Cardinals Name Mike Shildt as Manager, Drop Interim Title
The Cardinals have named Mike Shildt as manager and dropped "interim" from his title, the team announced Tuesday.
St. Louis will sign Shildt to a two-year deal, reports MLB.com's Jennifer Langosch.
Shildt, 50, was named the Cardinals' interim manager on July 14, when the team announced the firing of then-manager Mike Matheny.
At the time of Matheny's firing, the Cardinals were 47-46 and sat in third place in the NL Central. The team was on pace to miss the playoffs for a third straight season for the first time since 1997-99.
Since Shildt became skipper, the Cardinals have gone 26-12 and improved to second place in their division. The team also sits atop the NL Wild Card standings.
Shildt has been instrumental in the Cardinals' quick turnaround. He has implemented several changes, including holding team meetings each day before or after batting practice.
The Cardinals have won nine consecutive series and have seen improvement across all areas of the game.
Shildt first joined the organization in 2004 and managed for eight seasons in the Cardinals' farm system. He has coached at the major league level for the past two seasons.
