Cardinals eye former Marlins offensive whisperer as new hitting coach

The St. Louis Cardinals are on the hunt for a new hitting coach after parting ways with Turner Ward on Oct. 4 following his second season in that position with the Cardinals. According to John Denton of MLB.com, one likely candidate for the job is Brant Brown, who has held jobs with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins and Seattle Mariners.

Brown was the hitting coach for the Marlins in 2023, who were one the of the major leagues' biggest surprises that season, as they finished 84-78 and lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in the Wild Card series. The Marlins tied for fourth in the major leagues with a .259 team batting average, and Brown oversaw players such as Luis Arraez, who batted a major league-leading .354, and Jorge Soler, who hit 36 home runs en route to an All-Star berth.

After the Marlins' shocking run to the postseason and the crowning of their manager, Skip Schumaker, as manager of the year, the Seattle Mariners poached Brown from Miami to serve as their offensive coordinator and bench coach. But as the Mariners began 2024 slowly at the plate, Brown was dismissed from his role on May 31 as the Mariners led the major leagues in strikeouts and ranked 29th in runs per game.

The Cardinals will hope that Brown can recapture the magic that saw the Marlins make an unexpected run to the postseason. It will be an important role with the many young hitters the Cardinals are expected to possess. With several players' careers still budding, Brown could hold an outsized influence on their development.

The Cardinals are not expected to be serious competitors next season, as Paul Goldschmidt is expected to depart in free agency, and Nolan Arenado could be a tempting trade chip. That's not to mention those on the pitching side, as Ryan Helsley looks to be on his way out, as could be Sonny Gray and Kyle Gibson. But if Brown can make an impact on the offensive side the way he did in Miami in 2023, the Cardinals might find a way to surprise observers in 2025.