6 people who are on the hot seat after Cardinals' lackluster start to 2024

3. Turner Ward

After spending a season as Jeff Albert's assistant, Ward is in his second season as the Cardinals hitting coach.

Ward has been a hitting coach at different levels through several organizations. He's pretty old school, as you'll see him in the dugout, where there is a vast three-ring binder filled with information for the hitters. He is a favorite of Paul Goldschmidt, who he worked with in the Arizona Diamondbacks minor league system.

While he may be a club favorite, he has yet to have the most outstanding results as the Cardinals' hitting coach. Top prospect Jordan Walker has been sent down to AAA Memphis after struggling to get his swing right. Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, and Nolan Gorman have all had difficulties finding their swing.

While Walker was sent down, the other struggling hitters continue to work with Ward and assistant hitting coach Brandon Allen while getting supplemental help from teammates, different coaches, and outside resources. The organization hasn't been on one page with hitting for some time, and it shows.

If one coach is definitely on the hot seat, it's Ward. Top prospects come into St. Louis hitting lights out but lose all confidence when seeing Major League pitching. This ongoing issue should have been addressed during the offseason. It wasn't and Cardinals hitters will continue to endure more struggles until they figure things out for themselves. The hitters should have a coach to help them, but unfortunately, they don't seem to get that from one coach in Ward.