Could ‘Super Joe’ McEwing finally get his chance to manage with St. Louis Cardinals?
When the St. Louis Cardinals set out to replace the allegedly retiring Tony La Russa at the conclusion of the 2011 season, the list of candidates they chose to interview spanned a wide spectrum of background and experiences.
One (Terry Francona) was an established and successful big league manager. Two (Chris Maloney, José Oquendo) were company men, internal candidates who rose through the organization. One (Ryne Sandberg) was an up and comer whose background overlapped with a rival, seeking a path back to the big leagues.
In the end, they hired Mike Matheny, a bolt from the blue who was camera ready and seemingly able to be shaped to the front office’s preferences. He beat out the four men above, as well as a fifth interviewee who seems to be the only repeat candidate 10 years later — Chicago White Sox third base coach Joe McEwing.
McEwing has spent the last decade on Chicago’s big league staff even as he interviews for managerial jobs around the majors — in Arizona, in Detroit, in Minnesota and in New York with the Mets. He’s yet to secure a job from those interviews, but his time may have arrived.
Could it be as Mike Shildt’s replacement in St. Louis?
Who is Joe McEwing?
Memorably nicknamed “Super Joe” and once the Little Mac to Mark McGwire’s Big Mac, McEwing broke into the big leagues as a player in 1998 and as a Cardinal was fifth in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 1999.
He was traded to the Mets the following spring for ageless lefty Jesse Orosco, and would play the bulk of his career as a utility man in New York before finishing up in Kansas City and Houston.
Like so many promising coaching candidates, he secured a staff job within months of his announced retirement as a player. Beginning in 2008 as the hitting coach for the triple-A Charlotte Knights, McEwing would manage single-A Winston-Salem in 2009 and 2010 before taking the helm in Charlotte in 2011.
Upon Ozzie Guillen’s departure as White Sox manager in 2011 and following McEwing’s unsuccessful interview with the Cardinals, he took over as Chicago’s third base coach and would serve in that capacity until 2017, when he was promoted to bench coach.
He spent four seasons in that role before moving back to third for the 2021 season after the White Sox lured La Russa from retirement and he hired Miguel Cairo as his bench coach.
Why is he a good fit?
McEwing has long been considered a candidate on the verge of his first chance as a manager, and has seen the game from every possible dugout angle.
He’s served as acting manager for the White Sox numerous times over his decade on the coaching staff, and has accrued wisdom from experienced and well-respected bosses like La Russa and Rick Renteria as well as his own playing career.
His proximity to La Russa means he also likely has a better understanding than most of the dynamics awaiting him in St. Louis. Mike Shildt’s abrupt ouster stunned many around the game, and given Shildt’s own view of La Russa as a key mentor of his, McEwing would be well positioned to gather facts before committing to the job.
His background in the Cardinals organization also means McEwing could maintain some of the desired continuity to the job while bringing his own personality and philosophy. He’s far too removed from St. Louis to be considered an internal candidate, but he’s also certainly familiar with the lessons of George Kissell and the traditions passed down through generations of Cardinals.
What are the downsides?
McEwing, like other outside candidates, might be expected to keep on coaches with whom he has limited familiarity. Bringing a first-time manager with McEwing’s experience into a situation in which his autonomy is limited may not be giving him a fair shot to do the job to the best of his abilities.
It’s also fair to question why someone who has interviewed at least five times to be a manager has yet to land a job.
The Cardinals know McEwing better than most organizations and many, if not all, of the same people who conducted his interview in 2011 would do so again now. It’s possible their prior doubts could manifest again.
Having been out of the organization now for more than 20 years, McEwing’s familiarity may have faded into a more distant memory. Indeed, Mike Puma of the New York Post reported in 2020 that McEwing described managing the Mets as his “dream job,” and with their job open, the Cardinals could find themselves the suckers in a bidding war with a prescribed outcome.
Verdict
On paper, McEwing checks nearly every box which might be desired in a managerial candidate. Still just 48 years old, his decade of coaching experience in the majors likely sets him up to be a revelation as a manager for whichever team decides to take that leap.
It’s unclear, however, whether the Cardinals could jump far enough in front of the Mets to make the chase fruitful.
