Last year, the St. Louis Cardinals announced their 2012 coaching assignments before Thanksgiving. With a high level of year-to-year stability across the organization, it was easy to do.
With several coaches leaving the system this year, it has taken a bit longer to fill all of the seats for 2013. On Friday, January 4, the Cardinals minor league affiliates announced their local staffs, followed by a group release out of St. Louis.
In the table below, you can see the 2012 and 2013 staffs together by position and level.
| Club |
Manager |
Pitching
Coach |
Hitting
Coach |
Trainer |
| Memphis
(AAA) |
|
|
|
|
| 2013 |
Ron "Pop" Warner |
Bryan
Eversgerd |
Mark Budaska |
J. Clipperton |
| 2012 |
Ron "Pop" Warner |
Blaise
Ilsley |
Mark Budaska |
J. Clipperton |
|
|
|
|
|
| Springfield
(AA) |
|
|
|
|
| 2013 |
Mike Shildt |
Randy
Niemann |
Phillip Wellman |
Scott Ensell |
| 2012 |
Mike Shildt |
Bryan Eversgerd |
Phillip Wellman |
Jason Hall |
|
|
|
|
|
| Palm Beach
(A) |
|
|
|
|
| 2013 |
Johnny Rodriguez |
"Ace"
Adams |
R.
LaFrancois |
Keith Joynt |
| 2012 |
Johnny Rodriguez |
Dennis
Martinez |
Jeff
Albert |
M. Kuwazuru |
|
|
|
|
|
| Peoria (A) |
|
|
|
|
| 2013 |
Dann
Bilardello |
Jason
Simontacchi |
Erik
Pappas |
Mike Petrarca |
| 2012 (QC) |
Luis Aguayo |
"Ace" Adams |
Joe Kruzel |
Scott Ensell |
|
|
|
|
|
| State College
(A) |
|
|
|
|
| 2013 |
Oliver
Marmol |
Dernier Orozco |
Ramon
Ortiz |
Dan Martin |
| 2012
(Batavia) |
Dann Bilardello |
Dernier Orozco |
R. LaFrancois |
Mike Petrarca |
|
|
|
|
|
| Johnson City
(R) |
|
|
|
|
| 2013 |
Joe
Kruzel |
Paul
Davis |
R.
Espinoza |
Tony Reyes |
| 2012 |
Oliver Marmol |
Doug
White |
Ramon Ortiz |
Dan Martin |
|
|
|
|
|
| GCL Cards
(R) |
|
|
|
|
| 2013 |
Steve Turco |
Darwin
Marrero |
Jobel
Jimenez |
TBA |
| 2012 |
Steve Turco |
Tim Leveque |
Kleininger Teran |
Tony Reyes |
|
|
|
|
|
| New to org. |
|
|
|
|
| Moved up |
|
|
|
|
| Left Cardinals |
|
|
|
|
Notable changes previously known include Memphis pitching coach Blaise Ilsley becoming St. Louis’ new bullpen coach, replaced in Memphis by former Springfield pitching coach Bryan Eversgerd.
Earlier, word had leaked out that former Cardinals pitcher Jason Simontacchi would become the new pitching coach at Class-A Peoria. Last month, Palm Beach pitching and hitting coaches Dennis Martinez and Jeff Albert left the Cardinals organization to take jobs with the Houston Astros.
In Friday’s changes, two short-season managers in 2012, Dann Bilardello and Oliver Marmol, are each moving up one level in 2013. Each will be leading the first Cardinals-affiliated clubs in new Player Development Contracts. Biladello takes over Class-A Peoria while Marmol is the new skipper at short-season Class-A State College.
 |
| Kruzel also coached in the Arizona Fall League |
Former Quad Cities hitting coach Joe Kruzel is moving to a big chair, succeeding Marmol as manager of Johnson City of the Appalachian League. Two new coaches will man key roles under Kruzel. Paul Davis joins the organization from Nebraska as the Johnson City pitching coach while former Cardinals minor league catcher Roberto Espinoza is the new hitting coach at JC.
Eversgerd’s successor as Springfield pitching coach is Randy Niemann, who finished 2012 as the major league pitching coach for the Boston Red Sox.
The 57-year-old had moved to the Red Sox as assistant pitching coach in 2012 after 24 years in the Mets organization. That included the 1986 World Championship club when he was still a pitcher, and later, three stints as Mets bullpen coach, including time under Bobby Valentine, later his boss in Boston. When Red Sox pitching coach Bob McClure was fired in August, Niemann was elevated to replace him. Niemann was then fired along with Valentine and his staff following the season.
Along with Simontacchi, Peoria will have a first-time professional coach as the leader of the Chiefs’ hitters in Erik Pappas. The former catcher with the Cardinals in 1993 and 1994 most recently coached youth baseball and participated in coaching clinics in the Chicago area.
In the Gulf Coast League, Darwin Marrero becomes the new pitching coach with 2012 Dominican Summer League Cards hitting coach Jobel Jimenez moving to the GCL in the same role in 2013. Kleininger Teran had served as a semi-unofficial player/hitting coach for the GCL Cards this past summer.
Marrero is a 31-year-old native of Venezuela who pitched for seven seasons in the Montreal Expos system, from 1998-2004. He then taught in a Florida baseball academy and began his professional coaching career leading the 2008 pitching staff of the American Association’s Sioux City Explorers. Marrero has most recently been a youth coach in the Tampa area.
Among the returning coaches changing levels for 2013 are pitching coach Arthur “Ace” Adams and hitting coaches Roger LaFrancois and Ramon Ortiz.
Key cross organizational roles follow. All are incumbents with two exceptions, both re-assignments within the organization.
2012 Midwest League field manager Luis Aguayo is becoming International Field Coordinator/Infield Instructor while 2012 GCL Cards pitching coach Tim Leveque has moved into the position of Mechanics Analyst/Rehab Pitching Coordinator, also in Jupiter.
Field Coordinator – Mark DeJohn
Pitching Coordinator – Brent Strom
Hitting Coordinator – Derrick May
Special Assistant to Player Development – Gaylen Pitts
International Field Coordinator/Infield Instructor – Luis Aguayo
Minor League Strength/Conditioning Coordinator – Rene Pena
Mechanics Analyst/Rehab Pitching Coordinator – Tim Leveque
Minor League Strength and Conditioning Coaches – Sean Johnson (Memphis), Josh Cue (Springfield)
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Brian Walton can be reached via email at brian@thecardinalnationblog.com. Also catch his Cardinals commentary daily at The Cardinal Nation blog. Follow Brian on Twitter.
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