Analyzing St. Louis Cardinals' 4 hitting coaches since 2010

Jeff Albert (2019-2022)

Philosophy

I excluded the 2020 season from this exercise, as there were too many other challenges for teams to face that year, so it's unfair to evaluate Albert on the results of the shortened season. Altogether, Jeff Albert spent 4 seasons as the hitting coach for the Cardinals. Albert was once an assistant hitting coach with the Houston Astros as their reign of terror began in 2017. He is on record multiple times stating he had no knowledge of the cheating scandal.

Albert's philosophy dealt partially with using video to help a player make adjustments. In an interview with Xavier Scruggs, Albert said "Did we advocate a specific type of swing in the Astros organization? That's hard to answer because I don't see there being a true definition of a 'type of swing.' You try to maximize the player's ability to swing given his physical abilities."

Albert's approach to hitting is quite simple: find a pitch you like and go for it. A retooled approach in 2021 featured the team emphasizing hard-hit balls and extra-base hits, particularly with players in scoring position. Those didn't quite come to fruition when Tommy Edman spoke about a lack of a game plan in the middle of the 2021 season.

Results

Once again, the results are a bit mixed. At his best, Albert was able to create two top-3 MVP candidates in Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado in 2022. The team was able to finish 3rd in OPS and runs scored that year en route to a division crown. They also struck out at a low rate compared to the rest of the teams in the National League.

At his worst, Albert was able to lead his team to just 4.36 runs per game and a .725 OPS--the third-lowest of any year since 2010 for both metrics--in 2021. Overall, Albert's approach seemed pretty balanced; they faltered in walks and strikeouts, but the power metrics were certainly boosted under his guidance.

Albert left after the 2022 season due to fans spewing negativity his way and blaming poor playoff performances on him.