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IL Memphis Redbirds

Opening Day Game Notes

April 5, 2022 - International League (IL)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


TODAY'S GAME: The Memphis Redbirds open their 2022 season in their home ballpark against the Gwinnett Stripers on Tuesday night, the first of a six-game series.

A BOATLOAD OF STRIPERS: Gwinnett will be no stranger to Memphis this season. The two teams play each other 27 times which accounts for 18% of the season. The 27 games played against the Stripers is six more than the next most frequent opponent. Memphis holds the edge when it comes to travel, as AutoZone Park will host 15 of those meetings. The only month the two teams will not play each other is June, when they will have to wait two months to see one another again.

BREAK CAMP ROSTER: The Redbirds returned from big league camp with 14 pitchers and 15 hitters on their roster. The rotation sports a heavy dose of lefties, with four of the six starters listed as southpaws. The bullpen, however, has only two left-handed pitchers to the six right-handers. The Redbirds also carry three catchers, eight infielders and four outfielders.

THE LOCAL: Memphis native and former St. Louis Cardinals minor league outfielder Ben Johnson returns as Redbirds manager for his third season. Johnson was first named Redbirds manager in 2019 after spending the previous year as manager for the Durham Bulls. Prior to that, he spent three seasons as a scout with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The 40-year-old manager attended Germantown HS in Memphis and was drafted in the 4th round of the 1999 First-Year Player Draft by the Cardinals after he was named Memphis-area High School Player of the Year. Johnson made his MLB debut with the Padres in 2005 and played in 98 games over three seasons with San Diego and the New York Mets. Johnson's record as Redbirds manager is 130-138.

COACHING STAFF: Joining Johnson from last year's staff are pitching coach Dernier Orozco and hitting coach Brandon Allen. Orozco enters his fourth season in Memphis and coached for the 2017 and 2018 Pacific Coast League championship teams. He enters his 16th season as a coach with the Cardinals. Allen starts his second season in Memphis, making previous stops in Double-A Springfield, High-A Palm Beach and Johnson City. He played parts of four seasons with the Diamondbacks, Athletics, and Rays (2009-12) and hit 198 career MiLB home runs in his 13-year career.

SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN: The Redbirds schedule is evenly balanced with 75 road and home games. The longest home-stand is from June 7 to June 19 when Durham and Nashville visit for six-game sets. The longest road-trip kicks off on July 4 until July 17 when the team visits Durham and makes a stop in Nashville before returning home. The farthest the team will travel is over 900 miles to Norfolk on June 10; Norfolk will visit Memphis twice. Overall, the Redbirds will play IL Midwest 30 times, including a stray six-game stint against Omaha in April.

WEEK-LONG MADNESS: The Redbirds announced their day of the week promotions for the 2022 season and they could not be more action-packed. It starts off with Nacho Average Tuesdays, presented by Downtown Memphis Commission, where fans will enjoy a free ballpark nacho order. Throwback Thursdays feature $2 PBRs, dollar dogs and throwback merchandise, as the team plays as the Memphis Chicks. The weekend starts off with Friday All-You-Can-Eat Nights, where fans can enjoy chicken wings, tacos, sliders and more from their favorite vendors, and ends with Prairie Farms Ice Cream Sundays, where kids 12-and-under receive a free ice cream and can run the bases after the game.

FALL BALL: The Redbirds were well represented in the Arizona Fall League in 2021. Zach Thompson, Jake Walsh, Brendan Donovan, Nolan Gorman and Juan Yepez all played for the Glendale Desert Dogs. Yepez, Thompson, and Donovan were voted onto the all-star team along with current Cardinals Andre Pallante and Lars Nootbaar. On the international front, Ivan Herrera participated in the 2022 Caribbean Series for Panama while Evan Medosa joined Colombia. Angel Rondon also returned to the Dominican Winter League for the second straight off-season.

IN THE PIPELINE: The Redbirds boast two of MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospects; Nolan Gorman (#22) and Matthew Liberatore (#47). In total, the Redbirds roster 11 of the Cardinals' top 30 prospects according to MLB Pipeline. They include:

2021 WRAP: The Redbirds finished their 2021 season with a 60-67 record, finished fifth in Triple-A East Division. They averaged the youngest team in the league (24.8), highlighted by the teams leader in home runs (Yepez, age 23, hit 22 HRs) and young prospects like Gorman and Liberatore (led team with 124.2 IPs) getting significant time.

NEW RULES!: MLB announced a number of new rule changes for MiLB this offseason. For the first time, ABS (automated ball-strike system) will be used at Triple-A in the PCL and games played in Charlotte throughout the season. A pitch clock also comes to Triple-A, giving pitchers 14 seconds with the bases empty and 19 with runners on. Additionally, pitchers can only use two pickoff throws or step-offs per plate appearances, with a third attempt resulting in a free base. Bases also are sizing up from 15 inches to 18.

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