The 2026 season will be unlike any other in the proud history of the St. Louis Cardinals. For the first time in almost a century, the Cardinals opened a season without a solitary All-Star on their roster. (The All-Star Game was first played in 1933.) Unless the club makes a deal in the coming weeks for a veteran, St. Louis will not have a regular player over the age of 30 for the first time since 1966. Now under the watch of president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom (following almost two decades under John Mozeliak), this is a young, inexpensive Cardinals team managed by Oliver Marmol, a man with four seasons (and precisely two playoff games) under his belt who will turn 40 in July.
What does this mean for the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds? We will likely see a blend of Memphis/St. Louis baseball unlike any since the Redbirds arrived in 1998. The Cardinals’ farm system flourished over the course of a 23-season era (2000-2022) that saw St. Louis reach the postseason 16 times, winning four National League pennants and two World Series championships. Stars like Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, Adam Wainwright, David Freese, and Allen Craig did their thing at AutoZone Park before enjoying champagne showers in the Cardinals’ clubhouse. But those stars arrived with the likes of Jim Edmonds, Chris Carpenter, Scott Rolen, and Matt Holliday already in St. Louis, accomplished veteran leaders who served as the backbone for championship runs. Such a player cannot be found on the current Cardinals roster.
Here in Memphis, the Redbirds feature two of MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospects: outfielder Joshua Baez (87) and catcher Leo Bernal (98). Bernal has already been seen playing first base at AutoZone Park, as Jimmy Crooks also catches and happens to be the Cardinals’ eighth-ranked prospect. (Crooks slammed three home runs and hit .400 over the Redbirds’ first nine games.) Pitcher Quinn Mathews — Minor League Baseball’s 2024 Pitcher of the Year — is at the front of the Memphis rotation and will surely get a few, if not several, starts with St. Louis this season.
In addition to the prospects, the Redbirds welcome back veterans like Cesar Prieto, an infielder who batted .300 last season, and outfielder Matt Koperniak, here for a fourth season with Memphis and likely to become only the fifth player to appear in 400 games for the franchise. The mix of new arrivals and seasoned vets appears to be healthy as Memphis won its first seven games of the season, the best start in 28 years of Redbirds baseball. The club has not reached the playoffs since its 2018 championship season.
As for the Cardinals, the kids seem to be alright for now. Led by Alec Burleson, JJ Wetherholt, Masyn Winn, and Nolan Gorman (Memphis players not that long ago and today the Cardinals’ infield), St. Louis won its first two series of the season with Wetherholt and Winn each delivering walk-off hits. Few intangibles fuel a baseball team like the energy of youth, and young players enjoy seeing results. This can become a cycle of positivity, and may start filling the many empty seats we see these days at Busch Stadium. (The Cardinals have not reached the postseason since 2022.) It should be noted that the Cardinals’ Opening Day lineup was entirely Memphis alumni, a first since the affiliation began.
Recall that 1966 Cardinals team, and all the 20-somethings in their batting order. Well, St. Louis won the World Series in 1967. Youth and hope, peas and carrots. Right?
