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IL Memphis Redbirds

Ben Johnson to Return as Redbirds Manager in 2025

January 17, 2025 - International League (IL)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


MEMPHIS, Tennessee - The St. Louis Cardinals have announced that Memphis native Ben Johnson will return for his record sixth season as manager of the Memphis Redbirds.

During the 2024 season, Johnson led the team to a 74-74 record, with eight players joining St. Louis and making their MLB debut. After the regular season, Johnson also managed the Glendale Desert Dogs to the second-best record in the 2024 Arizona Fall League. He enters the 2025 season with 344 wins with the Redbirds, just 24 wins away from overtaking Chris Maloney (367) as the winningest manager in Redbirds history.

Prior to coaching, Johnson, a Germantown High School graduate, was drafted by the Cardinals out of high school in the 4th round of the 1999 First-Year Player Draft. After turning down college baseball and football scholarship offers to sign with the Cardinals, he was ranked as the fourth-best prospect in the Cardinals system. He played the 1999 season for Rookie-level Johnson City and part of the 2000 campaign with Single-A Peoria before being traded to the San Diego Padres.

Johnson made his Major League debut with San Diego on June 26, 2005, and went on to appear in 31 games with the Padres that year. He played 58 games with San Diego in 2006 before being traded to the New York Mets in the offseason, where he appeared in nine games in 2007. Johnson's 10-year Minor League playing career spanned 901 games, during which he hit .262 with 187 doubles, 115 home runs, 473 RBIs, and 91 stolen bases.

Johnson's Redbirds coaching staff for 2025 includes returning pitching coach Darwin Marrero, hitting coach Howie Clark, and athletic trainer Dan Martin. New to the staff and organization in 2025 are coach Peter Mooney, previously with the Mets organization as a roving infield instructor, as well as strength and conditioning coach Jon Hill and Michael Factor.

The St. Louis Cardinals are set to return to AutoZone Park in Downtown Memphis for an exhibition game against their Triple-A affiliate, the Memphis Redbirds, on Monday, March 24, 2025, at 6:15 p.m. CT. This event celebrates the rich baseball tradition between St. Louis and Memphis.

This year's "Battle of the Birds" will be the 11th meeting between the two teams at the downtown Memphis stadium, with the Cardinals leading the series 7-2-1. Fans can visit www.memphisredbirds.com for ticket information.

For more information on the Redbirds' upcoming 2025 season, which begins on March 28 against the Louisville Bats (Reds) in Louisville, visit www.memphisredbirds.com. The Redbirds will open their 2025 home schedule on April 1 at 6:45 p.m. against the Buffalo Bisons (Toronto), marking the Bisons' first-ever appearance at AutoZone Park. Additional information about ticket sales, promotions, theme nights, and giveaways will be announced in the coming weeks and months.

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