Springfield Cardinals Announce 2026 Coaching Staff
TL Springfield Cardinals

Springfield Cardinals Announce 2026 Coaching Staff

Published on December 18, 2025 under Texas League (TL)
Springfield Cardinals News Release


SPRINGFIELD, MO - The St. Louis Cardinals have announced the Springfield Cardinals coaching staff assignments for the 2026 season. With four Texas League Championship staff returning from last year including reigning Texas League Manager of the Year Patrick Anderson, the organization has assigned four new staff members including an additional coaching position to create the largest full-time field staff in franchise history.

The 2026 Springfield Cardinals Coaching Staff is as follows:

Manager: Patrick Anderson (Returning)

Pitching Coach: Eric Peterson (Returning)

Hitting Coach: Elvis Rodriguez (New)

Bench Coach: Danny Black (Returning)

Assistant Coach: Luis Arenado (New)

Athletic Trainer: Kiomy Martinez-Ortiz (New)

Strength and Conditioning Coach: Ryan Duffy (Returning)

Technology Associate: Michelle McMillan (New)

ABOUT PATRICK ANDERSON

Fresh off winning the second Championship in franchise history, Anderson returns to Springfield with new personal hardware as well. After the 2025 season, 'PA' was named the Texas League Manager of the Year, marking the second consecutive season in which a Cardinals' skipper won the award (José Leger, 2024).

Anticipated to reach managerial career milestones in 2026, Anderson will enter the season with a 749-669 record across 11 Minor League seasons. This year will be his fifth in the St. Louis organization (three years with High-A Peoria and two years with Double-A Springfield). Anderson, who calls nearby Columbia, MO home, previously spent seven years in the Nationals organization (2013 - 19) as manager with the Single-A Hagerstown Suns (2014-19) and Gulf Coast League Nationals (2013).

Anderson began coaching in 1996 as an assistant with Gannon (PA) University. He also spent time at Hofstra University as an assistant coach (1999-2001) and head coach (2009-11). In between his college coaching were coaching positions in the Royals organization in the GCL (2001), Midwest League (2002-06), Pioneer League (2007) and Appalachian League (2008). He played collegiately at Mars Hill (NC) University and played three years of Independent League Baseball.

ABOUT ERIC PETERSON

Eric Peterson returns for his fourth season as Springfield's Pitching Coach after guiding a 2025 club that lead the Texas League in ERA (3.55) and that set a franchise record for strikeouts (1,324) for the second consecutive season. Peterson's 2025 pitching staff also featured the Texas League Pitcher of the Year Ixan Henderson and the St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Pitcher of the Year Brycen Mautz.

The Bear, DE native played college baseball at Temple University for two seasons before transferring to North Carolina State University. He was drafted in the 37th round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros and suited up for the Corpus Christi Hooks in the Texas League during the 2016 and 2017 campaigns.

ABOUT ELVIS RODRIGUEZ

Joining Springfield in 2026 for the first time, Rodriguez replaces Casey Chenoweth, who was promoted within the organization to become an assistant hitting coach for the big-league club in St. Louis. This upcoming season will be Rodriguez's third in the Cardinals organization after two seasons as the hitting coach in High-A Peoria, where in 2025, his Chiefs' offense finished in the top five of the Midwest League in batting average, hits and RBI. Rodriguez joined the Cardinals from the Astros organization where he was a Player Development Hitting Coach since September 2021, while filling roles as hitting coach for Double-A Corpus Christi and the Dominican Summer League. He played collegiately at Western Oklahoma State College and Faulkner University.

ABOUT DANNY BLACK

Black returns from the Championship club for his second season with the Springfield Cardinals in a similar role. Under his tutelage in 2025, the Cardinals finished third in the Texas League with a .980 fielding percentage and committed just 98 errors on the year. A former utility player with six seasons of experience in the Florida/Miami system, he spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons as a Defensive Coach with Double-A Pensacola. Black began his coaching career in 2018 and previously served in various coaching roles in the Marlins system before landing with the St. Louis farm system.

ABOUT LUIS ARENADO

Arenado enters his fourth full season in the Cardinals organization, his first with Springfield, after stints in the Florida Complex League and most recently with High-A Peoria. Previously, Arenado worked a Sports Science fellowship for the Florida Complex League and Palm Beach Cardinals. Arenado played collegiately for three years at Florida International University (2018-19) and Shorter University (2020). He is the first cousin of third baseman Nolan Arenado.

ABOUT KIOMY MARTINEZ-ORTIZ

Martinez-Ortiz joins Double-A Springfield as the team's athletic trainer, replacing longtime trainer Alex Wolfinger who spent four seasons with the club. Wolfinger has since been promoted to Triple-A Memphis. Martinez-Ortiz becomes the first female full-time field staff member in franchise history. Working in the organization since 2019, she joins Springfield after spending 2025 with the Florida Complex League Cardinals. She is a 2015 graduate of the University of Puerto Rico-Ponce (Undergraduate) and a 2018 graduate of Florida International University (Masters).

ABOUT RYAN DUFFY

A now-mainstay of the health and performance staff, Duffy joined Springfield in 2024 after spending two seasons with the Peoria Chiefs (High-A) of the Midwest League (2022, 2023). This is his fifth year in professional sports and his third with the Springfield Cardinals.

ABOUT MICHELLE McMILLAN

McMillan joins the Springfield staff for 2026 after spending 2025 with the Low-A Palm Beach Cardinals and 2024 in the Florida Complex League. This upcoming season marks her third in the St. Louis organization after spending the 2023 season working as a Statcast Operator for Major League Baseball. McMillan graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2023 at Rutgers University-Newark, where she was a four-year softball player who set a program single-season stolen bases record during her senior season for the Scarlet Raiders.

The Springfield Cardinals unofficially open the 2026 season on March 23 as they host the St. Louis Cardinals for an exhibition game named 'Cards vs. Cards, presented by Mercy' at Hammons Field. The only way to see it live in person in Springfield is with a RED Access Membership. Springfield then plays their first regular season home game at Hammons Field on April 7 when they host the World Series Champion Dodger-affiliated Tulsa Drillers to begin a six-game series. RED Access Memberships are available now online, by phone or email. For details, visit SpringfieldCardinals.com or call (417) 863-0395.

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