Cardinals Minor Leagues
Why St. Louis Fans Will Embrace an Underdog Team
A poignant scene from the baseball epic *61 shows an injured Mickey Mantle receiving an extended ovation as he steps into the batter’s box, while two semi-fictional Yankees newspapermen watch from the press box above. “I’ve never seen him get a hand like this before,”...
Springfield blanks Tulsa in soggy Texas League semifinals; advances to first Championship Series since 2012
In the wee hours of a damp muggy overnight haze, Luis Gastelum struck out Tulsa Drillers’ shortstop Sean McLain and bedlam ensued as the Springfield Cardinals hugged each other in the infield and a handful of diehard supporters that endured a three-hour rain delay...
Cade Winquest gets a grip on slider to take firm hold with Springfield
A sharp fastball and 12-6 curveball that he’s commanded since he was 12 years old helped Cade Winquest pile up strikeouts at University of Texas-Arlington and persuaded the Cardinals to draft the righthander in the 8th round of the 2022 MLB Draft. But Winquest knew he...
Pete Hansen miffs Arkansas with new gyro slider, helps Springfield staff close dominant July
The dog days of August arrived with mild weather forecast, and after a scorching July for lefty Pete Hansen and Springfield’s pitching staff, cooler temperatures are the best hope Texas League opponents have for some relief. Hansen went 3-0 and struck out 29 batters...
A tribute to the Cardinals Gameday Scorecard as Steve Zesch Retires from Cardinals Publications
Steve Zesch retired from Cardinals Publications this week after 29 years of creating and preserving St. Louis Cardinals history in the form of calendars, magazines, and scorecards sold at Busch Stadium. Nearly 200 of those scorecards are tucked in binders in my home...
Refined changeup key for Hancel Rincon’s hot start with Double-A Springfield
Hancel Rincon spent the winter months tinkering with his changeup. Signed by the Cardinals as a teenager from the Dominican Republic in 2019, Rincon, 23, led all qualified Minor League pitchers with a 0.97 WHIP in 2023 and went 9-7 with a 3.80 ERA and 105 strikeouts...
JJ Wetherholt named to NL Futures Game roster after powering Springfield to Texas League playoff spot
JJ Wetherholt was named to the 2025 National League Futures Game roster on Monday and the scene at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 12 fits nicely into a season that’s gone according to script for the Cards’ top prospect. But if the Future’s Game foreshadows...
“I couldn’t believe it when I saw it”: Joshua Baez powers up at Double-A with multi-homer game, 114 mph exit velo
Springfield manager Patrick Anderson rarely uses his iPad to watch replays in the dugout during the game. Last week at Riders Field in Frisco, Texas he made an exception. Joshua Baez had absolutely crushed a letter-high fastball from RoughRiders’ lefty Kohl Drake –...
“Themes like payroll is going down, we hope we win a few games – that wasn’t the narrative downstairs”: John Mozeliak enjoys final Blogger’s Day interview as ‘youngry’ Cardinals rise
“Themes like payroll is going down, we hope we win a few games – that wasn’t the narrative downstairs”: John Mozeliak enjoys final Blogger’s Day interview as ‘youngry’ Cardinals rise One hour before the Cardinals scratched out a 2-1 series-clinching victory over the...
Ixan Henderson is on the rise in Springfield as elevated fastball “plays well” against Texas League hitters
Ixan Henderson was locked in a pitchers’ duel with Amarillo starter Spencer Giesting on Tuesday night at Hammons Field. With a runner on and one out in the fourth inning, Sod Poodles’ outfielder Jack Hurley worked a full count, then spoiled the sixth pitch of the...
Clutch Defense by Davis and Resilient Wetherholt Help Cashew Chickens Soar Past Naturals
Javier Vaz slapped a line drive down the left field line that appeared destined to put the go-ahead run in scoring position for Northwest Arkansas in the ninth inning at Hammons Field on Thursday. But Chase Davis would have none of that. The Cardinals’ 2023 first...
Healthy and having fun, Tekoah Roby on the cusp of escaping Double-A purgatory
Tekoah Roby toes the rubber in Springfield tonight, 627 days after he was traded by the Texas Rangers at the MLB trade deadline in 2023. The 21-year-old Roby had caught the eye of a Cardinals’ organization desperate for dynamic arms by recording 50 strikeouts over ten...