photo: Mike Shildt (Jeff Curry/USA TODAY Sports)
St. Louis Cardinals press release
The St. Louis Cardinals announced this (Tuesday) afternoon that they have named Mike Shildt as the team’s Field Manager, removing his interim title.
Since being named to his position as interim manager on July 15, Shildt has piloted the Cardinals to a 26-12 mark – the most wins amongst all Major League teams during that time period – and he has helped steer the Cardinals into the postseason race, currently holding the top position in the National League Wild Card standings.
“We are pleased to name Mike Shildt as the St. Louis Cardinals manager,” stated Cardinals’ Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Bill DeWitt, Jr. “Mike is a veteran member of the Cardinals organization who has demonstrated strong leadership and coaching traits, formed by his many years of experience in the game, including his 15 years in the Cardinals system. The team’s focused, high-level style of play under Mike is a standard that his teams consistently displayed during his prior years in the minors, and it has continued here at the Major League level.”
“Mike Shildt has made many stops throughout the Cardinals organization, and today he achieves another position – Manager of the St. Louis Cardinals,” stated Cardinals’ President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak. “Over the past 15 years, Mike has been mentored by many great baseball men including George Kissell, Tony La Russa and Mark DeJohn. Now he has an opportunity to share his insights throughout the entire organization.”
Shildt, 50, has been a member of the Cardinals organization since 2004 and had served on the team’s Major League coaching staff the past two (2017-18) seasons. The North Carolina native managed for eight seasons in the Cardinals farm system where his clubs won league championships in 2010 and 2011 with Johnson City of the rookie Appalachian League and in 2012 with Springfield of the Texas League (AA). Prior to taking the Cardinals reins in July, Shildt had most recently managed in 2016 with Memphis of the Pacific Coast League (AAA).
Shildt became the 50th manager in franchise history when he was named to the interim position last month.
Brian Walton’s take
I was surprised, not by the act, but by its timing. I can think of no significant reason to make the decision now versus waiting until after the season concludes. The speed in making the call after just 38 games also seems a bit curious to me since these are the same decision makers who stuck with prior manager Mike Matheny longer than many felt was appropriate.
Having said that, based on Shildt having been groomed for the job for years and given his early success, this announcement was almost certainly a done deal for after the season, anyway, so any harm that might come from it is unclear.
The new deal runs through the 2020 season. According to a USA TODAY article, as the interim manager, Shildt was being paid on a pro-rated basis of a $700,000 per year salary.
Coaching contracts are typically not offered until after the season, so any changes with the coaches working under Shildt for 2019 will likely take several more months to play out.
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Brian Walton can be reached via email at brian@thecardinalnation.com. Follow Brian on Twitter.
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