Cardinals Name 3 New Directors For Player Development, Performance, and Pitching
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS NAME THREE NEW DIRECTORS IN THE AREAS OF PLAYER DEVELOPMENT, PERFORMANCE & PITCHING
ST. LOUIS, MO., December 4, 2024 – The St. Louis Cardinals announced today that they have named three individuals to director’s positions within the organization in the areas of player development, performance, and pitching.
Named today were Larry Day as Director, Player Development; Carl Kochan Director, Performance; and Matt Pierpont Director, Pitching.
Day joins the team after coming over from the Cleveland Guardians where he had coached, managed, and served as a coordinator. Prior to his time with Cleveland, Larry coached at Ohio University and Vanderbilt University, and he played in the New York Yankees’ farm system.
Kochan brings a wealth of experience to the Cardinals. After having spent several years with the San Francisco Giants as their Major League Strength & Conditioning Coach, Kochan spent the last six years with the Los Angeles Dodgers where he coordinated strength & conditioning throughout their minor leagues and was a key contributor to their performance efforts.
Pierpont, who will oversee the team’s minor league pitching program, comes to the Cardinals from the Seattle Mariners where he rose through their pitching development system to become pitching coordinator. Matt pitched in the Colorado Rockies farm system from 2013-19.
The Cardinals previously announced Rob Cerfolio as their new Assistant General Manager, Player Development & Performance, in October.
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On the surface, these moves don’t mean a lot; when you look at where the Cardinals have been and what they have pledged to do, these moves are huge.
The Guardians, Giants, Dodgers, and Mariners are normally ahead of the curve in the MLB, especially in the areas the Cardinals have fallen behind. In the last few years, these moves were typically internal promotions for the Cardinals; since they want to get more in tune with the game, they are poaching guys from successful franchises and getting some fresh views on what they are doing (or not doing).
Day has a wide array of experience in Cleveland, a franchise that has stayed relevant for almost as long as the Cardinals while having more of a limited payroll; if there is a franchise outside of Tampa that can keep payroll down while staying ahead of the game, it’s the Guardians. Day also brings college baseball experience, which will help with scouting and drafting.
Kochan is coming from a franchise that works hard on the medical front of baseball; the Dodgers have been willing to look at alternative training and recovery methods for their players. While they have the payroll to cover major injuries, they have also built a program that optimizes the ability of the players. They are also willing to work with organizations like Driveline to work on mechanics. Instilling someone from this environment should help the Cardinals at the MLB level and across the minors.
Pierpont has worked with Seattle’s young pitching, which has turned them into contenders. He’ll work with Dusty Blake to create programs for the young pitching the Cardinals have, and hopefully develop them better then we’ve seen in the last 5 years or so. Pierpont also has a degree in Exercise Science, which allows him to understand mechanics better than the average pitching coach/coordinator (along with his history of pitching).
These type of signings might be the highlight of a long off-season; we all know the Cardinals won’t be signing many MLB free agents, and the MiLB free agents don’t move the needle like a Juan Soto or a Jack Flaherty. And while they aren’t flashy, bringing in these types of guys will set the organization up for more long-term success than throwing around 10 year contracts.
