photo: Ixan Henderson (PJ Maigi/Springfield Cardinals)
St. Louis Cardinals release
The St. Louis Cardinals today (Tuesday, May 6) announced their selections for Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Month for April, with Springfield Cardinals (AA) left-handed starting pitcher Ixan Henderson (pronounced EE-shawn) and Palm Beach Cardinals (A) catcher/first baseman Josh Kross taking home the honors.
Kross, 22, slashed .288/.376/.671, and led all qualified Cardinals hitters in home runs (6), RBI (29), runs scored (18), extra-base hits (14), total bases (49) and OPS (1.047). He homered in four straight games from April 11-15, and capped the streak with a cycle on April 15 vs. Clearwater at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex on Jackie Robinson Day, going 4-for-5 with 6 RBI.
“Josh has shown improvements in multiple areas of his offensive game, especially in the areas of impact quality and productive launch angles,” said Cardinals Director of Player Development Larry Day. “He is hitting the ball harder at better angles compared to last season, which leads to his power production. These improvements are likely byproducts of his off-season training, and an awesome example of how an organizational off-season program can directly impact in-season player production. Josh is maintaining offensive success while also re-introducing catching to his defensive skillset, adding defensive versatility to his own tool bag as well as Gary Kendall’s Palm Beach ball club.”
The 6’1”, switch hitter was drafted by the club in the 6th round of the 2024 MLB Draft out of the University of Cincinnati and appeared in 23 games with Palm Beach last season. Kross led all Single-A hitters in HR, RBI, XBH and TB for the month and was also recognized as the Florida State League Player of the Week from April 7-13. He is the second Palm Beach hitter to earn organizational Player of the Month honors since the start of 2022, joining Chase Davis in June of 2024.
Henderson, 23, posted a 2-1 record with a 2.79 ERA (6 ER/19.1 IP) and 24 strikeouts across his first four career Double-A starts. Among Cardinals minor league hurlers with at least 17.0 innings pitched, Henderson ranked in the top five in ERA (5th), OPS allowed (5th, .608), SO/9 (2nd, 11.17) and SO/BB ratio (2nd, 4.00), while also ranking 3rd in total strikeouts. He did not allow more than three runs in any of his starts, which was highlighted by 5.0 scoreless innings with 8 strikeouts and a win in his first start of the season on April 10 at Amarillo.
“Ixan’s April success comes as no surprise to those that have been around him,” stated Day. “He is relentless when it comes to his physical and mental preparation. Eric Peterson and the rest of our pitching group have done a tremendous job to ensure that Ixan has a clear plan of attack prior to each start, and Ixan has been amazing in executing the plan. Often seen taking notes in the dugout in between starts, Ixan and Eric have placed high developmental priorities on the sweeper and fastball combination, which has led to Ixan’s effectiveness in April.”
Selected in the 8th round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Fresno State, Henderson finished his first full professional season last year with an 8-4 record, 2.34 ERA and 105 strikeouts across 22 appearances (17 starts) between Peoria (High-A) and Palm Beach (Single-A). He is the first Springfield minor leaguer to earn organizational Pitcher of the Month honors since Jake Walsh in May 2021.
Brian Walton’s take
Congratulations to the honorees.
Last week, The Cardinal Nation selected Kross and Palm Beach pitcher Brandt Thompson as our April Player and Pitcher of the Month. As Henderson’s 2.79 ERA was 13th in the system among qualifying pitchers (10 or more innings), he did not make our finalist list.
Here are the earlier articles, which include multiple finalists’ results.
The Cardinal Nation’s April 2025 Pitcher of the Month – Brandt Thompson
The Cardinal Nation April 2025 Player of the Month – Josh Kross
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