The Cardinals need to look outward for their next hitting coach

The St. Louis Cardinals' search for a hitting coach has started fresh as Turner Ward was relieved of his duties on Oct. 4 after the team performed below expectations in nearly every offensive category in 2024. The Cardinals have long been reluctant to look outside of their team for staff members, preferring to promote from within. This insular mindset is a large part of what has pushed the Cardinals behind the times in player development, so it is imperative that the Cardinals hire a coach from outside the organization who can provide a fresh perspective.

With the Cardinals attempting something resembling a rebuild in 2025, Chaim Bloom will likely have a say in the team's new hitting coach, and given the modern, cutting-edge philosophies that he is set to bring to St. Louis, it wouldn't be surprising for him to find a more analytically minded coach in the vein of Jeff Albert, Ward's predecessor. While Ward held a more traditional approach to hitting, Albert was all about the numbers and emphasized pulled fly balls, an area where they Cardinals massively regressed in 2024.

It wouldn't surprise anyone if the Cardinals simply promoted assistant hitting coach Brandon Allen to replace Ward, but their hiring of Bloom signifies that they realize their shortcomings in the development process. To that end, Bloom needs to be the executive who has the final say on the Cardinals' next hitting coach. John Mozeliak will continue in his role of president of baseball operations for one more year, but since Bloom was an external hire, he is likely more aware of potential outside options who could help the Cardinals.

The Cardinals weren't expected to re-sign Paul Goldschmidt, but Ward's firing all but cements his departure. The two have worked together since Goldschmidt was in Double-A, and Goldschmidt credits Ward for helping him become one of the best hitters in baseball. But what worked in the past doesn't always work in the present, and given the youth movement that is about to take over the Cardinals clubhouse, the team would be wise to hire a coach more on the side of analytics who can help the younger players, most of whom were brought up with tech dominating the sport, make the most of their strengths.

Bloom was brought in to help the Cardinals rediscover the winning culture that St. Louis is accustomed to, and his first task looks to be to find someone who can help revive an offense that went into hibernation in 2024. Expanding the Cardinals' circle to include more voices from teams that have passed them in the hitting aspect would provide fans reason to believe that real change could be on the horizon.