ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Jon Jay is back with the St. Louis Cardinals, with the Cardinals officially announcing Tuesday he is returning to the organization as a coach on Cardinals manager Oli Marmol's coaching staff in 2025.
Former Cardinals manager and Baseball Hall of Famer Tony La Russa joined KMOX's Total Information A.M. Wednesday and he discussed Jay, whom he managed in 2010 and 2011, winning a World Series together in the latter.
"I remember talking to his college coach in Miami," said La Russa. "Jon Jay has one of the highest baseball IQs and I've been around in a long career as you know."
"He is an athlete, he's got good speed, plays defense, can handle the bat, but when you got that IQ where you understand based on the scoreboard, the kind of at-bats you should have, the kind of defensive plays, when you have to do something aggressive, when you have to back off."
La Russa says even when Jay was a young player on the Cardinals, he showed leadership abilities.
"Jon was one of the leaders, even as a younger player, and certainly as he got more experienced, he became a bigger and bigger leader on those teams," said La Russa. "That's good news for the Cardinals, I tell you. A lot of it is about the players, but you need to have the staff that can bring the best out of them and Jon is a winner."