Mike Maddux, Eversgerd round out Cardinals' 2018 coaching staff
ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals rounded out their big-league coaching staff for 2018, announcing the hiring of Mike Maddux as pitching coach and the promotion of Bryan Eversgerd from Triple-A pitching coach to Cardinals bullpen coach.
Maddux, 56, replaces Derek Lilliquist. He comes to the Cardinals from the Washington Nationals, where he was pitching coach the last two seasons and tutored 2016 National League Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer. Previously, he was the Texas Rangers' pitching coach from 2009-15 and the Brewers' pitching coach from 2003-08.
The 2016 Nationals set franchise records with 1,476 strikeouts and a .234 batting average against. The 2017 Nationals ranked sixth in Major League Baseball with a 3.88 ERA and seventh with 1,457 strikeouts. In his first year in Texas, the Rangers' team ERA dropped from 5.37 to 4.38. In 2013, the Texas bullpen posted the lowest ERA in club history (2.89).
Maddux, the brother of pitching great Greg Maddux, went 39-37 with a 4.05 ERA in a 15-year big-league career with Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Diego, the Mets, Pittsburgh, Boston, Seattle, Montreal and Houston from 1986-2000.
“We are very excited to welcome Mike to the Cardinals organization,” Cardinals President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak said in a team press release.
Eversgerd, 48, has served as pitching coach in the Cardinals organization for 15 seasons, including the last five with the Triple-A Memphis affiliate (2013-17). His teams won league championships with Memphis in 2017 and Double-A Springfield in 2012. Eversgerd, who pitched parts of four major league seasons, made two stints with St. Louis that included his major league debut in 1994 as well as stops in Montreal and Texas.
“We also look forward to giving Bryan Eversgerd a well-deserved opportunity on our major league staff," Mozeliak said.
