Jimmy Crooks Has One Thing to Prove Before Cardinals Promotion

When will the St. Louis Cardinals promote Jimmy Crooks to the big leagues?

Sep 23, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Jimmy Crooks (8) stands at bat against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals haven't gotten a ton of offensive production out of the catcher position — outside of Iván Herrera — in the majors so far this season and yet they haven't promoted No. 7 prospect Jimmy Crooks to the majors.

There's been a lot of buzz around Crooks all season to this point. Crooks is down in Triple-A and has shown significantly improved power. Crooks has played in 31 games so far this season down with Triple-A Memphis and is slashing .252/.403/.604 with 12 homers, 27 RBIs, three doubles and 27 runs scored.

In comparison, Pedro Pagés is slashing .209/.255/.341 with three homers and eight RBIs. Yohel Pozo has played in 11 games and has slashed .136/.136/.182 with four RBIs. On first look at Crooks' stats, of course they look like they could help the Cardinals in the majors. Arguably, that is the case. But one thing that Crooks needs to do before making the jump back to the big leagues is improve his strikeouts.

The Cardinals Prospect Has Had A Big Season

Sep 6, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Jimmy Crooks (8) signals to the pitcher in a game against the San Francisco Giants at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images | Tim Vizer-Imagn Images

Crooks has played in 31 games and has struck out 43 times already. Pagés has struck out 25 times in 28 games played. Pozo has struck out twice in 11 games. When Crooks does make it back up to the majors, it will, of course, be more difficult than down in Triple-A. Last year, he played in 15 games in the majors and struck out 17 times. He played in 98 games down in Triple-A and struck out 114 times.

While most of his offensive metrics look great, his strikeout rate has taken a significant hit. In 2025, his strikeout rate down in Triple-A was 29.2 percent (114 strikeouts in 390 at-bats). This season, that numbers have climbed to 38.7 percent (43 strikeouts in 111 at-bats). That is significantly above the average strikeout rate in the majors right now. Right now, Matt Wallner of the Minnesota Twins is leading the league with a 39.3 percent strikeout rate. Crooks' 38.7 percent rate would be the second-highest in the league, if he were in the majors right now.

The Cardinals have a potential high-impact bat on their hands, but he needs to get the strikeouts under wraps in order to make a real impact in the majors. Hopefully, he's able to turn things around down in Memphis quickly and ultimately get the call to the big leagues soon.