Chiefs Announce 2025 On-Field Staff
PEORIA, IL – The Peoria Chiefs will have a new-look coaching staff in 2025, the parent club St. Louis Cardinals announced on Friday. Roberto Espinoza will serve as the club’s manager. Espinoza, 35, becomes the 26th manager in franchise history, taking over the post previously held by Patrick Anderson. After
PEORIA, IL – The Peoria Chiefs will have a new-look coaching staff in 2025, the parent club St. Louis Cardinals announced on Friday.
Roberto Espinoza will serve as the club’s manager. Espinoza, 35, becomes the 26th manager in franchise history, taking over the post previously held by Patrick Anderson. After an injury ended his playing career, Espinoza broke into the coaching ranks in 2014 as a hitting coach with the Johnson City Cardinals. As a skipper, he led Johnson City to an Appalachian League championship in 2019. A native of Venezuela, Espinosa spent the last four seasons as the manager of the rookie-league FCL Cardinals. A former Cardinals farmhand, Espinoza played in 202 games in his pro career, including a stint with the Midwest League’s Quad Cities River Bandits in 2008 and 2009. The catcher appeared in 11 games against the Chiefs over the course of two seasons.
Will Hawks enters his third season as a coach in the Cardinals system and his first with the Chiefs. Hawks, a native of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, will be the team’s pitching coach. Hawks was a coach on the Triple-A Memphis staff in 2024 after serving in the same role with Double-A Springfield in 2023. Hawks previously spent time in the collegiate ranks, spending time at Lipscomb University and Austin Peay State. A former bullpen coach with the Falmouth Commodores of the prestigious Cape Cod League, this is Hawks’ first stint as a pitching coach in the professional ranks. Pitching has been a strength in recent years for the Chiefs. Dating back to 2023, the Chiefs own a 3.82 team ERA, the third lowest in the Midwest League.
Hitting coach Elvis Rodriguez is the lone returnee on the 2025 coaching staff. Under Rodriguez’s tutelage last season, the Chiefs finished tied with Wisconsin for the best team batting average in the season’s second half. Rodriguez previously spent time in the Houston Astros system.
Luis Arenado will serve in the coach role for the Chiefs in 2025. Arenado was in the same role with the FCL Cardinals in 2024. As a player, he logged two seasons at Florida International University. Arenado is a first cousin of current Cardinals infielder Nolan Arenado.
Paden Eveland is back for his third season as the certified athletic trainer. Eveland was named the Midwest League’s Athletic Trainer of the Year in 2023. Prior to his stint with the Cardinals organization, Eveland spent time with the NFL’s Houston Texans.
Campbell Quirk will enter his second season as the club’s strength and conditioning coach. Quirk, who was born in Australia, pitched collegiately at nearby Monmouth College.
Tech Fellow Andrew Rankin rounds out the on-field staff. The 2025 season will be his fourth year in professional baseball after previous stints with the Atlanta Braves and the Seattle Mariner.
The Chiefs open the 2025 campaign at home on Friday, April 4 against Quad Cities. Single-game tickets will go on sale in March. Season ticket packages are on sale now and start as low as $95. For more information, call (309) 680-4000.