ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - The St. Louis Cardinals announced a very familiar face and a very new face have been added to the coaching staff in 2022. New to the team’s coaching staff are bench coach, and former Cardinals outfielder/infielder Jared “Skip” Schumaker, and assistant hitting coach Turner Ward.
First reports of Schumaker's hire came out more than a week ago, but the team doesn't release new coaching staff hires until all the positions for an upcoming season are filled. The assistant hitting coach's job was open after the exit of Jobel Jimenez, who was offered a new role as minor-league roving instructor, but declined.
Many Cardinals fans will remember Schumaker for his part in two World Series championships with St. Louis (2006, 2011). He was also the one at the plate for the famous Rally Squirrel moment in 2011:
Schumaker, 41, served as the San Diego Padres Associate Manager the past two seasons (2020-21) and was the team’s First Base Coach from 2018-19. He retired as a player in 2016, after an 11-year MLB career with the Cardinals, Dodgers and Reds.
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He compiled a career batting mark of .278 in 1,149 games played, posting .300-plus seasons in both 2008 (.302) and 2009 (.303). Schumaker transitioned from the outfield to playing second base on a regular basis in 2009, and totaled 487 career games played at the keystone along with his 561 career games in the outfield.
Ward, 56, played 12 seasons in the majors from 1990-2001 before transitioning into coaching. He spent eight years coaching in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, serving as Hitting Coach at Class AA Mobile (2008-10), Manager at Mobile (2011-12), Assistant Hitting coach for Arizona (2013) and Hitting Coach for Arizona (2014-15). The Alabama native was the Hitting Coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2016-18, which included consecutive trips to the World Series in 2017 and 2018. Ward then joined the Cincinnati Reds as hitting coach in 2019. He also managed in the minors in 2006 with the Gulf Coast League Pirates and in 2007 with the State College Spikes of the New York-Penn League (A).
Ward’s Mobile teams won consecutive Southern League championships in 2011 and 2012, and he was named Southern League Manager of the Year in 2011 as Mobile was voted Minor League Team of the Year by Baseball America.
Drafted by the Yankees in 1986 as an outfielder out of the University of South Alabama, the switch-hitting Ward played for the Indians (1990-91), Blue Jays (1991-1993), Brewers (1994-96), Pirates (1997-99), Diamondbacks (1999-2000) and Phillies (2001).
New manager Oli Marmol's staff now looks like this:
Bench coach: Skip Schumaker (1st season with Cardinals)
Pitching coach: Mike Maddux (5th season with Cardinals)
Bullpen coach: Bryan Eversgerd (5th season)
Hitting coach: Jeff Albert (3rd season)
Asst. hitting coach: Turner Ward (1st season with Cardinals)
First base coach: Stubby Clapp (4th season)
Third base coach: Ron “Pop” Warner (4th season)
Coach: Willie McGee (5th season)
Also returning for 2022 are pitching strategist Dusty Blake (2nd season), run production coach Patrick Elkins (3rd season), bullpen catcher/catching instructor Jamie Pogue and bullpen catcher Kleininger Teran.
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