JUPITER, Fla. • Cardinals Hall of Famer Red Schoendienst will suit up for his 69th major league spring training on Thursday.

No, Kolten Wong and Mark Ellis won't have to worry about Schoendienst muscling his way into the second-base competition but Schoendienst will be a keen observer as always, continuing his practice of being the oldest man in a spring training uniform.

"There have been a lot of changes," Schoendienst said today at the Cardinals' complex.

The Redhead's first spring training with the Cardinals was in 1945. He didn't suit up for spring training in 1959 with the Milwaukee Braves because he was dealing with the after-effects of tuberculosis but he did return to play later in the season.

Most of those springs have been spent with the Cardinals, who recently installed him in the first class of the Cardinals Hall of Fame to be inducted this summer. Among National Baseball Hall of Fame members, Schoendienst, who turned 92 last week, ranks as the third oldest behind Boston infielder Bobby Doerr (95) and New York Giants outfielder Monte Irvin (94).