A remarkable streak for the Memphis Redbirds grew earlier this month when St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan was named to the National League All-Star team. A former Redbird, you see, has been in uniform for every MLB All-Star Game since 2003, when the great Albert Pujols made his debut in the Midsummer Classic. Who remembers Dan Haren in 2009? What about Aledmys Díaz in 2016?
The Cardinals would like to think JJ Wetherholt will add to this All-Star streak in the near future. The seventh pick in the 2024 draft and the 19th-ranked prospect in the minor leagues, Wetherholt made his Triple-A debut on July 8th at AutoZone Park — he homered and tripled — after hitting .300 in 62 games for Double-A Springfield. Wetherholt is a 22-year-old middle infielder who hit .370 over his three seasons at West Virginia University. Particularly for a franchise starving for offensive production, Wetherholt’s time in Memphis will be brief if his bat continues to spray baseballs where they can’t be caught.
• It’s been a strange season for the Redbirds. Quinn Mathews — the 2024 Minor League Pitcher of the Year — was expected to anchor the Memphis rotation, but shoulder trouble has limited the lefty to 40 innings pitched. And his 4.43 ERA isn’t the kind of figure that gets him closer to the mound at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
Luken Baker spent the first month of the season with the Cardinals but finds himself back in Memphis, and struggling (.208 batting average). Already the Redbirds franchise record-holder for career home runs, Baker will become the first to slam 100 for the team if he hits five more.
Then there’s Matt Koperniak. An International League All-Star in 2024 when he led the circuit in hits, Koperniak is batting .219 this season. After posting an OPS of .882 in 2024, he’s battling to lift a .601 mark this year. He’s a reminder that the last promotion in professional baseball is the hardest to achieve.
• Michael McGreevy has had a stellar season, and it’s likely to get better. In winning eight games for Memphis, the 25-year-old righty has climbed to second in career wins for the franchise with 28 (P.J. Walters won 32 games). While posting a 3.72 ERA against Triple-A hitters, McGreevy has also made three spot starts for St. Louis when doubleheaders have crammed the Cardinals’ schedule. With both Miles Mikolas and Erick Fedde all but flatlining in the St. Louis rotation, McGreevy stands to receive a more permanent promotion in the near future.
• The MLB trade deadline is July 31st. Might a current Redbird serve as a trade piece to bring some long-term pitching help to St. Louis? Keep your eye on catcher Jimmy Crooks. Slugging from the left side of the plate (always valuable), Crooks leads the club in both homers (11) and RBIs(63). Measured against the Cardinals’ current options behind the plate, Crooks is a better hitter than Pedro Pagés and Yohel Pozo and better with his glove than Ivan Herrera. However you shake it, St. Louis has too many catchers and not enough starting pitching.
Finally, the Cardinals need to deal Baker. He can’t do any more at the Triple-A level (he was the International League’s MVP in 2023). With 30 designated-hitter jobs in the big leagues, there’s a spot for Baker somewhere. He’s earned an extended gig in The Show.