The Memphis Redbirds, Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, improved to 6-0 for the first time in franchise history on Thursday night. The success of players like Jimmy Crooks, Joshua Baez and Richard Fitts is showing just how deep and talented the Cards are in the Minor Leagues.
ST. LOUIS – While development is often more important than team success at the Minor League level, it’s hard to argue with the winning habits being built so far by the Memphis Redbirds – the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Redbirds improved to 6-0 for the first time in the history of the franchise on Thursday night with a 6-2 defeat of Norfolk (Orioles) at Memphis’ Autozone Park.
Blaze Jordan, a trade acquisition by the Cardinals last July when Steven Matz was dealt to the Red Sox, went 3 for 4 with two home runs and three RBI to propel the offense. On the mound, Richard Fitts (5 2/3 innings pitched, seven hits, two earned runs and five strikeouts) and Scott Blewett (two innings, two hits, zero earned runs and three strikeouts) stated their cases again as to why they might be primed for promotions to the big leagues.
Featuring a stacked lineup that features catcher Jimmy Crooks, Joshua Baez, Cesar Prieto, Leonardo Bernal, Matt Koperniak and Jordan, the Redbirds are hitting .272 as a team with nine home runs. Crooks, who finished last season with the Cardinals, is already started making his push for a return to the big leagues by hitting .533 with three homers and six RBI. Jordan, who had exit velocities of 107.9 mph, 104.5 mph and 104 mph on his three hits on Thursday night, also has three homers and six RBI, while hitting .500.
Baez, the No. 4-ranked prospect in the Cardinals system, per MLB Pipeline, recorded his second double of the young season on Thursday. Bernal, the club’s No. 6-ranked prospect, is hitting .368 while splitting the catching duties with Crooks. Prieto, who also made his MLB debut with the Cardinals last season, has started the season in torrid fashion by hitting .474 with two homers and three RBI.
On the mound, Fitts has increased his increased velocity and has posted a 1.74 ERA over his first two starts. Brycen Mautz and Quinn Mathews – the Cardinals’ Minor League Pitchers of the Year in 2025 and ’24, opened their seasons with stellar starts. Hunter Dobbins, an acquisition from the Red Sox in a deal that centered around Willson Contreras, began a rehab assignment this week with another solid start.
The strong start was likely expected by several members of the Redbirds who led Double-A Springfield to a dominant 2025 season and a Texas League crown. Baez, Bernal and Mautz were key players on the Springfield squad in 2025 who were promoted to Triple-A in 2026. All three could be in line for big league promotions to St. Louis by August if they continue to thrive at the Triple-A level.
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