The St. Louis Cardinals are hiring Joel McKeithan as their hitting coach.
McKeithan, 35, spent the past two seasons as assistant hitting coach with the Chicago White Sox. Prior to that, he served as the primary hitting coach for the Cincinnati Reds in 2023 and 2024 after joining the club as an assistant hitting coach and offensive coordinator in 2022. He began his coaching career as a hitting instructor at Driveline Baseball before moving into professional roles as a minor league hitting coach with the Philadelphia Phillies organization and as minor league hitting coordinator with the Detroit Tigers.
The move fills a vacancy created when the Cardinals parted ways with Brant Brown after two seasons. Brown’s tenure coincided with an offense that ranked in the bottom third of the league in key advanced metrics, including near the bottom in OPS, wOBA, and wRC+ in 2026, though the club finished 16th in runs scored. Individual bright spots included the breakout of Jordan Walker, who hit 29 home runs, stole 22 bases, and earned his first All-Star selection.
The Cardinals cast a wide net in their search, evaluating several external candidates while also remaining high on internal options such as assistant hitting coaches Brandon Allen and Casey Chenoweth. McKeithan’s experience as a lead hitting coach at the major league level, combined with his background in data-driven development at Driveline and across multiple organizations, appears to have aligned with the club’s preference under president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom.
A switch-hitting infielder who played college baseball at Vanderbilt and North Carolina State, McKeithan was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 39th round in 2010 out of high school. His playing career concluded in independent ball with the Frontier League before he transitioned fully into coaching. He brings a reputation for blending traditional instruction with technology and has worked extensively with both established major leaguers and developing prospects.
The hiring comes as the Cardinals, under manager Oliver Marmol, look to build on a 2026 season that exceeded some expectations amid a rebuild while addressing persistent offensive inconsistencies. McKeithan will be tasked with guiding a young core that includes Walker, Alec Burleson, Iván Herrera, and others as the organization aims for greater consistency and production in 2027.
The Cardinals have not yet issued an official announcement. McKeithan would become the latest external addition to Marmol’s staff following the team’s decision to retain most other coaches.
