P.J. Maigi/Springfield Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals announced the organization’s 2024 Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year selections. Catcher Jimmy Crooks and left-handed pitching prospect Quinn Mathews received the honor. After several disappointing seasons, fans will be glad to hear there are some promising prospects on the way.
Mathews Flies Up the Ranks
The left-handed pitching prospect Mathews rocketed through the minor league ranks this season after being drafted in the fourth round of the 2023 draft. The lefty started the season in Low-A Palm Beach and finished it in Triple-A Memphis. He made four starts for Palm Beach, seven for Peoria, nine for Springfield, and four in Memphis.
The 24-year-old starting pitcher put up a 2.76 ERA, a 0.98 WHIP, and a minor league leading 202 strikeouts over 26 starts split between all four minor league teams. He led the organization’s minor leagues in strikeouts and quality starts. Also, he ranked second in innings pitched and WHIP.
Mathews was named the Cardinals’ Minor League Pitcher of the Month in April and June. The lefty was only the third Cardinal to be named Pitcher of the Month twice in their first professional season and the fourth to win the Minor League Pitcher of the Year in all of baseball. Additionally, he was named to the All-MiLB First Team and was named a Texas League Post-Season All-Star. Mathews was also selected as the Minor League Pitcher of the Year by Baseball America. Furthermore, the publication ranked the lefty as the Cardinals’ third best prospect and the 37th ranked prospect in all of baseball.
The Cardinals’ prospect made plenty of headlines in 2023 when he threw 156 pitches for Stanford in a Super Regionals matchup against Texas. His usage at Stanford spawned many debates. However, there’s no way he will ever have 150-pitch outings in the pros. Furthermore, the experience is important, and it has helped him move quickly through the minor league system.
Breakout Season for Cardinals’ Catching Prospect
The left-handed hitting catching prospect is the third catcher to be named the organization’s Minor League Player of the Year. He joins Ivan Herrera and Carson Kelley. The Cardinals picked Crooks in the fourth round of the 2022 draft out of Oklahoma University.
The young catcher put up some impressive offensive numbers in a breakout season. He had eleven games with more than three hits and reached base safely in 72 out of 82 games that he started. The left-handed hitter put up an impressive .321/.410/.498 slash line and 32 extra base hits, with eleven of them being homeruns. Additionally, he knocked in 62 runs, scored 42, and was ranked number one in the organization with a .908 OPS. Crooks also gunned down 32.9% of runners attempting to steal a base.
Crooks was one of the largest contributors to Double-A Springfield’s record-breaking season. Springfield was the first and second half champion. They also set a franchise record with 79 wins and qualified for the Texas League playoffs. Additionally, the young catcher was named the Texas League MVP and a post-season All-Star by Minor League Baseball.
Help Is on the Way
The Cardinals have several intriguing prospects nearing their chance to make the big league roster. If only a couple of them pan out, it will be huge for an organization that has struggled to develop players. Randy Flores has done an excellent job drafting. All the fans can do is hope the coaching staff doesn’t fail them in the final stages of their development. The Cardinals’ President of Baseball Operations, John Mozeliak, had this to say about the two prospects.
“We are proud to recognize Quinn Mathews and Jimmy Crooks as our club’s Minor League Pitcher and Player of the Year. 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.”
Cardinals Should Hand Bloom the reigns
The time is now to see what the organization’s young players can do. Unfortunately, there will be growing pains, but they won’t know what they have if they don’t give the youngsters consistent playing time. Hopefully, Mozeliak will step back from the decision-making this off-season. Chaim Bloom should be the one to clean up the mess. There’s no reason to trust the person who created the mess to fix it.
