ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Cardinals are replacing a manager who’s third on the career victory list with a man who will be writing his first lineup card on opening day.
Mike Matheny, a former catcher with the Cardinals who had been a minor-league instructor, will be introduced as Tony La Russa’s successor at a news conference today.
“I think he’s going to be a great leader,” said Jim Edmonds, a teammate of Matheny’s with the Cardinals. “He’s a great leader, and an even better person. If he goes out there and does what he’s capable of doing and they put the players around him, he could be the manager for the next 20 years.”
The 41-year-old Matheny played for St. Louis from 2000-04 and won three of his four Gold Gloves with the Cardinals.
Matheny, a career .239 hitter, was one of six men the Cardinals interviewed to replace La Russa.
