Trey Paige Named Minor League Player of the Day

The Cardinal Chronicle
Trey Paige Named Minor League Player of the Day
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

Trey Paige did not need a loud box-score line to make a loud statement Thursday night.

Springfield Cardinals outfielder Trey Paige reached base four times and drove in three runs in Springfield’s 7-2 win over the Tulsa Drillers, helping extend one of the best stretches of baseball the club has played this season.

Paige finished 2-for-2 with two walks, a sacrifice fly and three RBIs, giving Springfield exactly what a winning lineup needs: traffic, patience, contact and run production.

That combination earned Paige The Cardinal Chronicle’s Minor League Player of the Day honors.

Springfield has been one of the hottest clubs in the Cardinals’ system, and Thursday’s win continued that surge. The Cardinals have won five straight and eight of their last 10 games, and Paige was right in the middle of the latest victory.

His night was a reminder that production does not always have to come from a tape-measure home run or a highlight-reel swing. Sometimes the best offensive player on the field is the one who keeps extending innings, refuses to give away at-bats and delivers when runners are in scoring position.

Paige did all of that.

He reached safely every time he had an official at-bat, worked two walks, and added the kind of situational at-bat that wins games with his sacrifice fly. In a system where prospect rankings and raw tools often get the attention, this was a baseball player putting together a professional night at the plate.

Rainiel Rodriguez deserves mention after another strong game in his first week at Double-A. The 19-year-old catcher went 2-for-4 with a walk and recorded his first Double-A RBI, giving him multi-hit games in two of his first three games with Springfield.

Alex Birge also made a strong case for Palm Beach after homering for the second straight day in the Cardinals’ 7-2 win over Daytona.

But Paige gets the nod because of the complete offensive contribution. He reached base, drove in runs, handled the strike zone and helped Springfield keep its winning streak alive.

That is winning baseball.

Not noisy. Not complicated. Just useful, steady and productive — the kind of night that makes a manager smile and a pitcher breathe a little easier.

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports
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