One month and three days before pitchers and catchers are set to report to spring training, the Cardinals’ second-most prominent off-season acquisition stepped back from his role Thursday, opening the door for another fan favorite to enter the fold.
Matt Holliday, the Cardinals Hall of Famer who was announced as the team’s new bench coach Nov. 6, resigned that position. Joe McEwing, who played two seasons in St. Louis and has spent the last 15 years as a coach for the Chicago White Sox, was hired as his replacement.
McEwing is scheduled to be introduced to fans and media this weekend at Winter Warm-Up.
The Cardinals did not provide a reason for Holliday’s departure in their press release announcing the switch. In speaking to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Holliday said, “when it came down to it, I just didn’t want to miss all the things with my kids.”
His eldest son, Jackson, was the first overall pick in last summer’s amateur draft by the Baltimore Orioles. His next son, Ethan, is considered a top rising high school prospect nationally.
Cardinals President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak is set to address the media in depth about the change on Saturday. In a text message to the News-Democrat, Mozeliak said, “timing was not great, but having the ability to pivot quickly and be able to hire Joe was fortuitous.”
McEwing was one of five candidates to receive interviews for the club’s then-vacant managerial position following Tony LaRussa’s retirement in 2011. That process ultimately resulted in the hiring of Mike Matheny, and despite several other interviews throughout baseball over the years, McEwing remained on the Chicago staff until this off-season. He was not retained after the White Sox hired Pedro Grifol as manager.
He managed three years in the White Sox system, serving in that capacity at single-A Winston-Salem in 2009 and 2010 and triple-A Charlotte in 2011. Of his twelve years on a major league coaching staff, four have been spent as a bench coach and eight as a third base coach, including the last two years on LaRussa’s staff.
In nine MLB seasons, the 5-foot-10, 170 pound McEwing hit .251 with 25 home runs for the Cardinals, Mets, Royals and Astros. His arrival coincided with Mark McGwire’s time in St. Louis, and the comparisons between the two led to his being dubbed “Little Mac,” as well as “Super Joe,” and an unofficial “Little Mac Land” sprung up at Busch Stadium in the shadow of Big Mac Land in the second deck.
One additional staff change was announced in concert with Holliday’s departure. Daniel Nicolaisen, previously a minor league hitting coordinator, was added to the major league hitting staff as a third hitting coach.
“Daniel will be a great addition to our hitting team,” Mozeliak said.
More about staff changes
Patrick “Packy” Elkins will now oversee game planning and scouting reports for both pitchers and hitters after assisting with the offense over the last two seasons.
Holliday’s departure marks the fifth change to the big league staff this winter, including two bench coaches. Skip Schumaker departed to manage the Miami Marlins, Mike Maddux was hired as pitching coach in Texas, Jeff Albert accepted a coordinator role with the New York Mets, and Bryan Eversgerd was reassigned in the organization as a special assistant.
