Tink Hence, Joshua Baez sweep Texas League weekly awards for Springfield
SPRINGFIELD, MO (June 23, 2025) - Minor League Baseball announced on Monday that RHP Tink Hence and OF Joshua Baez were named the Texas League Pitcher and Player of the Week, respectively, for the week of June 17 - 22, 2025. They are the fourth and fifth Springfield Cardinals to
SPRINGFIELD, MO (June 23, 2025) - Minor League Baseball announced on Monday that RHP Tink Hence and OF Joshua Baez were named the Texas League Pitcher and Player of the Week, respectively, for the week of June 17 - 22, 2025. They are the fourth and fifth Springfield Cardinals to win weekly awards from MiLB this season, joining RHP Max Rajcic (April 4 - 6), LHP Brycen Mautz (April 14 - 20) and C Leonardo Bernal (May 20 - 25). This is the first time since May 15 - 21, 2017 that the Cardinals swept the Texas League weekly awards (RHP Matt Pearce and OF Anthony Garcia).
ABOUT TINK HENCE
Hence rejoined the Springfield club on Tuesday, working his way back from a rib cage strain he sustained at the end of Spring Training. The Cardinals third-ranked prospect tossed 4.1 shutout innings with eight strikeouts against the Corpus Christi Hooks on Friday, June 20. His hitless outing started the first nine-inning no-hitter in franchise history as he completed the feat with Zane Mills, Austin Love and Sean Harney at Hammons Field. It also occurred on the one year anniversary of the only other no-hitter in Cardinals history, a seven-inning affair in Corpus Christi on June 20, 2024 (Cooper Hjerpe and Andrew Marrero). The former 63rd overall pick was making just his sixth start of the season as he continues to build up his pitch count.
Hence spent all of 2024 with Springfield, where he became the second-ever Springfield Cardinal selected as the Texas League Pitcher of the Year, joining 2017’s Dakota Hudson. The righty made twenty starts for Springfield in 2024, setting a career-high in strikeouts with 109 across 79.1 innings pitched. He tossed seven quality starts while reaching six or more strikeouts in eight starts last season. He was the Texas League Pitcher of the Month in April 2014 and was selected to his second Future’s Game team (in addition to 2023).
Tink Hence is so back. His first Double-A outing of 2025: 4.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, 8 K on 66 pitches as he builds back up. Lived 92-95, topped out at 96. pic.twitter.com/JTPPUE4ndj
— Springfield Cardinals (@Sgf_Cardinals) June 21, 2025
ABOUT JOSHUA BAEZ
Baez enjoyed a huge week for the Cardinals, going 7-for-14 with a double, three home runs and ten RBIs. The Boston native swatted a pair of home runs on Thursday, June 19 for the second time while in Double-A and his third time overall in 2025. Baez has enjoyed a resurgence this season, where he's hit a combined .319 in 58 games between High-A Peoria and Double-A Springfield. He's hit ten home runs across the two levels, one shy of matching a career-high 11 hit in 2024.
The slugger has had an interesting career in the St. Louis system. With a second-round selection in 2021, he leaped to number seven on the Cardinals Top-30 Prospects List according to MLB Pipeline. After a hamate bone injury shortened his 2022 season, Baez fell off the Top-30 List. During his now award-winning week, he found himself ranked once more in an in-season update after Thomas Saggese accrued enough Major League time to graduate from the list. Baez currently sits as the number twelve-ranked prospect in the organization. He is set to turn 22 on Saturday, June 28.
OF Joshua Baez (AA) launched 2 HR and collected a season-high 5 RBI in Springfield's 1st Half Division clinching 7-1 win vs. Corprus Christi last night. It was the 3rd multi-homer game of the season for Baez and the 4th of his career.
— Cardinals Player Development (@CardsPlayerDev) June 21, 2025
The soon-to-be 22-year-old has a .311 AVG… pic.twitter.com/d8Zj5SrwkD
The Cardinals are on the road for a six-game series against the Wichita Wind Surge after securing a First-Half Championship with a franchise record 43 wins in the First Half. They will return to Hammons Field for Freedom Week July 1 - 3 to host the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. With fireworks each night, a 5,000 Hot Dog Giveaway and Independence Day festivities with a postgame concert, Springfield's Hammons Field is the place to be for celebration. Visit the promo schedule page on SpringfieldCardinals.com for more information and tickets.