Prospective catcher of the Cardinals receives long-anticipated promotion to the Major Leagues
St. Louis Cardinals Promote Jimmy Crooks and Cesar Prieto to Major League Roster
The St. Louis Cardinals have made a pair of promotions to their Major League roster, bringing up catcher Jimmy Crooks III and infielder Cesar Prieto. The news was announced by Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Jimmy Crooks, who entered the 2025 season as the Cardinals' top catching prospect, has had a strong year in Triple-A prior to his call-up. He has played in 98 games for Memphis, recording a .274 batting average, a .337 on-base percentage, and a .441 slugging percentage. Crooks has also shown his power, hitting 14 home runs and 21 doubles, driving in 79 runs and scoring 61 times.
Crooks, a left-handed batter, is more of a "hit first" tool guy, but has average power that gives him nice upside offensively for a catcher. Defensively, he is an above-average framer and does a solid job of controlling the run game. Baseball America ranks him as their 12th-ranked Cardinals prospect, while MLB Pipeline ranks him as the sixth-ranked prospect.
With the promotions of both Crooks and Prieto, the Cardinals need to find two spots in their roster. The corresponding moves for the Cardinals from these promotions have not been announced yet.
Crooks had a nice year in Triple-A, but his OPS for Memphis this season is down from the .908 OPS he achieved in Springfield last year. However, during the month of August, he had a .922 OPS for Memphis.
Crooks is expected to get his chance to show the Cardinals what he is capable of for the final month of the 2025 season. Both he and Prieto are expected to join the Cardinals' team in Cincinnati today.
The news about Crooks' call-up was announced after the news of Prieto's promotion. It remains to be seen how the two players will fit into the Cardinals' lineup and what impact they will have on the team's performance in the final stretch of the season.
