The Cardinals’ player-development turning point is coming soon

Whether the turn is in the proper direction is still to be determined

As the Cardinals on the field continue to drift in and out of the faintest notions of relevance, off the field notable changes are underway. I speak of the recent news that longtime director of player development Gary Larocque will retire from the job at season’s end and ease into an advisory role, which presumably will be “emeritus” in nature.

The 71-year-old Larocque has been a part of the organization since 2008, and he’s been guiding player development since November of 2012. In addition to shepherding what was a potent and high-yield farm system for many of those years, Larocque also served as an important philosophical bridge between the late Walt Jocketty era and the overdue upheavals that Jeff Luhnow brought to his role with the club. When it came to the challenging work of leaning into Luhnow’s modernizing while honoring and still teaching George Kissell’s bedrock principles, Larocque was an essential “diplomat” within the organization, one capable of straddling that line with aplomb. Larocque’s importance to the Cardinals during those years should be obvious. 

His time, though, had come. The Cardinals in recent years haven’t been as sure-footed as they once were in developing prospects, and there’s reason to believe that Larocque is responsible for some of the “developmental mixed-messaging” that’s been a potential issue on the pitching front. It’s also hard to ignore what seems like the repeated mishandling of Jordan Walker. As well, please absorb these recent words from the P-D’s Derrick Goold from a story about Larocque’s retirement (subscription required and heartily recommended): 

“In 2021, the Cardinals’ farm system had one of the worst combined winning percentages in the history of organized minor-league baseball. The club traced that lack of success to the decision to push players ahead one level, as if they had played the 2020 season.”

I was aware of how gravely Cardinals affiliates struggled in 2021 but somehow missed the aggressive promotion schedule probably underpinning it. I don’t know whether the Cardinals were alone in this approach across MLB – using it as an excuse for the struggles noted above suggests it was not widespread – and I also understand that player-dev departments were flying without instruments when coming out of the unprecedented disruptions of 2020. Even so, I find this to be a decision bordering on the inexplicable and one that I have to imagine negatively impacted the development of many prospects. I have no idea whether Larocque made this decision or whether it was forced upon him, but I do know it occurred on his watch. That leads me to one of two conclusions: Larocque was either in agreement with the decision or was unable to persuade higher-ups to take a more prudent course. Either is troubling. 

Whether Larocque is retiring of his own volition or being politely nudged aside isn’t known – it would speak well of the DeWitts’ self-awareness and willingness to foment change if “nudged” is the answer – but what is known is that a critical period of time has thus begun. It’s one that will determine whether the Cardinals can emerge from their current torpor with clear direction. 

I have some thoughts about this. The first involves the timeline for naming Larocque’s replacement and what that will tell us about larger changes afoot. The second has to do with one potential approach to leading player development moving forward, and finally the third is a call for ownership to tend to the very basic responsibilities that lie beneath the search for a new head of player development.