Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 45 | Run: 30 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 45

Crooks was known more for his bat than his catching prowess as a Texas high schooler and during his pandemic-shortened 2020 season at McLennan (Texas) CC. That reputation persisted last year after he transferred to Oklahoma, but it's starting to change during his second season with the Sooners. He improved behind the plate while his power regressed for much of the spring before he homered four times in 12 NCAA tournament games en route to the College World Series finals. 

Scouts love Crooks' grinder makeup and he has worked hard to improve his receiving skills and footwork. He has gotten better at framing and blocking pitches, and he's getting more out of his solid arm strength after upgrading his throwing mechanics. He has answered questions about his ability to remain at catcher by becoming an average to solid defender. 

A left-handed hitter whose strength stands out more than his bat speed, Crooks is vulnerable to breaking pitches but makes decent contact and draws a fair amount of walks. After homering 10 times in his first year at Oklahoma, he showed little pop with wood bats in the Cape Cod League and didn't drive the ball with any consistency in 2022 until the end of the season. A well below-average runner out of the batter's box, he's quicker once he gets going and shows some savvy on the bases. 

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 50 | Run: 30 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 45 

A junior-college transfer, Crooks showed impressive defensive improvements over his two seasons at Oklahoma, enough to vault him to MLB Pipeline’s No. 151 prospect ranking in the 2022 Draft class. After helping the Sooners reach the College World Series finals, he went to the Cardinals in the fourth round and signed for exact slot at $470,300. Crooks slashed .271/.358/.433 with 12 homers over 114 games for High-A Peoria during his first full season and ended the campaign with a one-game cameo at Triple-A Memphis and a more extended stay in the Arizona Fall League, where fatigue might have set in. 

Looking like an old-school, rough-handed backstop in the box with no batting gloves, the left-handed slugger has a discerning eye at the plate and has continued to feast on right-handed pitching in a breakout 2024 at Double-A Springfield. His production drops pretty precipitously against fellow lefties, however. He relies on strength more than bat speed to generate average raw power, but he's shown the ability to reach at least double-digit homers over a full season.

Crooks’ best work continues to be behind the plate as he carried his defensive gains into pro ball as a solid receiver and blocker behind the dish. He’s become a favorite to throw to among Cardinals pitchers. The former Sooner has the pure arm strength and improved throwing mechanics to give runners pause, adding another above-average skill to his defensive bag. Crooks just needs to continue his current path of development to meet his floor as a solid all-around backup catcher. 

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 50 | Run: 30 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 45

Crooks was more known for being a bat-first backstop coming from the Texas high school ranks and in his brief stint at McLennan CC (Texas). Upon transferring to Oklahoma ahead of the 2021 season, his reputation started to change. Even though he was a solid offensive performer in Division I (hitting .297 with a .913 OPS over 123 games in two seasons), his glovework caught up and perhaps exceeded the status of his bat. The Cardinals grabbed Crooks in the fourth round last July and signed him for exact slot at $470,300. The former Sooners star transitioned well to Single-A Palm Beach, slashing .266/.396/.468 over 23 games in the Florida State League.

Crooks’ receiving skills and footwork were major points of emphasis, and scouts took notice of how well he’d improved at framing and blocking during his days in Norman. He’d also bettered his throwing mechanics, work that helped him throw out 30.8 percent of attempted base stealers in his first taste of the pros. Cardinals officials are quick to mention how much their pitchers like throwing with Crooks behind the plate, hammering home his above-average defensive potential.

That isn’t to say Crooks’ value is entirely wrapped up in his glove either. He maxed out at a 109.5 mph exit velocity and had a hard-hit rate of 39.7 percent in the FSL. (The average hard-hit rate for Major League catchers in 2022 was 36.9.) That’ll be challenged against more advanced arms, but the raw power and ability to find the barrel is in there -- a promising sign for a player who faced questions about how he’d handle wood bats out of the Draft. Crooks’ ceiling may not be immense, but the floor as a dependable, all-around backup is solid.

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 45 | Run: 30 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 40

Crooks was known more for his bat than his catching prowess as a Texas high schooler and during his pandemic-shortened 2020 season at McLennan (Texas) CC. That reputation persisted last year after he transferred to Oklahoma, but it started to change during his second season with the Sooners. He improved behind the plate while his power regressed for much of the spring before he homered four times in 12 NCAA tournament games en route to the College World Series finals. St. Louis grabbed the backstop in the fourth round a few weeks later.

Scouts love Crooks' grinder makeup, and he has worked hard to improve his receiving skills and footwork. He has gotten better at framing and blocking pitches, and he's getting more out of his solid arm strength after upgrading his throwing mechanics. He has answered questions about his ability to remain at catcher by becoming an average-to-solid defender. 

A left-handed hitter whose strength stands out more than his bat speed, Crooks is vulnerable to breaking pitches but makes decent contact and draws a fair amount of walks. After homering 10 times in his first year at Oklahoma, he showed little pop with wood bats in the Cape Cod League and didn't drive the ball with any consistency in 2022 until the end of the season. A well-below-average runner out of the batter's box, he's quicker once he gets going and shows some savvy on the bases.

Awards

TEX Post-Season All-Star

Year	Team
2024

TEX Most Valuable Player

Year	Team
2024

Baseball America Double-A All-Star

Year	Team
2024

MID Post-Season All-Star

Year	Team
2023

MID Player of the Month

Month	Team
08/2023

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	09/10/2024	Springfield Cardinals activated C Jimmy Crooks from the 7-day injured list.
	08/27/2024	Springfield Cardinals placed C Jimmy Crooks on the 7-day injured list.
	04/29/2024	Springfield Cardinals activated C Jimmy Crooks from the 7-day injured list.
	04/20/2024	Springfield Cardinals placed C Jimmy Crooks on the 7-day injured list.
	04/04/2024	C Jimmy Crooks assigned to Springfield Cardinals.
	03/07/2024	St. Louis Cardinals Prospects activated C Jimmy Crooks.
	01/10/2024	St. Louis Cardinals invited non-roster C Jimmy Crooks to spring training.
	09/22/2023	C Jimmy Crooks assigned to Memphis Redbirds from Peoria Chiefs.
	09/22/2023	Scottsdale Scorpions activated C Jimmy Crooks.
	04/05/2023	C Jimmy Crooks III assigned to Peoria Chiefs from Palm Beach Cardinals.
	04/05/2023	Peoria Chiefs activated C Jimmy Crooks III.
	01/17/2023	St. Louis Cardinals invited non-roster C Jimmy Crooks III and to spring training.
	07/29/2022	C Jimmy Crooks III assigned to Palm Beach Cardinals.
	07/29/2022	St. Louis Cardinals signed C Jimmy Crooks III.
	02/04/2022	C Jimmy Crooks III assigned to Oklahoma Sooners.
	02/04/2022	C Jimmy Crooks assigned to Oklahoma Sooners.
	02/02/2021	C Jimmy Crooks assigned to Oklahoma Sooners.
	02/02/2021	C Jimmy Crooks assigned to Oklahoma Sooners.