SPRINGFIELD, MO (September 24, 2024) – Minor League Baseball has announced its 2024 Post-Season awards with multiple Springfield Cardinals collecting honors in the Texas League following their historic season. C Jimmy Crooks becomes the third straight Cardinal to win the Texas League MVP, while RHP Tink Hence was named Pitcher of the Year. Crooks, Hence, LHP Quinn Mathews and RHP Matt Svanson were all tabbed Texas League All-Stars, and Manager José Leger was named Springfield’s first-ever Texas League Manager of the Year.
C Jimmy Crooks: MVP, All-Star
Jimmy Crooks becomes the sixth Texas League Most Valuable Player in franchise history and marks three straight years that the MVP played for Springfield. He joins past Cardinals Thomas Saggese (2023), Moisés Gómez (2022), Dylan Carlson (2019), Oscar Taveras (2012) and Matt Adams (2011) as winners of the prestigious award. The University of Oklahoma product hit .321 for Springfield while leading the Texas League with a .498 slugging percentage, both career highs. Behind the plate, the Texas native caught a career-high 24% of would-be base stealers. This All-Star nod is the second of his career as Crooks was a Midwest League Post-Season All-Star in 2023 with the Peoria Chiefs. He was drafted by St. Louis in the fourth round of the 2022 MLB Draft. Crooks played in the 2022 College World Series after beginning his collegiate career in Junior College at McLennan Community College. He is the fifth-best prospect and top-catching prospect in the Cardinals system, per MLB Pipeline.
RHP Tink Hence: Pitcher of the Year, All-Star
Tink Hence becomes the second-ever Springfield Cardinal selected as the Texas League Pitcher of the Year, joining 2017’s Dakota Hudson. Hence was also selected as the Florida State League Pitcher of the Year and a Post-Season All-Star in 2022 with the Palm Beach Cardinals. The number one ranked pitching prospect in the Cardinals system made twenty starts for Springfield in 2024, setting a career-high in strikeouts with 109 across 79.1 innings pitched. He tossed seven quality starts while reaching six or more strikeouts in eight starts this season. On May 25, 2024, Hence struck out a career-high thirteen batters against the Tulsa Drillers. This feat at Hammons Field tied a franchise record for strikeouts in a single game which was done twice previously by a Springfield Cardinal: Trey Hearne on May 8, 2009 vs NW Arkansas, and Alex Reyes May 19, 2008 vs NW Arkansas. The right-hander was the Texas League Pitcher of the Month in April and was selected to his second Future’s Game team (in addition to 2023). Hence was drafted 63rd overall by St. Louis out of Watson Chapel High School (AR) in the 2020 draft. MLB Pipeline currently ranks him St. Louis’ second-best prospect and 48th best in all of baseball.
LHP Quinn Mathews: All-Star
Quinn Mathews earns the first All-Star Selection of his career in his first professional season. The southpaw enjoyed a meteoric rise through the system, pitching across all levels: Single-A Palm Beach (Florida State League), High-A Peoria (Midwest), Double-A Springfield (Texas) and Triple-A Memphis (International). The Orange County, California native spent the majority of his dominant 2024 season with Springfield, making nine starts in the Texas League to the tune of a 2.41 ERA and a .186 opponent batting average. Mathews was the Texas League Pitcher of the Month in August after a stellar final outing with Springfield on August 23. Facing the Tulsa Drillers in front of 6,435 fans at Hammons Field, Mathews carried a perfect game into the seventh inning. He ultimately lasted 7.2 innings while striking out twelve batters, allowing one run on two hits and promptly received a call-up to Triple-A. He finished the season as Minor League Baseball’s strikeout leader with 202 punchouts combined across 26 starts. Mathews became the 10th Cardinals Minor Leaguer all time to reach 200 strikeouts and just the second MiLB pitcher to do so since 2011. St. Louis drafted Mathews out of Stanford in the fourth round of the 2023 MLB Draft. He began the year ranked as the 21st-best prospect in the Cardinals system but finishes at number three according to MLB Pipeline.
In addition to his Texas League accolade, Mathews was also named Minor League Pitcher of the Year by Baseball America on Tuesday afternoon. He joins Robby Snelling (2023, San Diego) and Andrew Painter (Philadelphia, 2022) as all-time honorees. The Pitcher of the Year award split off the Minor Player of the Year award in 2022. Pitchers to win the Minor League Player of the Year award include Blake Snell (2015, Tampa Bay), Josh Becket (Florida, 2001) and Rick Ankiel (1999, Cardinals). Ankiel is the only other Cardinal to win this honor from Baseball America.
RHP Matt Svanson: All-Star
The best closer in all of Double-A Baseball this year, Matt Svanson earns his second straight Post-Season All-Star nod and his first while in the Cardinals system. After being named a 2023 All-Star in the Northwest League while with the Vancouver Canadians of the Toronto Blue Jays system, Svanson becomes a Texas League All-Star in his first full year with St. Louis. The Cardinal closer took over the role in Springfield in the final week of May and blossomed, going a perfect 27-for-27 in save opportunities. The tally tied a franchise record (Mark Worrell – 2006, Chris Perez – 2007) and was the second-most saves in all of Minor League Baseball in 2024. In the regular season, the righthander made 53 appearances with a 2.69 ERA. The Lehigh product has converted 33 straight saves dating back to the 2023 season. Svanson was acquired by St. Louis in a trade involving shortstop Paul DeJong at the MLB Trade Deadline in 2023.
Manager José Leger: Manager of the Year
José Leger becomes the first Texas League Manager of the Year in Springfield franchise history. The Dominican Republic native just wrapped his fourth year at the helm of the Springfield Cardinals and led the club to the most regular season success in franchise history, setting a new high with 79 wins. Since taking over in 2021, Leger has amassed 264 victories which is second most in franchise history (Ron “Pop” Warner, 358, 2007-2011, five seasons). His Cardinals offense finished the season with the fewest strikeouts in Double-A Baseball (1,011), the highest batting average (.266), on-base percentage (.348) and most hits (1,221). His pitching staff set a franchise record with 1,279 strikeouts which was second-most in the Texas League.
