ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - The St. Louis Cardinals announced Monday their Minor League Pitcher and Player of the Year and it's two names Cardinals fans have been comfortably hearing throughout the year.
Cardinals starter Quinn Mathew was unsurprisingly named the Cardinals Minor League Pitcher and Player of the Year while catcher Jimmy Crooks was named the Cardinals Minor League Hitter of the Year.
Mathews, who was drafted by the Cardinals in the 4th round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Stanford, rose quickly through the Cardinals minor league ranks this season all the way up to Triple-A Memphis. Over the whole season, Mathew started 26 games across four levels of the Cardinals minor league system, posting an ERA of 2.76 in 143.1 innings, and striking out 202 batters in a combined 143.1 innings.
Crooks, who was drafted by the Cardinals in the 4th round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Oklahoma, spent all of 2024 in the Cardinals Double-A Affiliate Springfield. Overall, Crooks appeared in 90 games, posted a slash line of .321/.410/.498 with an OPS of .909. Crooks hits 11 home runs in Springfield this past season while also collecting 62 RBIs and 111 hits.
