Cardinals Rumors: St. Louis considered in-season coaching changes

The St. Louis Cardinals reportedly considered in-season coaching changes, with hitting coach Jeff Albert being one possibility.

When the St. Louis Cardinals were in fourth place earlier this season, coming up short of their World Series aspirations, fans pushed for Mike Shildt to be replaced as manager. That was never a realistic scenario – his job status has always been safe – but the same can’t be said for the rest of his coaching staff.

At one point, Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak considered in-season coaching changes, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Ultimately, Mozeliak held firm, which turned out to be the correct decision as the team went on a 17-game winning streak and made the playoffs despite small odds.

It’s unclear just what kind of changes Mozeliak considered, but it’s fair to speculate that hitting coach Jeff Albert’s seat was warm. After all, the Cardinals’ offense, which was supposed to be a strength after acquiring Nolan Arenado, underwhelmed to start the season and struggled to sustain success and was a primary reason for their slow start in addition to a plethora of injuries to the rotation.

But the Cardinals eventually turned it around offensively, with Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt and Tyler O’Neill all hitting 30+ home runs. Harrison Bader had a career season at the plate while rookie Dylan Carlson surged to end the season and cemented his place as a long-term building block in the outfield and lineup.

After investing so many resources into the lineup, with Arenado and Goldschmidt earning over $60 million combined (note: the Rockies paid the Cardinals over $50 million to take on Arenado’s contract), the idea of firing Albert had to be tempting for Mozeliak. But he deserves credit for weathering the storm and not overreacting to early season struggles.

It’s not yet clear if Albert returns for 2022 — the Cardinals are evaluating the coaching staff now — but the late season surge likely earned him another season in St. Louis.