The St. Louis Cardinals have hired Dalton Hurd as their new director of hitting.
Hurd, 30, steps into the role after serving as the Orioles’ minor league hitting coordinator in 2025, a position he assumed in January following two seasons with the San Francisco Giants. During his time in Baltimore, Hurd contributed to the development of one of baseball’s most promising young cores, including top prospects like Jackson Holliday and Coby Mayo, who posted impressive plate discipline and power numbers under the Orioles’ revamped hitting program. His work helped Baltimore’s farm system rank among the league’s best for offensive output, with multiple affiliates finishing in the top percentiles for team OPS in 2025.
Prior to joining the Orioles, Hurd spent 2023 and 2024 with the Giants as a hitting coach at the Arizona Complex League (ACL) level, where he mentored emerging talents in the Giants’ player development system. Known for his data-driven approach blended with old-school fundamentals, Hurd emphasized launch angle optimization and swing path efficiency—techniques that aligned with San Francisco’s innovative analytics push under Farhan Zaidi.
A former college standout at Seattle University, Hurd holds school records for career hits (237), games started (214), at-bats (816), runs scored (150), doubles (50), home runs (22), total bases (367), RBIs (126), and stolen bases (47). Drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 25th round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of Seattle U, Hurd’s professional playing career was brief, spanning just 25 games in the Rookie-level Arizona League where he hit .262 with two home runs before being released. Undeterred, he pivoted seamlessly to coaching, quickly ascending through the ranks with a reputation for connecting with players on a personal level.
