Memphis Redbirds' attendance numbers prove Cardinals fans are ready for the youth

The dialogue surrounding the St. Louis Cardinals this year has been focused on giving playing time to young players. The future core of the team needed to be established this year, and management and ownership offered playing time to several players up and down the roster.

The underlying conversation surrounding the team, one that has risen in popularity of late, surrounds the club's plummeting attendance in both ticket sales and in-game attendance.

The St. Louis Cardinals rank 19th in baseball in average attendance with a draw of 28,659 per game. 1,891,550 have attended games at Busch Stadium so far this year, a far cry from the usual three million fans who would go to games since the opening of Busch Stadium III in 2006.

After the organization stated a change and direction and a focus on player development this offseason, season ticket pre-sale numbers dropped. Once fans saw a lack of financial commitment to the team in free agency, they were unwilling to support the team financially. Fan aggravation over a lack of investment by the ownership group spilled over into the regular season, and fans have put their money where their mouths are by not showing up to games at Busch Stadium.

While the major-league club has been struggling both on the field and at the turnstyles, the minor-league clubs throughout the Cardinals' system have been churning out successes in both categories.

Memphis Redbirds see some of the biggest attendance gains throughout Minor League Baseball

The focus of many St. Louis Cardinals fans this year has pivoted from the MLB team to the minor leagues. With big-name prospects like JJ Wetherholt, Quinn Mathews, Jimmy Crooks, Leonardo Bernal, and Rainiel Rodriguez in the pipeline, it's logical for fans to shift their attention to the minors.

Baseball America recently published a piece discussing the drop in attendance in MiLB games this year. J.J. Cooper of BA notes that MiLB is projected to see its fewest number of fans in games since 1992. "This will be the first time the minors have drawn fewer than 30 million fans in a season since 1992, when 27,180,170 people came through the gates," writes Cooper. "MiLB drew more than 40 million fans in announced attendance in every season from 2005-2019."

However, the Memphis Redbirds are one of just five teams that didn't relocate to draw an average of 200 fans more per game this year than last year. The Redbirds have had big-name prospects like Quinn Mathews, Jimmy Crooks, Tekoah Roby (prior to his injury), and JJ Wetherholt play for them this year, and the excitement and focus have been centered on the minor leagues for St. Louis fans.

While the St. Louis Cardinals have seen interest and investment in their team dwindle this year (for good reason), the Memphis Redbirds have seen greater support. This increase in attendance for the organization's Triple-A team shows that fans are ready for the future and the next regime of Cardinals' baseball.

Chaim Bloom has been keyed in on the minors for the last two years, and the fruits of his labor are starting to show in more ways than one. Fan support for the Memphis Redbirds this year proves that the St. Louis faithful are ready for the next chapter in franchise history.