Outfield coach Jon Jay’s impact on the St. Louis Cardinals was evident during their visit to Miami, as the team continued to display sharp outfield play and disciplined baserunning, according to an April 22 report.
Jay, a Miami native who attended Christopher Columbus High School and the University of Miami, joined the Cardinals’ coaching staff after a Major League career that included a World Series title with St. Louis in 2011. He previously served as Miami’s first-base and outfield coach from 2023-24. “It’s always good to come back home,” Jay said. “Obviously, this is where it all started for me. This city raised me. It helped me get to where I’m at now, and I’ll never forget that.”
Manager Oliver Marmol credited Jay for his attention to detail in working with players before games and reviewing performance afterward. “[His] work ethic, level of care, relentless mentality when it comes to not allowing the small things to go not talked about or addressed,” Marmol said. “The feedback loop of reviewing the game, being ready to have conversations with players the next day and understand the personality of each player. He does an incredible job with all of that.”
During their series finale against Miami at loanDepot park, center fielder Victor Scott II arrived early for pregame preparations—a reflection of Jay’s expectations—and right fielder Nathan Church recorded an outfield assist by throwing out Javier Sanoja at third base during a rundown play. The Cardinals currently lead Major League Baseball in outfield assists.
Jay has also influenced offensive aspects such as baserunning awareness; Jordan Walker leads St. Louis with eight home runs and sixteen RBIs while sharing the team lead in stolen bases with four alongside JJ Wetherholt—an area emphasized by Jay during routine discussions between at-bats.
As they enter a stretch of seventeen games without rest days, lineup adjustments have been made for workload management among key players like Walker and Masyn Winn who recently extended hitting streaks prior to scheduled off-days.
Jay emphasized resilience amid mistakes: “The biggest thing is this game is not easy, and you’re gonna make mistakes,” he said. “When you make a mistake, learn from it, get better and move on.”
