The Cardinals will have a new hitting coach next season. The team has decided not to offer Turner Ward a contract for 2025, Katie Woo reports for The Athletic.
Ward spent the past two seasons as the Cardinals hitting coach, overseeing an underwhelming offense both years. In that time, St. Louis ranked 21st in runs scored (1391), 16th in OPS (.723), and 17th in wRC+ (101). Those numbers aren’t terrible, but they are certainly disappointing for a team with postseason aspirations. Not all the blame for this mediocre offense should land on Turner; after all, he was the assistant hitting coach in 2022, when the Cardinals’ offense was surprisingly potent, ranking sixth in runs scored (772), fifth in OPS (.745), and seventh in wRC+ (112). However, it’s not hard to understand why the Cardinals were ready to move on.
The Cardinals are expected to keep assistant hitting coach Brandon Allen on staff, though it’s unclear if they will promote Allen or seek their new hitting coach elsewhere. Woo also notes that game-planning coach Packy Elkins and first-base coach Stubby Clapp will return in 2025. However, her latest piece does not mention assistant pitching coach Julio Rangel, another Cardinals coach whose contract was set to expire at the end of the season. Bench coach Daniel Descalso and pitching coach Dusty Blake are under contract through 2025, while third-base coach Pop Warner is under contract through 2026 (per Woo).
Prior to his time with the Cardinals, Ward worked as an assistant hitting coach for the Diamondbacks and a hitting coach for the Diamondbacks, Dodgers, and Reds. He is now free to seek his next coaching opportunity with a new organization.
Tom the ray fan
Phil Brickma on line 1
mike q.
Curious that a team would sign a third base coach to a multi year contract.. Do other teams do this also?
Polymath
Packy, Dusty, Pop, and Stubby. To be a Cardinals’ coach, you need a “cool” first name.
mad1
Yah, because it was Wards fault the cardinals have a roster full of over the hill has been a
cards1994
It is his fault that Walker struggled as well as Gorman.
laynestaley2002
Herrera, Pages, Burleson, Gorman, Saggese, Winn, Donovan, Nootbaar, Scott, Siani and Walker – all aged 22-27.
So no, not really “a roster full of over the hill has been a.”
SweetBabyRayKingsThickThighs
The Cards just can’t get rid of the Clapp
TheMan 3
They should hire Andy Haines
UncleJesse
You should hire a therapist.
VegasMoved
The comment section is such a weird place.
UncleJesse
I agree especially when TheMan 3 forgets to take his Zoloft
UncleJesse
They should hire Cardinals legend and MENSA level genius Pedro Guerrero.
TheStevilEmpire1
Pop Warner has been in the organization since 1991. First as a player, then he spent 12 years a minor league manager, and since 2017 hes been on the MLB staff. He’s a lifer and he’s been an excellent coach.
sgord03
Matt Borgschulte. Current Orioles ‘co’ hitting coach and St. Louis native.
Rsox
Fire the main guy but keep the assistant? Was Allen’s approach considered better than Ward’s or are we just looking for a fall guy in place of Marmol?
paddyo furnichuh
The plans are for Packy NOT to pack his bags.
rememberthecoop
Stubby Clapp sounds like something painful when you urinate.
THEY LIVE!!!
Turner Ward is the scapegoat for a lousy team managed by a lousy manager and an even lousier GM POBO.
CardsFan57
You expect the hitting coach to be fired when almost the entire team stops hitting.
Brock Louis
Cardinal catch phrase for next season: Let’s win 75 in 2025. Go Redduds.
AA_Cardinals
Is Carlos Beltran still looking for work? He could connect with several of the current players and teach clutch contact hitting. He has proved he’ll do whatever it takes to win. This might be a good time for Matt Carpenter to think about coaching instead of playing ball next year.
laynestaley2002
Skip Schumacher for hitting coach!!
thebirds
You misspelt “Pujols”
Kyle Pepperpants
Would be interesting to see him in a job like that but isn’t he with the angels?
PistolPete44
Need to dump OIllie and rusty, Dusty and eat their 2025 contract. There is no reason to keep either. Ollie doesn’t even act like he’s in charge of anything. He’s just Mr. get along because he’s Mo ‘s boy.
Ok Yankees Fan
Who else is tired of hearing the politically correct ‘part ways’?
He was FIRED.
BlueSkies_LA
Dodgers fans will always remember Taylor Ward as seemingly the only person who could get through to Yasiel Puig.
DonOsbourne
More good decisions. Jon Jay would be my preferred choice. They need to preach on-base percentage. I have a no idea how a supposedly analytic team despises taking walks.