Mark McGwire returns to STL as Hitting Coach

[JanShan12]

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/10272630/Source:-La-Russa-to-return,-McGwire-to-join-Cards-staff

A press conference tomorrow is scheduled to announce that Mark McGwire will be the Cardinals' new hitting coach next season. LaRussa has been asking him to join his coaching staff the past few years, even as a special assistant during training camp, but McGwire has always refused, choosing to stay out of the spotlight. McGwire was quoted as saying he didn't want to coach because the media attention would be on him and not the team. I guess he doesn't care about that any more... or maybe money talks. I don't know his reason for returning as a coach, but I find it odd a lifetime .263 hitter with more strikeouts than walks (1596:1317) would be hired as a hitting coach. Ugh! :thumbsdown:

[Hobbes]

I find it odd a lifetime .263 hitter with more strikeouts than walks (1596:1317) would be hired as a hitting coach. Ugh! :thumbsdown:
Kind of like having a hitting coach with a lifetime .270 AVG and .316 OBP with a .707 career OPS, who also has more strikeouts than walks (979:486)?

[KB 34]

I'm sure McGwire will know of all kinds of natural ways to get players maximizing their potential like lots of practice and vitamin C.

[Lauren T.]

One of my friends quipped on Twitter, "You mean team pharmacist??"

That's more like it. :D

[The Rap]

Well I am somewhat disappointed in MLB that nothing is being said or held back from McGwire after his shameful performance in front of the Congressional hearing a few years ago. He's a symbol of what was wrong with the sport during his era as player after player cheated.

[Chris_Moderato]

Well I am somewhat disappointed in MLB that nothing is being said or held back from McGwire after his shameful performance in front of the Congressional hearing a few years ago. He's a symbol of what was wrong with the sport during his era as player after player cheated.

What would you have them do?

[Dreamscape]

To be honest, a former player didn't have to be a complete player to be a good coach.

That said, teaching isn't easy and if LaRussa wanted him to get back in the game, he should have started him in the minors to see if he could reach kids.

Of course...he could have also not chosen someone so aligned to the steroid cloud.

[JanShan12]

I completely agree, Dream, that you don't have to be an amazing player to be a great coach. However, those stats, plus his use of performance enhancing drugs, and his lack of ANY coaching experience, makes him a terrible choice. It has been nothing short of a media circus here in St. Louis. It's all the news and sports radio shows are talking about. It will continue through spring training and into the season. It's not fair to the team.

[Middle Man]

I think LaRussa is trying to clean up his own legacy before he retires by rehabilitating McGwire's image.

[absintheofmalaise]

Charlie Lau .255/.318/.365 McGwire was just one of his students. Others include Carlton Fisk and George Brett.

Walt Hriniak .253/.333/.253 He did pretty well as a hitting coach too. He also had no experience as a hitting coach when he was hired.

Stats as a player don't mean anything when you talk about coaching.
I agree that he was a poor choice, but only because of all the attention he, and the team, will get.

[JanShan12]

Stats are only part of it for me. Here in St. Louis, everyone always talked about him as the greatest hitter (before Pujols came along), and he clearly wasn't. Did he have power? Yes. Was that because of his drug intake? Probably. But to say he was an amazing hitter is not true.

Now to make him the hitting coach when Hal McRae had done a fine job (turned Skip Schumaker into a .300+ hitter, plus many random utility guys who succeeded with the Cards) is ridiculous.

The media attention will be on nothing but "Will McGwire speak at the press conference?" "What will we ask him if given the chance?" Blah, blah, blah. I'm so done with turning on the STL news and hearing about him. He cheated the game... the end. Why bring him back into the spotlight?

[bravos4evr]

I'm not convinced that Mcgwire wouldn't have hit 500 HR's withour roids ( he hit 49 his rookie year when he was a stick figure).

However, it will be a distraction for a little while, but I reckon by the time ST is over it will have quieted down.

I also agree with the post that good players don't always make good coaches and vice versa. Heck lots of great pitching coaches never threw a fastball in the big leagues!

[JanShan12]

Just a quick update...

The Cardinals are working out a way to re-introduce McGwire as their hitting coach. Their GM has said he agrees McGwire needs to answer questions about using, but won't say when or if that will happen. We'll see...

[The Rap]

Well I hear the pressure is growing for McGwire to come clean because the Cards don't need all that negative criticism harping at them.

[JanShan12]

You would think the Cardinals would have had a plan in place to address this issue BEFORE they hired him though.