photo: Joel McKeithan (USA TODAY Sports)
The St. Louis Cardinals have hired an experienced coach to lead their big league hitters in 2027. Joel McKeithan comes from the White Sox.
A major question raised when the St. Louis Cardinals decided to change pitching coaches for 2027 was how they would source the replacement for Brant Brown.
Would it be an internal promotion or an outside hire?
That was answered on Wednesday when Robert Murray of Fansided disclosed that Joel McKeithan has been hired in a promotion from the Chicago White Sox. I have confirmed this independently.
McKeithan, 35, has baseball in his blood. His great uncle was a major league pitcher. His grandfather was a minor league hurler and his dad was a college standout.
McKeithan also has two brothers in baseball. Tim has been with the Pirates for a decade and is currently Director of Hitting Development. Aaron was a catcher in the Cardinals organization from 2021-2024, when he moved to the Pirates in the minor league Rule 5 Draft then the Mariners and independent ball.
Most recently, in 2025 and 2026, Joel was an assistant hitting coach with the Chicago White Sox. In 2023 and 2024, he was the primary hitting coach for the Cincinnati Reds. He was promoted into that role from their assistant hitting coach job after one season.
Prior to that, McKeithan was minor league hitting coordinator for the Detroit Tigers and coached in the Phillies organization. The North Carolina native played college ball for Vanderbilt and North Carolina State.
The Cardinals have not yet confirmed this hiring nor the remainder of their coaching staff for the 2027 season, but most are expected to return. Manager Oliver Marmol is under a multi-year contract.
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