Cardinals Hottest Hitter Isn't Even in MLB Right Now

The red-hot St. Louis Cardinals catcher is making a case for himself down in Triple-A right now.

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

The hottest offensive player in the St. Louis Cardinals' organization isn't even in the majors right now.

Bear with us for a second. That's not to say the Cardinals aren't getting production out of the lineup in the majors right now, because they absolutely are. St. Louis is 4-2 on the season so far and have been way better than expected. Victor Scott II, Alec Burleson and JJ Wetherholt have all been hot to kick off the season. Jordan Walker also has been a bright spot so far this season for the organization.

But no one in the organization is swinging a hotter bat right now than 24-year-old catcher Jimmy Crooks down in the minors right now with Triple-A Memphis. Crooks didn't make the big league club out of camp with St. Louis carrying Iván Herrera, Pedro Pagés and Yohel Pozo as the big league catching options. Crooks is down in Triple-A after a cup of coffee in the majors last season and looks like a man on a mission.

The Cardinals catcher is thriving in Triple-A

Feb 17, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Jimmy Crooks (8). Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

He's played in four games so far this season and has been electric. He's slashing .533/.611/1.200 with a 1.811 OPS. On top of this, he has launched three homers, driven in six runs, walked three times and got a double as well. Overall, he's 8-for-15 to begin the season down in Triple-A.

That's certainly going to get people's attention, to say the least. Obviously, four games are a very small sample size. But look at the Triple-A stats and even the stats at the big league level. It's been one week since regular-season baseball began across all levels, so everyone is in pretty much the same boat from a sample size perspective. Crooks has stood out among his peers.

Now, he's in Triple-A and not the majors. That's an important distinction. But with the way he's playing right now, he's going to give the Cardinals something to think about in the near future. The Cardinals have made it clear that they want to see what they have in Herrera. He's going to be getting a lot of time behind the plate. But how long until we have a discussion about Crooks replacing Pagés and Pozo? If he keeps playing like this in Triple-A, that discussion certainly will come on the sooner side.

It's going to be extremely difficult to keep up the pace that Crooks has set, but this will be a fascinating situation to follow moving forward.