Source: Cardinals Poised to Hire McKeithan as Their New Hitting Coach

Looking to alter the approach of an offense that mostly fell flat in 2026 – especially at pitcher-friendly Busch Stadium – the St. Louis Cardinals are poised to hire Joel McKeithan as their head new hitting coach at the big-league level, per a source familiar with the negotiations.

The Cards' hiring of McKeithan was first reported by Robert Murray of FanSided. 

McKeithan, 35, worked most recently as an assistant head coach for the Chicago White Sox. He was the assistant hitting coach for the Cincinnati Reds in 2022 and their head hitting coach in 2023. McKeithan, a native of Arden, N.C., played college baseball at Vanderbilt and North Carolina State and got his start in coaching as a Minor League hitting coach in the Philadelphia Phillies system. He also served as the Detroit Tigers’ Minor League hitting coordinator in 2021.

The Cardinals saw Jordan Walker (.269 batting average, 33 doubles, 29 homers and 102 RBI) and Alec Burleson (.279 batting average, 37 doubles, 26 homers and 116 RBI) have breakout seasons at the plate in 2026 under the direction of former hitting coach Brant Brown. However, the offense as a while broke down badly in July and August for a second straight season and it got little production from the bottom of the order, leading to a late-season fade.

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Then, there were the massive struggles from the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, a place where homers go to die and one that has traditionally favors pitchers over hitters. While the Cards averaged 5.06 runs a night on the road, they mustered just 3.82 runs a game at home. The Cards hit 10 points higher on the road than home and they smashed 31 more homers away from Busch Stadium and its thick, muggy summer air.

For a second straight year, the Cardinals bats went cold while the weather was heating up in July. In that month, the Cardinals were last in the NL in batting average (.216), last in OPS (.613), tied for last in home runs (22) and 11th in runs (3.92).

McKeithan comes from a White Sox team that one of the biggest surprises in MLB in 2026 as they posted an 84-78 record and swept the Astros in the American League Division Series.

Working with head hitting coach Derek Shomon and McKeithan, the White Sox finished fifth in MLB in runs scored (776), ninth on OPS (.726), eighth in slugging (.406), fifth in homers (271) and fifth in strikeouts (1,494).

McKeithan’s brother, Aaron, was a 16th round pick of the 2021 MLB Draft by the Cardinals. Aaron, a catcher and DH, played in the Cards system for four years, topping out at Double-A Springfield where he hit .264 with a homer and 16 RBI in 55 games.

McKeithan also comes from a family that has made baseball a big part of their lives. His great-uncle, Tim McKeithan, pitched in MLB. His grandfather, Jerry Sr., played in the minor leagues, while his father played college baseball for NC State and UNC-Charlotte. His brother, also named Tim, is a coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates, while Aaron played independent league baseball after leaving the Cardinals organization.