The St. Louis Cardinals announced the coaching staffs for their minor league affiliates for the 2015 season today. Five of their affiliates will have new managers with one affiliate gaining the youngest manager in the Cardinals organization. A new hitting coach and pitching coach join the Cardinals at the short-season levels and Ron “Pop” Warner, the Memphis manager for the past three seasons, moves into a new role as roving infield instructor.
The five managers who will be in new assignments this coming season are Mike Shildt at Memphis (AAA) after managing at Springfield (AA) the past two seasons. Dann BiIardello becomes the new Springfield manager, moving from Palm Beach (High-A) last season. Oliver Marmol moves from State College (low-A) to Palm Beach, while Johnny Rodriguez moves from Johnson City (Rookie) to manage at State College. Chris Swauger becomes the new manager at Johnson City.
Swauger, 28, a former Cardinals minor league outfielder and assistant hitting coach at Johnson City last season, will take over the managerial role at the Cardinals Appalachian League affiliate, making him the youngest manager in the Cardinals organization, 40 days younger than Marmol.
Joe Kruzel (Peoria-A), Steve Turco (GCL) and Fray Peniche (DSL) return to the same managerial posts they held in 2014. Turco led the 2014 Gulf Coast League Cardinals to their best record and a division title in his sixth year at the helm.
Bryan Eversgerd (Memphis) is the lone incumbent at the pitching coach position carried over from the 2014 season. Jason Simontacchi moves from Peoria to Springfield, Randy Niemann from Springfield to Palm Beach, Dernier Orozco from State College to Peoria, Darwin Marrero from the GCL to State College and Bill Villanueva from the Dominican Summer League to Johnson City. Cale Johnson, a former Cardinals minor league pitcher from 2009-12, has been hired as the pitching coach at the Gulf Coast League level where he pitched for Turco in 2009.
Incumbents at the hitting coach position include Mark Budaska (Memphis), Erik Pappas (Springfield), Jobel Jimenez (Peoria), John Matos (DSL Cardinals) and Erick Almonte (DSL Cardinals). Ramon Ortiz and Roger LaFrancois swap affiliates sending Ortiz to Palm Beach and LaFrancois to State College. Roberto Espinoza has been assigned to the GCL Cardinals after serving as the bullpen assistant in St. Louis last season. George Greer has been hired as the hitting coach at Johnson City after having worked in the Mets organization (2006-14) following a decorated career as the head baseball coach at Wake Forest University from 1988-2004.
On the training staff, Mike Petrarca and Brent Neuharth switch positions with Petrarca going to Johnson City and Neuharth at Peoria. The remainder of the training staff returns to their 2014 positions.
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Field Coordinator – Mark DeJohn*
Pitching Coordinator – Tim Leveque*
Hitting Coordinator – Derrick May*
Roving Infield Coordinator – Ron “Pop” Warner^
Latin America Coordinator – Luis Aguayo*
Minor League Pitching Coach/Coordinator of Pitching Analytics/Rehab – Paul Davis*
Minor League Offensive Strategist/Johnson City Hitting Coach – George Greer
Strength & Conditioning Coordinator – Rachel Balkovec*
Senior Medical Advisor – Barry Weinberg*
Special Assistant to Player Development – Gaylen Pitts*
*-Returning coach/trainer ^-Returning coach/trainer with new assignment
