition to Bedell’s nod, catcher Jimmy Crooks and center fielder Victor Scott also joined Bedell on the team. Peoria’s three selections were second most among MWL clubs.
Bedell, who made 27 appearances in 2023, turned in a 4-2 record with a 2.44 earned run average, the lowest among any pitcher with at least 95.0 innings pitched. The 2020 draftee transitioned to the starting rotation in May and quickly became one of Peoria’s most reliable arms. Bedell’s best effort came on July 3 and against Cedar Rapids when he allowed just one hit over six shutout innings.
Crooks, 22, parlayed an impressive second half into an all-star season. Crooks hit .317 over the season’s latter half and mashed 12 homers to go with 73 runs batted in, tied for second most in the MWL. Additionally, the 73 RBIs were the most in a single season for a Chiefs batter since 2019. The Peoria catcher was also named the Midwest League Player of the Month for August after posting a .379/.427/.611 slash line in 24 games.
The speedy Scott departed Peoria on June 27 but made a huge impact over 66 contests. Scott hit .282 and swiped 50 bases, the most in a single season since 2016 and tied for sixth on the all-time single-season list. At the time of his promotion, Scott’s 50 stolen bases led all of Minor League Baseball. He finished the regular season with 95 steals between Peoria and Double-A Springfield, again putting him atop the MiLB leaderboard.
Peoria finished the 2023 campaign at 69-63 and clinched a postseason bid for the first time since 2018.
TCN notes
All three are top 25 prospects in the Cardinals system. In the most recent edition of The Cardinal Nation’s Top 50 Prospect List, Scott is ranked 11th, Bedell is 19th and Crooks is 22nd.
Congratulations to Scott, Bedell and Crooks!
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