It didn’t take long for Daniel Descalso to know he was heading back to St. Louis.
The 2023 season had been an unexpected thrill for Descalso, who spent the year as a special assistant to baseball operations for the Arizona Diamondbacks — a team that far surpassed expectations en route to its first National League pennant since 2001. But when Arizona’s general manager Mike Hazen reached out to Descalso a few days after the World Series concluded with a potential major-league coaching offer, Descalso knew he needed to take the call.
He knew even more so upon finding out St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak and manager Oli Marmol would be on the other end of it.
The Cardinals were looking to bolster their coaching staff after a truly disastrous season. To pinpoint one element as the cause of the team’s first 90-loss season since 1990 would hardly be fair, and the coaching was certainly not the leading proprietor in that regard. However, St. Louis had employed one of the smaller coaching staffs in the majors, including first-year coaches at bench coach (Joe McEwing), pitching coach (Dusty Blake) and hitting coach (Turner Ward). One could argue (and many inside the organization did) that next year’s team would benefit from adding a well-respected name in the industry, one that also brought prior major-league playing experience to the coaching staff.
That is what Marmol, entering his third season as Cardinals manager, sought to do. Together with Mozeliak, he settled quickly on Descalso.
A couple of weeks and a few additional conversations later, the deal was done. Descalso, who was drafted by the Cardinals and was a core member of the 2011 World Series championship team, would be hired as the team’s bench coach for 2024. McEwing would move to the front office and serve as a special assistant to Mozeliak. The Cardinals are expected to continue adding coaching roles to next year’s staff throughout the next few weeks. This still includes a potential reunion with Yadier Molina, though the capacity in which Molina can commit to being around the team in-season is still something both parties are sorting out.
As for Descalso, however, there was little hesitation from either side. After discussing the opportunity with his wife, Julia, and their three small children, Descalso was in.
“I was a little surprised considering I have no coaching experience, but it’s obviously a great opportunity and something I was super excited about,” Descalso said. “It’s just a great fit.”
Welcome back, Daniel!
Daniel Descalso will serve as the #STLCards Bench Coach in 2024.
A 10-year MLB vet, Descalso played in St. Louis from 2010-2014 and was a member of our 2011 World Championship team. pic.twitter.com/A6pGWgyNXn
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) November 20, 2023
Speaking by phone from his home in Danville, Calif., to The Athletic, Descalso was quick to point out just how far back his relationship with Marmol extends (the New York Penn-League, to be exact). The two were part of the same draft class by the Cardinals in 2007; Descalso was selected in the third round, Marmol the sixth. They ascended through the lower levels of the Cardinals minor-league system together and were roommates during their shared time in Palm Beach, the High-A affiliate of St. Louis. Descalso can’t prove it, but he’s fairly certain the first double play ball he turned professionally, he turned with Marmol.
“We came up in the minor leagues together and were taught what it takes to win baseball games the same way, so we both look for the same thing in that aspect,” Descalso explained. “We took different paths to where we are now, but obviously I’ve kept up with him, followed his coaching journey and stayed in touch over the years.”
Their shared relationships and experiences in the organization made Marmol and Descalso a perfect fit. Marmol works best with a staff that challenges him to see different ideas. He is not one to shy from intense conversations, whether they be with players, executives or media, but he does so in a way where conflicting opinions are welcomed and encouraged. Part of that is why he had such a good rapport with Skip Schumaker, who served as the team’s bench coach in 2022 before winning the National League Manager of the Year Award in his rookie year as the Miami Marlins skipper in 2023. Schumaker was not afraid to push back or present different viewpoints.
Descalso, who remains close with Schumaker and reached out to him for advice throughout the hiring process, plans to do the same.
“I’m not just going to be a yes man,” Descalso said. “We’re going to have some good back and forth, some good baseball conversations.”
“My job is going to be to present Oli with all sorts of different scenarios, good and bad, and just make sure we’ve covered all of our bases,” he added. “He’s the manager. Ultimately it’s his decision and I’m going to support the decisions he makes, but there’s going to be some times where maybe we disagree, and that’s okay. That’s part of the game. Those are good, healthy discussions to have, and I think we have a good enough relationship where we can have those conversations.”
Though this will be Descalso’s first professional coaching experience, his hiring represents a growing trend in baseball: major-league teams are identifying younger, former players as preferred coaching candidates. Descalso is 37 and last played in the big leagues in 2019, where he played 82 games for the Chicago Cubs. It also helps that Descalso had visions of coaching, even during his playing days.
“I think I always (wanted to coach),” he said. “I was never an everyday player. I played a lot but I was penciled in the lineup every day. So I always tried to watch the game from a manager or coach’s perspective and try to think along with them, try to figure out why we’re making moves that we did or what our next moves might be. It helped me look at the game from a different lens and prepare me for this next step. I always hoped I would get a chance to coach and to try to bring the best out of the players on any given team, so that’s what I’m looking forward to.”
That this opportunity comes with St. Louis makes the deal even sweeter.
“St. Louis always has a special place in my heart as a player,” Descalso said. “That was the team that gave me a chance to be a professional. We had so much success there as a team, so many good memories. There are a lot of familiar faces there, so when it was the Cardinals that called and presented this opportunity, I think it meant more than if another place called where I wasn’t as familiar with the organization, the winning history, the people. It’s just really special to get a chance to return to an organization like that.”
Unsurprisingly, Descalso, who was lauded for his work ethic during his 10-year playing career, already has a clear-cut idea of the type of bench coach he wants to be. In several conversations with Mozeliak and Marmol, the trio emphasized team-wide communication as a main priority.
“The manager gets pulled in so many directions, overseeing pitching, hitting, media, all of the aspects that go into everyday duties of a manager,” Descalso explained. “A good bench coach covers blind spots, keeps a good pulse of the clubhouse, is a good communicator with the staff and players. What (Marmol and Mozeliak) communicated to me was obviously I have a history of playing in the big leagues and playing in St. Louis, recognizing what it takes to play winning baseball. But on top of that, connecting and communicating with the staff and the players, keeping the messaging aligned so we’re not getting mixed messages — something that I feel I do well is connect with people. So I’m excited to form those relationships, build that trust aspect so that when we do have conversations, there’s some meaning behind it.”
What a game!! https://t.co/P0t9G1DUrE
— Daniel Descalso (@DanielDescalso) October 27, 2023
Being that Descalso is relatively fresh out of his playing days and that he’s returning to the organization he spent the majority of his career with, many of those relationships are already formed. Mozeliak and Mike Girsch remain staples in the front office and Pop Warner, who coached Descalso in Double A, remains on next year’s coaching staff. Descalso is a former teammate of Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras, and he’ll also be reunited with another former teammate in Lance Lynn, who debuted with the Cardinals the same year as Descalso (2011) and signed a one-year free-agenct deal to return to St. Louis on Tuesday.
All of these connections should bring a surge of energy to a clubhouse that backed its coaching staff throughout one of the worst seasons in the Cardinals’ last 30 years, but would also certainly benefit from a trusted voice stepping in. Descalso, returning to the club he’s always held in high regard, hopes to be that and more.
“I’m excited,” Descalso said. “I know this is going to be my first time on a major-league coaching staff, but throughout my whole career, I was never one that just sat back and was able to get by on showing up to the ballpark and rolling it out there. I’m excited to work hard, to learn. I’m going to lean on Oli. I’m just excited to get back into the birds on the bat and bring some wins back to St. Louis.”
(Photo of Descalso celebrating the Cardinals’ 2011 World Series win: Jamie Squire / Getty Images)