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Cardinals part ways with hitting coach Brant Brown in surprising coaching shakeup

That's a pretty big change ahead of the offseason.
ByJosh Jacobs
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Apr 1, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals hitting coach Brant Brown (73) talks with right fielder Jordan Walker (18) before an at bat against the Los Angeles Angels during the tenth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Apr 1, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals hitting coach Brant Brown (73) talks with right fielder Jordan Walker (18) before an at bat against the Los Angeles Angels during the tenth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals made a surprising move this morning with the news that hitting coach Brant Brown would not be retained for the 2027 season.

Katie Woo of The Athletic was the first to break the story, and it's now the fourth time since 2024 that the Cardinals will be looking to add a new hitting coach to their dugout after Jeff Albert left and they let go of his replacement, Turner Ward.

Brown came highly recommended to the Cardinals by legendary first baseman Albert Pujols, who had a great experience working with Brown when Pujols was with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Cardinals did not have a great year as an offensive unit back in 2025, and then in 2026, finished with the second-lowest OPS (.691) and slugging percentage (.378) in the sport.

Brown is well-liked within the industry and has found success in a number of places, so I have no doubt he'll land another job. Perhaps if Pujols gets a managerial gig, he could land on his staff. The Los Angeles Angels seem to be growing in their Cardinals connections.

The Cardinals are expected to retain the rest of their coaching staff, though Daniel Descalso could be a name to watch for open mangerial gigs throughout the sport. It's not surprising to see Chaim Bloom begin to put his fingerprints on more areas of the organization (Brown was a hire under Mozeliak), but for now it appears that the changes are limited to the hitting side of things.

Cardinals could look to promote Casey Chenoweth as their next hitting coach

Looking ahead to what the Cardinals could do next, assistant hitting coach Casey Chenoweth has to be the early favorite for the job given the rave reviews he has received throughout the organization.

Specifically, Jordan Walker has spoken glowingly about the work he did with Chenoweth and how he helped him get back to his potential as a hitter. Joshua Baez is another name that spent time with Chenoweth in 2025 at Double-A that turned his career around.

Brown, on the other hand, seemed to have a difficult time getting on the same page as Walker, as back in September 2025, both Brown and manager Oliver Marmol went on local radio and talked about some of the gaps they sensed with Walker that he needed to improve. I'm not saying that Brown had conflict with Walker or isn't a good coach, but it is notable that Chenoweth was getting a lot of public praise.

In 2026, Walker and Burleson had career years at the plate, but guys like Ivan Herrera and Masyn Winn regressed while Nolan Gorman continued to look lost at the plate. As more exciting young bats are on their way to St. Louis, it makes sense that the Cardinals may want a different voice, whether it is one from outside the organization or one that has worked with these guys in the system, to lead their development at the Major League level moving forward.

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