2015 Memphis Redbirds Season In Review

The Memphis Redbirds closed out the 2015 season with a 73-71 record, the 10th time the club has concluded a campaign above the .500 mark since 1998. After to pulling within 3.0 games of the first place Round Rock Express as late as August 4, the team's 10-20 record during the month limited the Redbirds to make the postseason.

The Redbirds registered two separate eight-game winning streaks this season, the first coming from May 17 - 25 and the second from May 30 - June 6. Both winnings streaks fell one game shy of matching the franchise record of nine wins in a row, set in August of 2014.

Memphis compiled a .261 team batting average, ranking 14th of 16 in the PCL. Infielder Greg Garcia finished the campaign with a team-leading .294 batting average.

Memphis finished 12th in the league in home runs, belting 97 long balls this season. Redbirds batters slugged four grand slams in 2015 (Xavier Scruggs, Jacob Wilson, Jeremy Hazelbaker, Cody Stanley) one set of back-to-back home runs (Stanley and Hazelbaker), one game-opening home run (Jon Jay), and one walk-off blast (Dan Johnson). Redbirds batters collected six multi-home run games, including three from Johnson, while Scruggs, Tommy Pham and Stanley each recorded one on the year.

Memphis finished last in the league with 237 doubles, with Stephen Piscotty's 28 two-base hits leading the club. The Redbirds legged out 34 triples on the year, 9th in the league, with Hazelbaker's seven three-baggers pacing the team.

Stanley was the only Redbird to collect five hits a game this season, with Pham and Johnson each registering a team-high five RBI. Johnson tied a Memphis redbirds franchise record in runs scored during a single game, crossing the plate four times on two separate occasions.

Memphis pinch-hitters hit a combined .130 (13-for-100), with Stanley receiving the most pinch-hit opportunities with 18 at-bats. Stanley and fellow backstop Ed Easley co-led the Redbirds with four pinch-hits each. Memphis did not record a pinch-hit home run in 2015, with just two extra-base pinch-hits, two doubles from Easley.

The Redbirds' 604 walks this season broke the club record of 599, and finished just two shy of the league lead behind the Fresno Grizzlies' 606 free passes. Redbirds' infielder Dean Anna finished the season with the most walks in the league with 77.

After appearing in another 94 games for the Redbirds this season, Garcia is moving his way up the franchise all-time leader boards, ranking 1st in hit by pitches (27), 5th in stolen bases (37), 8th in triples (9), 9th in games played (316), and 9th in at-bats (1066).

Bryan Eversgerd's pitching staff finished the season tied for the 7th in the PCL with a 4.10 team ERA. Redbirds hurlers stuck out the fewest opposing batters in the league in 2015, fanning just 870. Conversely, Memphis issued the fewest free passes while setting a new franchise record, walking only 363 on the year.

The Redbirds sent 16 different starting pitchers to the hill in 2015, with just six making double-digit starts on the year. Four of the Redbirds 16 starters appeared in just one game in that role (Jamie Garicia, Dean Kiekhefer, Heath Wyatt, Kurt Heyer). A left-hander started 99 of the Redbirds' 144 games this season.

Six Memphis relievers recorded at least one save or more on the year, contributing to the club's 30 saves in 40 opportunities. Sam Tuivailala was perfect in save opportunities, going 17-for-17 and ranking 4th in the league among relievers. Tuivailala's 37 games finished were good for 3rd-best in the circuit. Tyler Waldron's 0.75 walks per nine innings ratio (6bb/72.0ip) finished tops in the PCL among qualified relievers, also ranking 5th for allowing just 10.38 baserunners per nine innings (83/72.0ip).

Like Greg Garcia, Redbird's southpaws Nick Greenwood and Tyler Lyons are chasing Memphis records. Lyons remains the franchise leader in shutouts, adding two in 2015 to give him seven total for his Redbirds career. The 27-year-old also ranks 2nd in wins (27) and 4th in innings pitched (357.1). Greenwood is tied with fellow lefty John Gast for 5th all-time in wins (22), and ranks 5th in games pitched (130), and 10th in innings pitched (313.2). Greenwood's 13 wins on the year finished out the season tops in the Pacific Coast League and are the 2nd most wins a Redbird has recorded in a season, behind only Tim Cooney's 14 registered in 2014.

Redbirds' right-hander Zach Petrick led the team in starts with 28, 2nd most in the PCL behind only El Paso's Jason Lane. Petrick also closed out the campaign 3rd in the league in innings pitched (157.1), 3rd in walks per nine (1.54), and 4th in strikeouts (113).

Left-handed reliever Dean Kiekhefer represented the Redbirds in the 2015 Triple-A All-Star Game at Werner Park, home of the Omaha Storm Chasers. The 26-year-old southpaw recorded a perfect inning in the Triple-A Midsummer Classic, finishing the season with an overall record of 2-1 to go along with a 2.41 ERA and two saves. Fellow pitchers Tim Cooney and Sam Tuivailala were also selected as All-Stars but could not participate in the festivities due to their mutual call-ups to the St. Louis Cardinals.

At the time of his promotion, Cooney led all PCL starters in batting average against (.195), WHIP (0.87), and fewest baserunners per nine innings (8.22). The Collegeville, PA native also ranked 4th in the league in fewest walks per nine (1.52) at the time of his promotion. Cooney finished the campaign with an overall record of 7-4, posting a 2.85 ERA, while striking out 92 in 20 starts for the Redbirds.

Tuivailala was dominant in his late-inning role with Memphis this season, with his fastball routinely hitting 99 MPH, holding opposing PCL batters to just a .176 average while facing the flame-thrower. Right-handed hitters were baffled by the 22-year-old's arsenal, batting just .117 against Tuivailala all year.

Memphis tied for the 9th in the league in team fielding percentage in 2015, committing a combined 110 errors on the year. Redbirds' second baseman Anna led the PCL in with a .986 fielding percentage at his position, committing just seven errors in 500 total chances. Outfielder Rafael Ortega also sat atop the PCL leader board in outfield assists, gunning down 15 would-be baserunners during the season.

Redbirds catchers threw out a 25% of potential basestealers (24 of 96) on the season, with Stanley catching 34.2% of attempts while he was behind the dish.

Memphis tallied 144 total transactions during the 2015 season. Six players, Travis Tartamella, Gast, Petrick, Kiekhefer, Waldron, and Ortega spent the entire season with the Redbirds, with the latter four being active for all 144 games. Seventeen members of the Redbirds also appeared for the St. Louis Cardinals this season. Of those promoted to St. Louis, 15 were on the Redbirds Opening Day roster. Thirteen players were made their Triple-A debut in 2015 with the Redbirds while Memphis hosted four Major League rehab assignments (Jamie Garcia, Mitch Harris, Jordan Walden, and Jon Jay). Seven Redbirds players - catchers Easley, Stanley, and Tartamella, outfielder Piscotty, and pitchers Harris, Cooney, and Marcus Hatley - made their Major League debut during the 2015 campaign.

Two Redbirds were named St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Players of the Month, with Scruggs taking the honor in April for hitting .274 with five home runs, six doubles, and 16 RBI, while Garcia's .361 average and .421 on-base percentage earned him the title in June.

The PCL Pitcher/Player of the Week honor came to the Redbirds three times in 2015. Cooney earned Pitcher of the Week for his performance from May 11-17, going 1-0 in 2 starts with a 0.66 ERA, recording nine strikeouts during the stretch. Lyons was similarly honored for the period of June 1-7, posting a 2-0 record, striking out 13, while failing to surrender a run over 13.0 innings pitched. Hazelbaker earned the PCL Player of the Week award during his first full week with Memphis. The outfielder hit .429 with two home runs, five doubles, a triple, while knocking in 13 runs.