The St. Louis Cardinals fire manager Mike Shildt

A former manager of the year who had guided the Cardinals to a franchise record is now out of the job.

The St. Louis Cardinals fire Mike Shildt

The St. Louis Cardinals enjoyed a solid period during September. Not only did they clinch the National League's second wild-card playoff spot, they set a franchise record of 17 consecutive wins doing it. Yet be that as it may, manager Mike Shildt, to the surprise of many was dismissed by the club on Thursday.

Shidlt who had served four seasons as manager of the Cardinals was actually manager an interim manager in 2018 before being signed on a permanent basis the following season. In that 2019 season, he would go on to guide the the Cardinals to a NL Central title while being named NL Manager of the year, only adding further context to his removal. In total Shildt steered the Cardinals to a 252-199 record across four seasons.

Cardinals' Mozeliak cites 'philosophical difference'

The Cardinals' president of baseball operations John Mozeliak was collected in his comments about Shildt's firing during a Thursday press conference. "We decided internally it would be best to separate now." "... We have determined that we have a philosophical difference in the direction of our Major League club. Where we felt the team was going, we were struggling to get on the same page."

While the news may be a shock it is not a surprise. Just last week Mozeliak explained to reporters that the team had in fact considered replacing coaching staff during the season, but decided to stay the course. At the time Mozeliak did not clarify whether or not Shildt and others had secure positions saying, "In terms of what 2022 looks like it's a bit premature for me to weigh in." "...Having said that there is a lot this group should be proud of. They did accomplish a lot."

Where do the Cardinals go from here?

Speaking on the next step for the Cardinals, Mozeliak indicated the Cardinals have "some quality internal candidates" for the manager's position, adding that it was not necessarily a certainty that they would look outside of the club. Incidentally, Cardinals first-base coach Stubby Clapp and minor-league infielder coordinator José Oquendo have been considered as individuals ready to take the step into management in recent years. Mozeliak was also clear in saying Shildt was "dismissed of his duties," thereby confirming it was a firing. The significance of that lies in the fact that Shildt was on a three-year contract when he signed on a permanent basis in 2019 which means he has one year remaining.