Jose Leger returns as Springfield's skipper
Springfield, MO - The St. Louis Cardinals have announced the 2024 Coaching Staff for Springfield, with Jose Leger returning for his fourth season as Field Manager at Hammons Field. Also returning to Springfield are Pitching Coach Eric Peterson for his second season and Athletic Trainer Alex Wolfinger for his third
Springfield, MO - The St. Louis Cardinals have announced the 2024 Coaching Staff for Springfield, with Jose Leger returning for his fourth season as Field Manager at Hammons Field.
Also returning to Springfield are Pitching Coach Eric Peterson for his second season and Athletic Trainer Alex Wolfinger for his third campaign. New to the Springfield staff are Hitting Coach Casey Chenoweth, Coach Paul Benoit, Strength and Conditioning Coach Ryan Duffy and Affiliate Fellow Colin Campbell.
Leger (leh-HAIR) enters his seventh season with the Cardinals and his fourth as a manager within the organization after helping lead Springfield to the 2023 North Division Second Half Championship and a return to the Texas League Playoffs last year. Named the Texas League's 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 three 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 returns for his second season as Springfield's Pitching Coach after guiding a staff last year that featured the St. Louis Cardinals top two pitching prospects in RHP Tink Hence and RHP Tekoah Roby. The Bear, DE native 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.
Chenoweth enters his second season in the Cardinals organization after spending the 2023 campaign as the hitting coach for High-A Peoria. The Tollhouse, CA native previously spent three years from 2020-22 as the assistant hitting coordinator for the Arizona Diamondbacks and two seasons from 2018-19 as a minor league hitting coach in the San Francisco Giants system. An infielder at East Central University in Ada, OK, Chenoweth played one season of professional baseball in 2017 for the East Side Diamond Hoppers of the United Shore League.
Benoit joins the Cardinals organization after two years as an assistant coach at Towson University, working primarily with infielders and baserunning while assisting with hitting. A native of Atlanta, GA, Benoit played college baseball at Carnegie Mellon and graduated in 2019 from Kennesaw State University.
Wolfinger returns to Springfield after being named the Texas League Athletic Trainer of the Year in 2023, while Duffy joins Springfield after spending last year with High-A Peoria.
The Springfield Cardinals open the 2024 season on the road in Arkansas from April 5-7, before returning to Springfield for Opening Day at Hammons Field on Tuesday, April 9. RED Access Memberships and Group Outings for the 2024 season are available right now at SpringfieldCardinals.com or by calling (417) 863-0395.