St. Louis Cardinals prospect Chandler Redmond makes history
Chandler Redmond may not be considered a top prospect, but the St. Louis Cardinals farmhand made baseball history on Wednesday night.
Redmond became the second player in minor league history to hit for the home run cycle, joining Tyrone Horne in 1998. It should not be a surprise that the Springfield Cardinals won handily, defeating Amarillo 21-4.
St. Louis Cardinals see second home run cycle in their system
Interestingly, both home run cycles involved the Cardinals Double-A squad. Horne spent just one year in their system, a part of the Arkansas Travelers for the majority of the season. His three Triple-A games were the last time he was at that level although he remained in affiliated ball for two more years.
Both players are fairly similar as well. Horne, just like Redmond, was old for his level, a 27 year old in Double-A. Redmond is just 25 years old, and not quite as old for Double-A, but is also getting his second look at the level. Both players were also late round picks, with Horne selected in the 44th round of the 1989 MLB Draft and Redmond being taken in the 32nd round of the 2019 MLB Draft.
It is also possible that both have a similar career arc. Fangraphs rated Redmond as their 30th best prospect, noting his impressive barrel rate and power, but also his penchant for striking out and lack of a position. His ceiling was compared to Lucas Duda or Brandon Moss, although he was considered more likely to be a Quad-A player or someone who has a career in various foreign leagues.
Horne ended up with just 70 games at Triple-A over two seasons, spending eight years in Double-A with five different organizations before heading to the Korean Baseball Organization and independent leagues. Hopefully, Redmond gets that chance to prove himself at the major league level and show that he is more than one magical minor league game.
Chandler Redmond made history on Wednesday night. The St. Louis Cardinals farmhand became the second player to hit for a home run cycle.