The Cardinals are hiring Jon Jay for a yet to be announced coaching role, as first reported by Katie Woo of the Athletic. Woo also reports that assistant coach Willie McGee has stepped down from the staff and will move into an advisory role with the front office.
Jay returns to the organization with which he spent the majority of his playing career. The former outfielder spent six seasons with the Cards, appearing in 757 games between 2010-15. Jay hit .287/.354/.384 over that stretch and was a key contributor on the 2011 World Series team. He moved into journeyman fashion after leaving St. Louis, playing for six teams before retiring in 2022.
A Miami native and University of Miami product, Jay started his coaching career with the Marlins during the 2022-23 offseason. He joined former teammate Skip Schumaker’s staff with his hometown team. Jay served as Miami’s first base coach for two seasons but was let go after Schumaker left the organization last month. Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase tweeted that the Marlins had interest in keeping Jay around, but the 39-year-old evidently preferred to look elsewhere rather than wait out Miami’s latest managerial hiring process.
Jay won’t work as a base coach in St. Louis. Woo reports that first base coach Stubby Clapp and third base coach Pop Warner will return to Oli Marmol’s staff. Bench coach Daniel Descalso, pitching coach Dusty Blake and assistant hitting coach Brandon Allen are also expected back, she writes. St. Louis moved on from hitting coach Turner Ward a couple weeks ago. That position is still unfilled, although it’s not clear if that’s the role which Jay will assume.
McGee, 65, has held the nebulous title of assistant coach on the St. Louis staff. The 1985 NL MVP has worked as a coach since the start of the 2018 season. He previously worked as a special assistant in the front office and has spent time coaching both MLB and minor league outfielders on defense. McGee is a member of the organization’s Hall of Fame.
Welcome back Jon Jay! It took way too long. Thank you for everything Willie McGee! I hope you enjoy your new role and I’m sorry your last two seasons in the dugout were 23-24. You deserve better. Maybe Jon Mabry will find his way home too.
That was a Buddy Holly song..,..Maybe Mabry
Maybe Skip comes back to the Cardinals in some capacity?
I would love to have Skip back, but I assume that if he isn’t going to manage somewhere, he will take a job with a team trying to win.
Mabry? LMAO!
Never trust a coach with 2 first names.
Pretty sure that was a quote from Teenwolf.
There are three rules that I live by: never get less than twelve hours sleep; never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city; and never get involved with a woman with a tattoo of a dagger on her body. Now you stick to that, and everything else is cream cheese.
– Coach Bobby Finstock
I don’t trust dudes with 2 last names.
Don’t trust people who use always or never often, as they’re usually BS spewers.
You mean like Stubby Clapp?
That’s not a real name, just an adjective and a verb
Mo’s last hoorah getting more of the band back together. At this rate why not add more of the 2011/2013 World Series teams to the coaching staff.
You mean as opposed to Oli Marmol, Turner Ward, and Dusty Blake? Ya, bring’em all back.
Holliday, Pujols, and Molina would be very nice additions.
Chris Carpenter would be an awesome pitching coach IMO.
But I’d take them all. Freese, Pete Kozma, Allen Craig, Raffy Furcal, etc, etc,etc.
DonOsbourne;
Obviously 2025 will be a transition year for he Cardinals. Lots of Baseball Ops employees will gradually be moved out (the ones that are still there on opening day are not marketable).
Always liked Chaim Bloom. He got screwed in Boston same as Francona and others. Will be a nice storyline to follow. Maybe not pure Branch Rickey, but it’ll start with D up the middle, pitching, Baseball IQ, and .a dash of speed.
@Samuel
I agree about Bloom. I think it’s very hard to separate his moves from the moves Boston ownership instructed him to make. I would like to believe he will have free reign in St Louis once Mo has stepped aside. I just hope that Bill DeWitt III is the same kind of hands off owner Bill DeWitt II was. I have a bad feeling about BDW3. I think he’s a stereotypical rich kid with lots of power and no qualifications. .
how do you know what moves were his v the owners telling him?, his teams were not good enough either way
You forgot waino!
While you all are at it get the 2000s teams too! Jd drew, Chris carpenter, mark mcgwire(???)
The cardinals will now trade Jordan Walker to appease the fan base
No they won’t
Yeah they will
No they won’t…youth development
If they wanted to appease the fanbase, they would bring back Matt Holliday, Chris Carpenter, Matt Morris and David Freese as active players so Cardinal fans can have their yearly dose of old declined nostalgia.
Appease what fanbase? Cardinals fans aren’t upset with Jordan Walker.
They won’t trade Jordan Walker. They want to dump salary and why trade someone with his hitting skill set when his value is low.
Here comes Manny!
I’m not sure which looked stranger; Willie McGee in an Oakland A’s uniform (1990) or Willie McGee in a Boston Red Sox uniform (1995)…
That was so true. I saw him at Fenway and it was just so not right.
I agree with DonOsbourne. Said it for years . Bring back Chris Carpenter as pitching coach. Think he would be really good.
Mike56 – Not everyone wants to coach. I think Chris Carpenter is fine with his life and doesn’t need the social media heat a pitching coach gets.
Great hire….. NOT!!
They should rehire that doofus Schumaker
MIKE SCHILDT IS THE BEST MANAGER IN THE MLB IT IS A BLESSING MOZ IS OUT AFTER NEXT SEASON
You misspelled Brian Snitker or Craig Counsell.
No.
Yes paulk
This guy had a swing like Al Czervik
John Jay America’s first chief justice, now a lowly Cardinals coach.How the mighty have fallen.
Give the guy a break. He’s 280 years old.
Smart hire. He isn’t the world’s most gifted athlete.He learned the trade and maximized his ability.
Is Jon Jay the best option at this coching position or is this just another Legacy hiring to give Cardinal Nation the warm and fuzzys again?
Outfield coach? He’s certainly qualified.
I was hoping he would be a contender for the vacant Marlins Manager position. Jon Jay was very popular with the Marlins players. I hope he gets closer to his ambition of being a Major League manager with the Cards.
Rick Renteria’s cleanup hitter…