photo: Masyn Winn (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
Masyn Winn is the top defensive shortstop in MLB, having received the Fielding Bible Award. The St. Louis Cardinals have three new staff members for 2025. We highlight four memorable post-season games that occurred during this week in Cardinals history.
Fielding Bible honors Cardinals rookie
St. Louis Cardinals rookie shortstop Masyn Winn was honored again this week for his defensive work at the shortstop position during the 2024 season. As reported here two weeks ago, Winn is a finalist for the Rawlings Gold Glove Award at shortstop.
The annual Fielding Bible Awards for defensive performance were announced with Winn named the top defensive shortstop for 2024.
The Fielding Bible Award, unlike the Gold Glove, is given out for the best defensive performance at each position in Major League Baseball, not by league. Thus, Winn was named as the best defensive shortstop ahead of all other shortstops in both leagues.
Winn, 22, and third baseman Wilyer Abreu of the Red Sox, were the only rookies to receive the award and the fifth and sixth rookies to win in the history of the Fielding Bible award.
Winn led MLB in Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) with 14. He also was first in turning double plays. His six Double Play Runs Saved tied Andrelton Simmons for the most by a shortstop in a season since this stat began being tracked in 2003.
This award by Winn is the 21st Fielding Bible award given to a Cardinal, more than any other team in MLB. Winn is the first Cardinal shortstop to win the award.
Congratulations to Masyn!
Cardinals make three new staff hires
This past week, the Cardinals announced three new hires to the organization in preparation for the upcoming 2025 season.
Two of the additions are to the major league coaching staff. As previously reported here, the Cardinals did not retain hitting coach Turner Ward for 2025.
His replacement was announced as Brant Brown, a former player with the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Florida Marlins from 1996 through 2000. Brown also played briefly for the Memphis Redbirds before retiring from baseball in 2001.
Brown, 53, has coaching experience on the major league level with the Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Dodgers and Miami Marlins. He was the hitting coach for the Marlins in 2023 and was a pitching strategist/bench coach with Seattle for part of 2024. Brown came with the strong recommendation of former Marlins manager and Cardinal player Skip Schumaker.
In addition to Brown, the Cardinals hired former Cardinal Jon Jay to the major league coaching staff. Jay, 39, played major league baseball for 12 seasons, six with the Cardinals. Jay was a key contributor to the Cardinals 2011 World Series Championship season.
Jay joins former teammate Daniel Descalso, who was his 2011 teammate, to the current staff. Jay’s duties will be primarily as an outfield defense instructor, replacing Willie McGee, who was promoted to be a Special Assistant to John Mozeliak.
Mozeliak stated that in addition to his outfield defense duties, Jay will receive exposure in other aspects of the game as well. Jay has prior major league coaching experience as the first base coach for the Miam Marlins over the past two seasons.
McGee’s elevation to the front office follows a six-year stint with the Cardinals coaching staff as outfield coach. In his front office duties, he will work with minor league players throughout the system and will take on other duties as assigned.
The Cardinals made one more major addition to the front office, the hire of Rob Cerfolio as Assistant General Manager for Player Development and Performance.
The 32-year-old Cerfolio spent the last decade with the Cleveland Guardians in various roles that included Director of Player Development from 2022-2024. Cerfolio played an important role in the Guardians elevation to one of several perennial pennant contenders over the last few years.
Cerfolio’s hire is the first of many that will take place over the offseason, as the Cardinals switch gears to focus primarily on the player development system as part of the organization’s announced “reset”.
The first step was the ascension of Chaim Bloom to oversee the revamping of the system and in 2026, to the role of President of Baseball Operations, replacing Mozeliak, who will step down after the 2025 season.
The Cardinals will also replace retiring Gary LaRocque as Director of Player Development/Farm Director and fill the open Director of Performance spot, both reporting to Cerfolio.
Longtime front office staffer leaves
Special Assistant to the GM for Player Procurement, Matt Slater, is leaving the Cardinals organization to pursue other opportunities in baseball.
Slater, 53, joined the team in 2007, and was elevated to his present position in December 2017. Prior to that he served as Director of Player Personnel for seven seasons. In his capacity in player procurement, Slater was particularly instrumental in the Cardinals’ acquisition of players on the international market.
Before joining the Cardinals, Slater served in management capacities for the Los Angeles Dodgers for nine years. He also worked as administrator of scouting for the Baltimore Orioles from 1995-98. Slater started in baseball with the Milwaukee Brewers at the age of 19. In 1991, he was named Scouting and Player Development Assistant with the Brewers.
Slater is an Indiana native and graduated from Marquette University in 1993. He received a law degree from Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles, California in 2010. He is married and has three children.
Slater leaves after 17 years serving the Cardinals. Good luck to Matt!
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade and acquisition rumors to report.
Transactions
There are no transactions to report.
Injury Report
- SS Masyn Winn (hand) had a cyst removed from his hand, though it was not reported which hand. The procedure was minor and will not affect his offseason.
- RHP Sonny Gray (right forearm inflammation). POBO John Mozeliak revealed in a press conference this past week that Gray, who ended the season on the injured list with inflammation in his right arm, is expected to have a normal offseason. Gray, who is currently signed to a three-year contract with a no trade clause, has been rumored to perhaps be available on the trade market this offseason.
- LHP JoJo Romero (left flexor tendon inflammation). POBO John Mozeliak reported in a recent press conference that Romero is just now progressing to a throwing program. The outcome of this throwing program will dictate how the rest of Romero’s offseason will play out. Romero finished the season on the injured list.
Looking Ahead
The postseason is in its final stages, as the World Series between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers moves into Game 3 of the best of seven series.
The postseason will continue through the month of October and end with a potential World Series Game 7 on Saturday, November 2.
After the end of the World Series, the offseason officially begins. As of 9 am on the day after the end of the World Series, all eligible free agents will officially become free agents. During a period of five days beginning with the day after the end of the World Series, all free agents may negotiate exclusively with their parent club.
Also, during that five-day window, teams must decide whether to pick up or decline any player option. For the Cardinals, those players are pitchers Lance Lynn, Kyle Gibson, and Keynan Middleton.
During the five-day window is also when teams must make any qualifying offers to departing free agents. The QO for this offseason is set at $21.05 million for a one-year contract. The Cardinals’ eligible free agents are Paul Goldschmidt, Matt Carpenter and Andrew Kittredge. Lynn, Gibson and Middleton will become free agents if the team declines their option.
It is not expected that the Cardinals will make the QO to any of their free agents.
Blast from the Past
Though the Cardinals are not participating in this postseason, there have been many Cardinals October successes in the history of the franchise.
This week’s Blast from the Past is a recall of some memorable postseason events that occurred in the past for the period October 21 through 27.
They begin with the date of the event and description of some memorable occasion that occurred on that date.
October 22, 2011 – In Game 3 of the World Series, Albert Pujols connected for three home runs, driving in six to tie the World Series record for home runs and RBI in a game. Pujols joined Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson in holding the home run record. The Cardinals routed the Rangers 16-7.
October 26, 1985 – In Game 6 of the World Series against the Kansas City Royals, first base umpire Don Denkinger flubbed a call at first base in the ninth inning. On a grounder to first baseman Jack Clark, he threw to relief pitcher Todd Worrell. Denkinger called the runner, Jorge Orta, safe when he was clearly out as shown by the video (there was no instant replay in 1985).
The missed call gave the Royals an extra out that eventually led to Dane Iorg hitting a walk off two-run single to give Kansas City the Game 6 victory. The Royals won Game 7 and their first World Series title.
Denkinger later admitted he had made the wrong call after seeing the video, but it was too late for the Cardinals.
October 26, 2013 – In Game 3 of the World Series against the Boston Red Sox, the Cardinals pulled off a 5-4 walk off win due to an obstruction call.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, the game was tied 4-4. Yadier Molina singled. Allen Craig was brought in to pinch hit for Trevor Rosenthal. Craig doubled on the first pitch from Koji Uehara, sending Molina to third. Next up was Jon Jay, who hit a ground ball to second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who threw home to get Molina out at home plate.
Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia then threw to third base to get Allen Craig, who was running to third. The throw was wide, and third baseman Will Middlebrooks was pulled to the second base side trying to corral the ball, which went into foul territory. Craig slid into third and popped up to run toward home, but Middlebrooks was on the ground in the way with his feet in the air.
Craig tripped over Middlebrooks then got up to run home and was tagged by Saltalamacchia who received the throw from foul territory. Craig was seemingly out, but the third base umpire called obstruction on the play, and the home plate umpire determined that Craig would have safely scored except for the obstruction by Middlebrooks.
The Cardinals won in a walk off, 5-4. This was the first World Series game to end on an obstruction call.
October 27, 2011 – The Cardinals were playing the Texas Rangers in Game 6 of the World Series. In the bottom of the ninth inning, the Rangers were ahead 7-5. A win in Game 6 would have given the Rangers their first World Series title.
With two outs and two men on (Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman), David Freese came to the plate. With two strikes, Ranger reliever Neftali Feliz threw Freese a middle away pitch that Freese hit for a fly ball to right field. Texas RF Nelson Cruz watched the ball go over his head and hit the wall, scoring Pujols and Berkman on the triple by Freese to tie the game, 7-7.
The game went into extra innings. The Rangers came back to take the lead 9-7 on a two-run home run by Josh Hamilton. In the bottom of the 10th, Daniel Descalso and Jon Jay hit back-to-back singles. Pitcher Kyle Lohse bunted the runners over, putting them both in scoring position. Descalso scored on a ground out by Ryan Theriot. Albert Pujols was intentionally walked. With two outs and two on, Lance Berkman came to bat. Once again, the Rangers were one strike away from a World Series win, but Berkman slapped a single into center field, scoring Jay for the 9-9 tie.
Into the 11th, the Rangers failed to score. Freese came to the plate to lead off the bottom of the 11th. Reliever Mark Lowe threw a 3-2 pitch to Freese that he sent over the fence into the grass in dead center field for the walk off 10-9 win as Fox broadcaster Joe Buck called, “We will see you tomorrow night!”.
The Cardinals won Game 7 the next day 6-2 for their 11th World Series title.
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