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Cardinals: Jeff Albert proven right by Carpenter, Goldschmidt

By Josh Jacobs |
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 31: Hitting coach Jeff Albert #54 of the St. Louis Cardinals throws balls during batting practice before the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on May 31, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MAY 31: Hitting coach Jeff Albert #54 of the St. Louis Cardinals throws balls during batting practice before the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on May 31, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
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While Jeff Albert has been the subject of criticism, his value is being proven by the success of former and current Cardinals.

If you follow the St. Louis Cardinals and know anything about their fanbase, there is one name that is consistently thrown under the bus when the team struggles.

Yes. Even more so than the Dewitt’s and John Mozeliak.

His name is Jeff Albert. And it is time for fans to acknowledge how valuable he has been for the Cardinals.

Our own Andrew Heckroth broke down some of the numbers on Albert’s impact on the Cardinals offense this season. Both veterans and youngster’s are finding success under Albert’s tutelage, and it is helping the Cardinals to have one of the better offenses in all of baseball.  The numbers do show that this offense is producing.

But what the numbers do not necessarily show is that hitters like Matt Carpenter, Paul Goldschmidt, and Juan Yepez are crediting the Cardinals hitting coach for their resurgences in 2022. As fans mourn the fact that Carpenter is mashing for the Yankees, the former Cardinals himself regrets not listening to Jeff Albert.

In an interview with Ken Rosenthal, Carpenter had the following to say about Jeff Albert:

At Marucci, Carpenter sought an objective analysis of what he was doing wrong. Jeff Albert, the Cardinals’ hitting coach since 2019, might have been capable of providing such answers, given his deep knowledge of analytics. Carpenter, however, admits, “I just never bought into (analytics) like I should have.” Albert, like all club officials during the owners’ lockout, is prohibited by Major League Baseball from commenting publicly on players.

Carpenter has gone on to find major success this season, which I will break down later.

In another story with Ken Rosenthal, Paul Goldschmidt found himself struggling as well, and went to seek help from Jeff Albert.

Goldschmidt told Cardinals hitting coach Jeff Albert he was struggling to get his body into the right hitting position, even in the batting cage. Specifically, he was experiencing difficulty loading his lower half. Albert, who has a Master’s degree in exercise science from Louisiana Tech, helped enlighten Goldschmidt about biomechanics and the importance of body movement.

Neither guy, especially Carpenter, needed to go out of their way to credit Jeff Albert, but they did. And these are two of the hottest hitters in 2022. Let’s look at why Albert has been so impactful with major league hitters.

HOUSTON, TEXAS – JULY 21: Matt Carpenter #24 of the New York Yankees hit a line drive to Yuli Gurriel #10 of the Houston Astros in the third inning for an unassisted double play against the New York Yankees during game one of a doubleheader at Minute Maid Park on July 21, 2022 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TEXAS – JULY 21: Matt Carpenter #24 of the New York Yankees hit a line drive to Yuli Gurriel #10 of the Houston Astros in the third inning for an unassisted double play against the New York Yankees during game one of a doubleheader at Minute Maid Park on July 21, 2022 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

Veteran’s Finding New Success

Unforuntaely, Matt Carpenter’s hot streak is being done for the New York Yankees, but the adjustments Carpenter has made to his game are what Albert has been preaching.

For those who say “I grew up being told to just mash the baseball”, the game has changed. Pitchers do not think “just throw hard and make them miss”. They have bought into sports science and analytics more than hitters have, giving them an incredible advantage over hitters who refuse to adapt to modern baseball.

This is not just looking at numbers and letting front office guys change the game: this is about player’s using the data in front of them to give themselves the best chance at success.

Although Carpenter did not buy into this under Albert’s tenure, he did finally listen during his offseason tour, where his career was on the line and he knew he needed to make a change.

Now Carpenter is slashing .326/.448/.837 with 13 HR and 34 RBI in just 33 games for the Yankees. It’s clear that the adjustments Carpenter has made to his game has not only kept him in baseball, but has not made him one of the best bats in the game again.

Goldschmidt has always been a All-Star level slugger, but has found the influence of Albert to be important to his continued success. 2022 is the prime example of this, as he is slashing .330/.414/.590 with 20 HR and 70 RBI as the clear front runner for MVP in the National League.

These are just two examples of players who are finding success under Albert. Sure, you can point to veterans who are not finding the same success, but you will not find players who disagree with Albert’s approach. Albert is implementing hitting strategies that teams around the league have been bringing to the game for years, and veterans who pick up on that tend to find success.

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – JUNE 21: Jeff Albert #54 of the St. Louis Cardinals videos from his phone a hitter during batting practice as the sun shines through the stadium panels before the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on June 21, 2022 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Cardinals defeated the Brewers 6-2. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – JUNE 21: Jeff Albert #54 of the St. Louis Cardinals videos from his phone a hitter during batting practice as the sun shines through the stadium panels before the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on June 21, 2022 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Cardinals defeated the Brewers 6-2. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) /

Albert’s impact is felt throughout the farm system

Albert does not just have an impact on the major league club, but also heavily influences the hitting philosophy of players up and down the Cardinals system.

When guys like Dylan Carlson, Nolan Gorman, Brendan Donovan, and Juan Yepez are making major impacts on the club at such a young age, and then the club also has four more top 100 prospects in baseball who are hitters, something must be going right with the development of bats.

Yepez has been quoted as having his career changed by the impact of Albert and other Cardinal hitting coaches in an interview with John Denton.

It was about that time that Yepez got encouragement and advice from Cardinals Minor League hitting instructor Ryan Ludwick, Minor League hitting coordinator Russ Steinhorn and MLB hitting coach Jeff Albert that not only changed the trajectory of his swing but also his career.

Yepez, who not seen as a future big league when traded to St. Louis in 2017, has a .757 OPS with 11 HR so far during his rookie year and looks to be a valuable big leaguer for years to come.

Albert’s approach is not just for home run hitters either. Brendan Donovan was asked about how he has developed as a hitter since coming intro pro ball by David Laurila, and had this to say:

“We made a change in our hitting department — Jeff Albert, Russ Steinhorn, and those guys came in — and I was someone that made contact, but it wasn’t always quality contact. What we did is put me into a better body posture, better positioning, more tilt over the plate. I learned how to load the back hip a little better and flatten out my path. From there, it’s basically, ‘Let’s just try to get on plane, and see how long we can stay on plane.’ That’s helped me with fastballs up, and given me more adjustability on breaking balls and changeups, because I’m in the zone longer.

Similar to Yepez, Donovan was not a highly regarded prospect coming into this season, but sports a .779 OPS and has forced his way  into the everyday lineup for St. Louis due to his production at the plate.

You don’t have to love Jeff Albert, but it is time for Cardinal fans to stop hating him. No one is saying he is a genius or perfect, but he does know what he is talking about, and the results show. If the Cardinals have competent pitching this season, this lineup would be carrying the club as one of the best teams in the league. Let’s hope the lineup gets some support from the St. Louis pitching staff sooner rather than later.

Next. 3 reasons the 2023 Cardinals will be World Series Favorites. dark

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