Cardinals Make Overdue Changes To Minor League Infrastructure


Beneath the surface of the Cardinals’ downscaling of the major league roster is the club’s goal to build up a player development infrastructure in need of modern attention.
Under the guidance of Chaim Bloom in the year before he takes over as president of baseball operations, the Cardinals have expanded their staff and are in the process of upgrading their minor league facilities.
An executive with the team estimated that they have increased the spending on minor league staff by at least 20%, and they also have upped the spending on technology and facilities, including an overhaul of the spring training complex in Jupiter, Fla., and upgrades to the academy in the Dominican Republic.
“We’re trying to lay a foundation for a sustained period of success,” Cardinals club president Bill DeWitt III said. “Chaim (knows) how an elite player development system looks.”
Ownership conceded that the team “was a little behind” in its program.
Bloom previously helped oversee the growth of the Rays’ organization into a contender and then helped position the Red Sox farm for MLB success as the club’s general manager.
Coming out of the pandemic, the Cardinals reduced staff and some of the hallmark development positions were left vacant for years. The performance department went at least a season without a director, and the Cardinals did not have a dedicated field coordinator.
Ownership also admitted recently they became “insular” by promoting from within and not recruiting voices from outside. Both of those trends have been reversed.
The Cardinals hired Rob Cerfolio from the Guardians for a new position: assistant GM/player development and performance. He hired Larry Day from Cleveland to take over as farm director.
Matt Pierpont was lured from the Mariners to be director of pitching and Carl Kochan, who worked for the Dodgers and Giants, was hired to be director of performance.
The Cardinals also promoted former outfielder Bernard Gilkey to a roving position, and spots left vacant for several years were filled, like Ryan Barba being pulled from the Padres to serve as field coordinator.
The major league coaching staff participated in interviewing for all the positions to create clear ties and consistency of message through the organization.
“What do we like about the old Cardinal Way, and where is there room for opportunity and then how do we get better?” Cerfolio said.
The first glimpse of the expanded staff, new tech, and some shifted approaches will be in January when around 40 players are invited to an early camp. That group will include top prospects but also a few members of the 40-man roster to foster relationships for the future.
Cerfolio called it “year-round development” and “we’re going to do that collaboratively. Builds some of that team-first approach.”
REDBIRD CHIRPS
— The Cardinals’ list of non-roster invitees to major league spring training include their 2024 first-round pick JJ Wetherholt and the Baseball America Minor League Pitcher of the Year Quinn Mathews. The lefty Mathews, who struck out 202 batters in his first pro season, will get a long look during spring as prelude to his MLB debut at some point in 2025.
— The sons of two former rivals celebrated with their dads while finalizing their first pro contracts with the Cardinals as the international signing period began. Outfielder Royelny Strop, Cubs reliever Pedro Strop’s son, headlined the Cardinals’ class, which also included third baseman Michael Cordero, Milwaukee and Cincinnati all-star closer Francisco Cordero’s son.