After being fired by the Cardinals in October, former manager Mike Shildt is now headed for a job in the Commissioner’s Office, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Shildt is expected to take a role in the On-Field Operations department, working under senior VP Michael Hill.
The Padres interviewed Shildt about their managerial vacancy, though rather than a quick return to the dugout, Shildt will now leave the field entirely. It will mark the first time since 2003 that Shildt has taken a job in baseball outside of the Cardinals organization.
A lengthy career as a scout, minor league coach and manager, and then a season and a half on the St. Louis coaching staff, Shildt rose to the interim manager’s position after Mike Matheny was let go in July 2018. The Cardinals went 41-28 after Shildt took over as skipper, starting the team’s trend of late-season surges during Shildt’s tenure. Except for that 2018 season, those late runs resulted in postseason appearances — the Cards won the NL Central in 2019 and earned wild card berths in each of the last two seasons, though their only postseason triumph in that stretch was a five-game win over the Braves in the 2019 NLDS.
This season, St. Louis enjoyed a team-record 17-game winning streak in September, but lost the wild card game to the Dodgers in heartbreaking fashion, as Chris Taylor hit a ninth-inning walkoff homer. That winning streak only temporarily saved Shildt from being replaced, as various issues (or, as president of baseball operations John Mozeliak put it, “philosophical differences“) arose between Shildt and the front office and ultimately led Mozeliak to decide that a new manager was necessary. Bench coach Oliver Marmol was eventually hired as Shildt’s replacement.
Shildt is only 53 years old, so there is plenty of time for a return to the dugout if he chooses to pursue other managerial or coaching opportunities in the future. In the meantime, he will pitch in with Hill’s portfolio, which includes on-field disciplinary issues and umpiring at both the MLB and minor league levels.
He’s moving to the Dark Side
I think that whole video Arozarena took and shared coupled with the team blocking prospects then hemorrhaging talent did nobody any favors? Never saw this coming though
Care to expand on your comment?
He won’t expand because he’s pinning organizational failures on Shildt. Ask yourself, how did front office decisions regarding call-ups and Arozarena filming a motivational (albeit expletive-laden) speech in 2019 contribute to Shildt’s firing in 2021?
Maybe Shildt can straighten out that clown we call Commissioner
That was supposed to be Theo’s job.
Good luck schildty!
Sounds like a bunch of bullSchildt to me!
“We” call commissioner? The owners call him commissioner, that’s for sure. Plus, that guy named Manfred is too curly to straighten out.
That will never happen
It worked out well for Arozarena in the end. Got him traded to a team he is a star player for now. So far the Rays won that trade.
Arozarena will be traded in a few years once the arbitration process starts to hurt the Rays like every other star they’ve ever had.
They Rays will win 90+ games and nobody will go to the games because it’s in a poor location and anyone they try to market as a “star” will end up being gone in a few years.
non sequitur
All true about the Rays including the 90+ wins which the Jays have won twice since 1993. The Rays also don’t feature an extremely high cost of living, in a litter strewn, congested city.
cbro,
What, the Rays play on an idyllic, sunny farm with joyful livestock grazing in the pastures? Your comment is nonsensical and loaded with grievance. Take your agenda elsewhere.
They might as well be in a city like that with that ballpark location. The attendance doesn’t lie
What??⚾️
Nail on the head.
Managers work for MLB as well. He was already on the Dark Side.
They aren’t employed by MLB. They work for owners n management of their teams. ⚾️
Sweet Baby Jesus Christ
Wow, saying stuff about dirty little secrets pays huh?
The Cardinals’ firing of the man seemed like bull shildt to me.
I agree, but with a little more word play.
From afar, I read “philosophical differences” as the philosophy of Mozeliak wanting to offer him a year to year deal and the philosophy of Schildt thinking he earned at least a 2 plus option year contract. Hence, a difference in the philosophy of the contract he was worth.
If the Cards don’t make the playoffs in 2”22, maybe ownership and Mozeliak will have philosophical differences.
2022*
@paddyo – I was promised more word play.
He’ll be back.
Thanks to this announced hiring.
The Commissioners Office will once again have beer available for employees.
Because, you know,
When you’re out of SHILDT, you’re out of beer !!
Manfred is already high on clueless, alcohol will just make him unbearable
Prefer Falstaff⚾️
This confirms it. He’s holding out for the manager job with an expansion franchise.
These are the possibilities…
Portland Thunderbirds
San Antonio Scorpions
Las Vegas Vipers
Vancouver Sharks
Oklahoma City Red Wolves
Personally I would drop 6 teams and hold a draft between the remaining teams to draft the players no longer on a team. The talent level is already watered down enough.
1) Orioles
2) Royals
3) Athletics or Angels
4 Nationals or Marlins
5) Pirates
6) Rockies
I see no problem with the current level of talent. I think 32 teams will happen within a decade or two, especially once the pandemic lessens.
I’m sure you’re exhausted from studying the farm systems of these 6 teams you, personally, would disband and hold a draft of the most talented. Thanks for the water cooler talk.
Businesses grow with time usafcop they don’t get smaller. Use your head.
Actually a lot of businesses shrink in size because quality is more important than quantity.
The league is watered down right now. It would be beneficial to shrink at least 4 teams but that leaves uneven divisions, which is why I said 6 teams.
If they drop just 2 even (Orioles and Pirates) for instance it would help. The level of talent in their farm systems doesn’t mean those players will pan out (most don’t).
Of the teams I listed only the Marlins are completely stacked. It doesn’t mean all or even most of their young pitchers will pan out.
So let’s allow these teams to suck another 10 years because they “might” have a good farm?
Adding 2-4 more teams only makes it worse. If they aren’t getting rid of teams I would leave the teams that currently exist. Adding more teams is not the answer.
You’re full of Shildt usafcop
No you are but what am I.
What are we in middle school?
There are literally trash players on almost every team and some teams are complete trash.
Let’s water it down some more. Not.
Who’s going to the the owners the billion dollars each (minimum) they would demand? You??
Then don’t add or subtract. That’s fine.
But definitely don’t add more teams as it will just water down the talent even more than it is already. Just saying.
san antonio shildt heads
Congrats Mike,
This allows him to deregulate some of the game to game on the field BS thats allowed
don’t take no shildt from Manfred..
Good luck to Mike who has dedicated his life to this great game. This will be another opportunity for him to expand his experience and I hope he is rewarded accordingly.
Sanctions coming for the Cards in three, two, one…
A piece of Shildt and Manfred. Awfully redundant
Molina wanted a Hispanic Mgr and of course got what he wanted.So I hope they finish in last place since this was a racial issue but no one will talk about it.