Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Determined To 'Win The War' In 2025 Under Ex-Dodgers Coach's Guidance

St. Louis' new hitting coach is ready to make a difference
Nate Hagerty|
May 8, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; A general view of the tarp on the field as storms move through the St. Louis region delaying a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Mets at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
May 8, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; A general view of the tarp on the field as storms move through the St. Louis region delaying a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Mets at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

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The St. Louis Cardinals endured one of their quietest offseasons in franchise history this past winter but are off to a solid start to their 2025 campaign.

Despite record-low attendance numbers at Busch Stadium, the Cardinals are atop the National League Central and command a respectable 4-2 record.

One of the few moves made by St. Louis' front office over the winter involved hiring a new hitting coach, whose presence has already made a significant impact in this year's Cardinals lineup.

"We're basically playing like we might lose a couple of battles but we're going to win the war," Cardinals hitting coach Brant Brown told KMOV's Tamar Sher on Wednesday ahead of St. Louis' 12-5 series finale victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

Brown was hired this past offseason to replace former Cardinals hitting coach Turner Ward after St. Louis struggled offensively last year -- ranking 22nd in runs scored (672), home runs (165) and OPS against left-handed pitchers (.678).

The former Los Angeles Dodgers assistant hitting coach helped the National League West rival reach the NL Championship Series twice while achieving the club's seventh World Series title in 2020 -- the franchise's first in 32 years at the time.

Since joining the Cardinals this past winter, St. Louis ranks second in OPS (.879), third in batting average (.298), and fourth in home runs (11) and runs scored (42).

It's safe to say that Brown's hitting philosophy has already paid off for the Cardinals this season, with catcher Iván Herrera quickly rising as one of the team's most prolific sluggers.

Hopefully, Brown's influence can help the Cardinals return to the postseason for the first time since 2022. They still have plenty of baseball left to play but so far, they appear ready to win plenty of battles this year.

More MLB: Cardinals Poised To Defy Odds Despite Dramatically Low Attendance At Busch Stadium

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Nate Hagerty
NATE HAGERTY

Nate Hagerty joined “Inside The Cardinals” as a content creator to spread knowledge about his favorite childhood team. A hometown native of Boston, Hagerty chose at an early age of six years old to follow the St. Louis Cardinals. The miraculous season of 04’ for the Red Sox did not deter Hagerty from rooting against his hometown team, nor did it in 2013 against the Red Birds. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu 

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