Report: Cardinals Make External Hitting Coach Hire, Recruit from White Sox Staff

· Yahoo Sports

Apr 21, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Source: Lastwordonsports.com - Evan Mazza, Site EditorRoughly two weeks after news broke that the St. Louis Cardinals wouldn’t retain hitting coach Brant Brown, multiple sources, including Robert Murray of FanSided, are reporting that the franchise is hiring Joel McKeithan as its new hitting coach. McKeithan, 35, served as an assistant hitting coach for the Chicago White Sox over the last two seasons.Instead of promoting internally, St. Louis opted for a younger, external option for its next hitting coach, looking to maximize the offensive potential of its young position player crop.Feb 15, 2024; Goodyear, AZ, USA; Cincinnati Reds hitting coach Joel McKeithan, smiles while observing batting practice during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Kareem Elgazzar-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Cardinals Hire Joel McKeithan as Hitting Coach

McKeithan Coming Off Strong Season with White Sox

As far as recent results go, the vibes around McKeithan are in a great place. Like the Cardinals, the White Sox fielded a young lineup but outproduced the Redbirds by a long shot. Chicago finished 2026 with the fifth-highest team wRC+ (104), sixth-best walk rate (9.5%), and eighth-highest slugging percentage (.406).

They also tallied the fifth-most homers (214) and runs (776), the latter leading the American League. The South Siders also logged baseball’s fourth-highest strikeout rate (24.1%), but the trade-off was well worth it, particularly in the regular season.Notably, the White Sox improved from one of the league’s worst offenses to one of the best over McKeithan’s two seasons on staff.For St. Louis, extracting more power is a must after finishing second-worst in OPS and slugging percentage. Busch Stadium’s environment hasn’t been conducive to power, but the belief is that McKeithan can help Cardinals hitters improve in that department.

McKeithan’s Well-Experienced Background

Despite being younger than some of MLB’s longest-tenured players, McKeithan has made his fair share of coaching stops. After he played collegiately at Vanderbilt, the Colorado Rockies selected McKeithan in the 39th round of the 2010 MLB Draft.He later spent two seasons in the Frontier League before becoming a hitting instructor at Driveline Baseball. McKeithan’s first hitting coach gig came with the Williamsport Crosscutters in 2019, a minor-league affiliate of the Phillies, which has since transitioned to the MLB Draft League.After becoming the Tigers’ minor league hitting coordinator in 2021, McKeithan joined the Cincinnati Reds organization for three years. He started as the major league team’s assistant hitting coach and offensive coordinator, which included overseeing hitting development at all levels, before being promoted to Cincinnati’s hitting coach for 2023 and 2024.

Cardinals Go External with Hitting Coach Hire

Rumors swirled that St. Louis would simply fill its open hitting coach position with a member already on staff. Whether that would’ve been Casey Chenoweth or Brandon Allen, an internal promotion would’ve been a safe move by the Cardinals. Those two have established rapport with St. Louis hitters, especially Allen, who has been in the Redbirds dugout for the last four years and in the organization since 2017.But to some extent, they each played a role in the Cardinals’ offensive struggles, and bringing in an outside voice couldn’t hurt. And as we’ve seen with President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom and the influx of different voices he’s brought into the organization over the last few years, it will likely help.

The Last Word

McKeithan already has ties to the organization, with his younger brother, Aaron, being a former Cardinal minor-league catcher from 2021-2024.

St. Louis still hasn’t finalized its 2027 coaching staff, but the belief is that most of last season’s staff will return. The hire of McKeithan checks off the biggest void, while other assistant coach additions or departures are to be announced.It will be interesting to see if Chenoweth or Allen remain on staff, and the same goes for former Cardinal players and current coaches Jon Jay and Daniel Descalso, who could interview for manager positions this offseason.

More Baseball News:

Should the Cardinals Add an External Third Baseman?

Cardinals Decline Option on Ryne Stanek

Report: Mets Hire A.J. Ellis to Major League Coaching Staff

Main Photo Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Read full story at source