For the second consecutive year, the Cardinals will have at least two of their full-season affiliates in the postseason as Class AA Springfield (Missouri) and Class Low-A Palm Beach have clinched postseason spots.
While looking at the tone his club has set this year, Springfield manager Jose Leger didn鈥檛 point to one specific moment that highlights the S-Cards鈥 season.
Instead, he highlighted a recurring theme for a playoff-bound Cardinals affiliate.
鈥淚 think not one (moment) is specific but all the comeback wins,鈥 said Leger, whose club is 6-1 in extra-inning games heading into its final six regular-season games. 鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing how many of our players have had the opportunity to come through and how many of them have done it. ... In general, it just shows how resilient they are and how they grind at-bats. We鈥檙e never out of a game.鈥
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For Class Low-A Palm Beach manager Gary Kendall, what his playoff-bound team has shown in games the day after a 鈥渢ough loss鈥 is what stood out to him.
鈥淭hey almost looked at it like it was a fluke, not that (the other team was) better than us,鈥 said Kendall, whose club will face Daytona on Tuesday in Game 1 of the Florida State League Division Series. 鈥... Guys trust each other. They really believe. They go out there and they expect to win.鈥
Palm Beach鈥檚 postseason appearance will be its third straight Springfield鈥檚 will be its second in as many seasons. Palm Beach begins its postseason series Tuesday in Daytona Beach, Florida, while Springfield will end its regular season with a six-game road series in San Antonio, Texas, that begins on Tuesday.
The postseason opportunities represent a chance for both Cardinals affiliates to author memorable finishes to their 2024 seasons while giving Cardinals prospects another layer to their developments.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 huge,鈥 fourth-year manager Leger said of the postseason opportunity. 鈥淏ecause at the end (of the day), if they are going to play in the big leagues, they鈥檙e going to have to face some adversity and a little bit of the pressure that comes with playing playoff baseball.鈥
Catching momentum 鈥榬ight away鈥
With an opening day roster that featured the Cardinals鈥 top two pitching prospects (Tink Hence and Tekoah Roby), Springfield began its season like no other Springfield team had before: with a nine-game win streak that set an S-Cards franchise record for most consecutive wins.
A 37-32 finish to the first half of the minor league season won Springfield the Texas League North and clinched a playoff spot. Springfield hits the road to face Arkansas on Sept. 17 for Game 1 of the Texas League Division Series.
鈥淭hey came together from the very beginning and started playing some consistent baseball. ... That was amazing that we caught momentum right away,鈥 Leger said in a phone interview Monday.
Springfield enters final week of its regular season at 76-56, one game shy of matching its franchise record for wins in a season. Through 132 games, Springfield leads the Texas League in batting average (.266) and on-base percentage (.348), while striking out the least.
The S-Cards have received breakout seasons from players including 23-year-old catching prospect Jimmy Crooks, who has a .914 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS), and 27-year-old outfielder Bryan Torres, who leads the Texas League in batting average (.333) after having not played in affiliated baseball since 2021.
They鈥檝e received stable pitching performances throughout the season from prospects such as starter Quinn Mathews and reliever Andre Granillo 鈥 both of whom have been promoted to Class AAA Memphis. The S-Cards have benefited from players maintaining regular roles just as Matt Svanson, the Texas League saves leader with 25, has done. And they received jolts with movement through the system.
A flash of that was displayed on Saturday when 2023 first-round pick Chase Davis homered on the first swing of his first at-bat in Class AA a day after his promotion from Class High-A.
鈥淲e鈥檙e just going to be ready for the next guy in making sure that when they get here, we tell them, 鈥楬ey, you鈥檙e here for a reason, and you鈥檙e very capable to play at this level. We just need you to go out there and do your thing. The game doesn鈥檛 change that much, other than you鈥檙e going to probably be facing better competition,鈥欌 Leger said.
A 鈥3-season team鈥
As the Cardinals鈥 lowest full-season affiliate, Palm Beach opened its year with an array of 2023 draftees highlighted by Davis and Mathews and clinched a playoff spot with a 37-29 first-half record. It has since been boosted offensively in the second half by members of the Cardinals鈥 2024 draft class.
Its pitching staff has combined for the lowest ERA (3.10) and walks plus hits allowed per inning pitching (1.22) while receiving a combined 24 quality starts from former international signees Chen-Wei Lin, Juan Salas and Jose Davila.
Despite the roster changes that came at various points of the season, Palm Beach ended the regular with an 83-47 record, giving it the most wins in the Florida State League.
鈥(Farm director) Gary LaRocque always calls it a 鈥榯hree-season team鈥 because you have what you start with and then usually towards the end of the first half, we promote, which we did,鈥 third-year manager Kendall said in a phone interview on Monday. 鈥淎nd then there鈥檚 a stretch there where you kind of play with your existing roster. ... That period runs for a couple of weeks, and then, by that time, the newly drafted players ... they join you.鈥
The post-draft additions included the likes of seventh overall pick JJ Wetherholt, fourth-round pick Ryan Campos and 12th-round pick Ian Petrutz. Wetherholt ended the regular season with an .805 OPS in 29 games, while Campos posted an .803 OPS in 26 games and Petrutz had a .915 OPS in 28 games.
The trio aided Palm Beach to a 46-18 record and a plus-127 run differential in the second half. They make up part of the 鈥渦nique鈥 look Palm Beach has heading into the playoffs.
鈥淭his group, more than any group that I鈥檝e ever had since my three years here, had the best bat-to-ball skills,鈥 Kendall said. 鈥... When you could throw out your seven or eight hits and you put the ball in play and put pressure on the defense, you鈥檙e going to do OK.鈥