ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Cardinals on Monday promoted John Mabry to hitting coach after Mabry spent the 2012 season as assistant hitting coach under Mark McGwire.
McGwire, who spent three years in that role with the Cardinals, last week resigned his position to become the hitting coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Also Monday, the Cardinals promoted Blaise Ilsley to bullpen coach after five seasons as the pitching coach at Class AAA Memphis. Ilsley replaces Dyar Miller, who was not offered a 2013 contract.
"The contributions made by our coaches have helped to assure a winning culture throughout the Cardinals organization," Cardinals General Manager John Mozeliak said in a statement released by the team. "We are fortunate to be in a position to have such talented coaches within our organization who are at-the-ready when opportunities at the big-league level arise."
In addition to the promotions of Mabry and Ilsley, the Cardinals have extended offers to pitching coach Derek Lilliquist, bench coach Mike Aldrete, third-base coach Jose Oquendo and first-base coach Chris Maloney to return in their current positions.
The Cardinals have not yet named a successor to Mabry as the team's assistant hitting coach.
"I could not have been more impressed by the way these coaches went about their business last season, and I am excited by the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead as we continue to grow as a team," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said.
Mabry, 42, played 14 seasons in the majors, including three stints with the Cardinals, and he helped contribute to a Cardinals offense that led the league this year in both runs scored and on-base percentage while finishing second in batting average.
Ilsley, 48, has overseen a Memphis pitching staff that has led the Pacific Coast League in team ERA in three of his five seasons. He has spent 11 seasons in the Cardinals organization, working six years at Class AA Springfield (AA) before joining Memphis in 2008.
Oquendo, 49, will be entering his 14th season as the team's third-base coach and his 15th season as a member of the Cardinals' coaching staff. Oquendo also is a key contributor to the team's infield play.
Lilliquist, 46, replaced Dave Duncan as the Cardinals' pitching coach in 2011 when Duncan took a leave of absence to be with his wife, who was battling brain cancer.
Lilliquist became the permanent pitching coach in 2012 and oversaw a staff that had four pitchers with 13 or more wins and the National League co-leader in saves in Jason Motte (42). Lilliquist has been a part of the organization since 2002.
Aldrete, 51, spent his first season as the team's bench coach in 2012 after performing the team's assistant hitting coach duties from 2008-11.
Maloney, 51, spent his first season as a member of the major-league coaching staff in 2012 and has been part of the Cardinals organization for 18 seasons, including five as the manager at Memphis.
