The Cardinals can have a brand new hitting coach subsequent season. The staff has determined to not supply Turner Ward a contract for 2025, Katie Woo experiences for The Athletic.
Ward spent the previous two seasons because the Cardinals hitting coach, overseeing an underwhelming offense each years. In that point, St. Louis ranked twenty first in runs scored (1391), sixteenth in OPS (.723), and seventeenth in wRC+ (101). These numbers aren’t horrible, however they’re definitely disappointing for a staff with postseason aspirations. Not all of the blame for this mediocre offense ought to land on Turner; in any case, he was the assistant hitting coach in 2022, when the Cardinals’ offense was surprisingly potent, rating sixth in runs rating (772), fifth in OPS (.745), and seventh in wRC+ (112). Nevertheless, it’s not exhausting to know why the Cardinals have been prepared to maneuver on.
The Cardinals are anticipated to maintain assistant hitting coach Brandon Allen on workers, although it’s unclear if they may promote Allen or search their new hitting coach elsewhere. Woo additionally notes that game-planning coach Packy Elkins and first-base coach Stubby Clapp will return in 2025. Nevertheless, her newest piece doesn’t point out assistant pitching coach Julio Rangel, one other Cardinals coach whose contract was set to run out on the finish of the season. Bench coach Daniel Descalso and pitching coach Dusty Blake are underneath contract by way of 2025, whereas third-base coach Pop Warner is underneath contract by way of 2026 (per Woo).
Previous to his time with the Cardinals, Ward labored as an assistant hitting coach for the Diamondbacks and a hitting coach for the Diamondbacks, Dodgers, and Reds. He’s now free to hunt his subsequent teaching alternative with a brand new group.
