Cardinals Announce 2023 Springfield Coaching Staff
Springfield, MO -- The St. Louis Cardinals have announced the 2023 Coaching Staff for Springfield, with Jose Leger returning as the Manager for the third straight season. Joining Leger in the dugout and new to the Cardinals coaching staff is Pitching Coach Eric Peterson, Hitting Coach Brock Hammit, who is
Springfield, MO -- The St. Louis Cardinals have announced the 2023 Coaching Staff for Springfield, with Jose Leger returning as the Manager for the third straight season.
Joining Leger in the dugout and new to the Cardinals coaching staff is Pitching Coach Eric Peterson, Hitting Coach Brock Hammit, who is from Nixa, and Coach Will Hawks. Alex Wolfinger returns for his second season as Springfield's Athletic Trainer, and is joined by new Strength & Conditioning Coach Spencer Clevenger and new Minor League Fellow Noah Landow on the coaching staff.
Leger (leh-HAIR), 40, enters his sixth season with the Cardinals and his third as a manager within the organization. Named the Best Manager Prospect by Baseball America in 2022, Leger has helped develop current St. Louis Cardinals and top prospects like Brendan Donovan, Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman, Masyn Winn, Gordon Graceffo, Alec Burleson, Ivan Herrera and many more in just the last two years at Hammons Field. He previously served as the St. Louis Cardinals Latin American Field & Academy Development Coordinator (2018-20).
Before joining the Cardinals organization, Leger spent eight seasons as a manager within the New York Mets organization (2010-17), where he held a managerial record of 389-368. He was named the 2015 South Atlantic League Manager of the Year after leading the Low-A Savannah Sand Gnats to a playoff berth, compiling an overall record of 84-53. Leger celebrated his milestone 500th win as a professional manager on September 15, 2022, when the Cardinals beat the Tulsa Drillers.
Born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republican, Leger attended Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, Georgia. He was signed as a Non-Drafted Free Agent by the Minnesota Twins on June 28, 2004 and spent three seasons in the organization's system (2004-06), primarily as a third baseman and catcher, rising as high as Double-A New Britain (Eastern League) in 2006.
Peterson, 29, rejoins the Cardinals organization for his first season as Springfield's Pitching Coach. He was tabbed to be a coach and scout in the Cardinals system in 2020 before the Minor League season was canceled that year.
Peterson spent the 2022 season with Bloomsburg University as the graduate assistant pitching coach. He started his coaching career in 2018 with Neumann University and helped lead that year’s Knights pitching staff to a 3.63 ERA, the lowest in the Atlantic East Conference since 2013.
A native of Bear, DE, Peterson played college baseball at Temple University for two seasons before transferring to North Carolina State University. He was drafted in the 37th round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros and suited up for the Corpus Christi Hooks in the Texas League during the 2016 and 2017 campaigns.
Hammit, 28, enters his first season with the Cardinals organization as Springfield's Hitting Coach. No stranger to the Ozarks, Hammit is a 2013 graduate of Nixa High School, where he was a two-time letter winner and helped lead his team to a district championship in 2012.
Before joining the Cardinals, he spent three seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers as a coach for the Arizona Complex League Brewers (Rookie) from 2020-22.
Following his career as a Nixa Eagle, Hammit played college baseball at High Point University (2016-17) before transferring to the University of Southern Illinois-Edwardsville in 2018, primarily as an outfielder.
Hawks joins Springfield as a coach for the 2023 season. He previously spent two seasons as a volunteer assistant coach for Lipscomb University from 2020-22, as well as stints as a Graduate Assistant for Austin Peay State University and Cumberland University.
Prior to his collegiate coaching career, Hawks was the Associate Head Coach for the Nashville Knights, a youth travel baseball team in the Marucci Franchise Club. After his time in Nashville, he became the bullpen coach for the Falmouth Commodores in the Cape Cod League. Hawks played collegiately at Cumberland University in Lebanon, TN.
Opening Day at Hammons Field is just 77 days away, when the Springfield Cardinals kick off the season on Thursday, April 6 against the Wichita Wind Surge.