The Cardinals finalized their 2024 coaching staff this afternoon. Among the hires is former major league reliever Dean Kiekhefer, who joins the group as an assistant pitching coach.
Kiekhefer, a left-hander, made 22 appearances for the Cardinals in 2016. He returned to the highest level for a four-game stint with the A’s two years later. That’d mark his only MLB playing experience. The Louisville product finished his career with a 6.38 ERA over 24 innings, although he turned in a strong 3.18 mark across six seasons in Triple-A.
Since retiring from playing after the 2019 season, Kiekhefer has worked as a pitching coach in the St. Louis farm system. The 34-year-old now gets his first look on a big league staff. He’ll work alongside returnees Julio Rangel and Jamie Pogue as assistants under second-year pitching coach Dusty Blake.
Along with the previously reported hiring of Daniel Descalso as bench coach, the Cards added DC MacLea as coordinator of technology and systems. Hitting coach Turner Ward is back for a second season, while longtime staffers Stubby Clapp and Ron “Pop” Warner are at the bases. Oliver Marmol is at the helm for his third year as manager.
Beats working at Arby’s, despite them having the meats.
Dean is best friends with Guardians’s Shane Bieber, so expect a reunion to be announced this winter.
Indians?
are the Cards trading for Bieber? I could see that as a good thing as long as he’s not going to miss all or most of ’24
I Hope your right,
Agree.., Rusty Dusty Blake is a disaster
Hey, I started out mopping the floor just like you guys. But now… now I’m washing lettuce. Soon I’ll be on fries; then the grill. In a year or two, I’ll make assistant manager, and that’s when the big bucks start rolling in. I suppose not much news today…….
You win, sir. Nothing beats Louie Anderson. Here is a hearty “f-you” to cancer.
Great movie and great comic. RIP Louie!
You gotta start somewhere. They used to say that Reddenbacher dude just made popcorn.
I’ll take last names I can’t pronounce for $500 Alex
Can we trade for Dylan cease already
A-freakin’-men
Or sign Imanaga
With the asking price that White Sox GM has for him makes trading for Dylan a Cease and desist move.
3rd and final year
Cardinals pitching coaches need to look at changing the way they approach getting the best out of players and methods used because many young pitching prospects brought through the system should have gone on to achieve more at MLB level.
What was Dave Duncan’s MLB numbers?
6.38 ERA in two stints in the ML. Yes that’s an accomplishment in life but does it say “Hire this guy to teach others!” …..I don’t think so. Did no one else want this gig?? Dusty Blake needs some real help.
Being a good MLB pitcher doesn’t make you a good coach. Same goes for being a good coach… doesn’t mean you can pitch at the MLB level….
Also can’t wait til they fire Marmol if the team starts slowly. He is Mo’s puppet clown with no leadership skills. Showed zero ability to steer the team to any form of respectable finish last year. He bears a large amount of blame for the debacle of 2023.
Is Willie still on staff?
Yes
Came in to make the correction:
“Oliver Marmol is at the helm for his third AND FINAL year as manager.”
A couple folks beat me to it 🙂
If he wins 90+ again this year are you still going to want him fired?
That won’t happen with this team. So yes fire him!
Heck they fired shildt after 90+ wins and he had a much better track record
Let’s hope they Fire him early in the season, so the Cardinals stand a chance
Perhaps four pitching coaches is too many voices.
Wow, what an unimpressive coach signing , now we have two clowns for pitching coach’s , the Dean and Dusty show a washed up minor league pitcher and a statistics guy. we know have the making of a three ring circus. Ollie, Dean and Dusty., that makes Cardinal fans confident in the team.
Things will only get worse without changing GM and owner. Watch attendance go down down down
Attendance needs to drop to hit DeWitt in the wallet, that’s all he cares about, may as well boycott his Arbys franchises too.
I’ve followed Cardinals baseball for60 years it’s getting sad now
hang in there, Dwain. I think there will be change soon.
On paper, the Cardinals are not any better than they were to start last year and Mo explicitly said he failed last year and hindsight, and we weren’t gonna do that again. The only thing we’re better at is eating and not quality innings.