ST. LOUIS — Turner Ward is out as Cardinals hitting coach, multiple team sources told The Athletic, with the decision coming after the team struggled offensively across the board in 2024.
The Cardinals posted a collective .704 OPS — tied for the sixth-lowest in the National League — and hit the fourth-fewest home runs (165).
St. Louis’ numbers were especially glaring with runners in scoring position, where they ranked last in the National League in multiple offensive categories. The Cardinals’ team average (.229), slugging percentage (.342) and OPS (.645) with runners in scoring position were the worst in the league, as was their 27 home runs and 433 RBI.
President of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Monday manager Oli Marmol would return for the 2025 season. Marmol is signed through 2026. The Cardinals are expected to retain assistant hitting coach Brandon Allen and game-planning coach Packy Elkins, along with first-base coach Stubby Clapp, whose contract was set to expire at the end of the year.
Ward, 59, took over as the Cardinals hitting coach in 2023 after spending the 2022 season as the team’s assistant hitting coach. He previously served as the hitting coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks (2014-2015), Los Angeles Dodgers (2016-2018) and Cincinnati Reds (2019).
(Photo of Turner Ward as Cardinals hitting coach: Casey Sykes / Getty Images)
