Hochman: A Cardinals World Series hero gives insight to Rob Cerfolio, new Cards executive
The pitcher wasn't pitching. In fact, the pitcher couldn't pitch. Yet the pitcher's actions stuck with his coach more than a decade later.
"Even when he was hurt, he was a great teammate," former Yale baseball coach John Stuper, a Cardinals 1982 World Series hero, said of left-handed pitcher Rob Cerfolio. "I remember him walking around practice after he had shoulder surgery. And walking around during games with a sling on his arm — on his left arm — and he's trying to keep pitching charts with his right hand. Just any way that he could help, he was willing to do it. And that's what you're getting."
The "you" in that last line is you. Like, you — the St. Louis Cardinals fans who are yearning for positive change within the organizational structure. Well, St. Louis recently hired Cerfolio, 32, as the assistant general manager who will oversee development and performance. In other words — he's the guy who will reimagine and then renovate the minor league system. He'll make the hires and guide the process after a successful decade with the Cleveland franchise.
And Stuper is the in the middle of the Venn Diagram — he knows Cerfolio's portfolio better than most and, as a onetime Cards minor leaguer and eventual World Series champ, he knows "The Cardinal Way" quite well.
So as we learn traits about Cerfolio, what stood out to Stuper about the former Bulldog pitcher? Well, that he was a bulldog. Via phone, Stuper passionately described the southpaw's hunger to succeed.
And of course, there is the Yale aspect.
"At the Ivy League level, we talked between smart guys who play baseball as opposed to baseball players who are smart," said Stuper, the rookie who famously pitched a complete game, 13-1 win in Game 6, which kept the Cards alive in the 1982 World Series.
"And obviously you want the latter, not the former. And that was Cerf. A really smart guy. ...
"But one of the things that has impressed me the most in my talks with him is character. I mean, it really matters. ... And when Cerf was interviewing for this job, he told me he met so many great people. High-character people in his view. And that was one of the main things that swayed him to take this job. And I mean, is there a better barometer than that, than character? I don't think so."
Of course, a key person in the hiring process was Cardinals executive Chaim Bloom, who will take over as president of baseball operations after the 2025 season. Bloom went to Yale, too — although he didn't play baseball. But Stuper has developed a relationship with Bloom, primarily over text. One trait Stuper says Bloom and Cerf share? They're unafraid to admit they don't know everything. They want to soak up new concepts. They want to pick brains.
So over the years, certain college sports programs have developed a reputation. Penn State is informally "Linebacker U," thanks to the likes of NaVorro Bowman, Sean Lee, Lavar Arrington and Jack Ham. Kentucky is "Point Guard U" with recent studs such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, De'Aaron Fox and Rob Dillingham. Even Mizzou called itself "D-Line U" with the likes of Darius Robinson, Charles Harris, Kony Ealy, Michael Sam, Aldon Smith and Sheldon Richardson.
Well, Yale's baseball team is "Front Office U."
Stuper, 67, coached at Yale from 1993 to 2022. Among his ballplaying alums are Cerfolio, Craig Breslow (who runs the Red Sox), Mike Elias (a former Cardinals scout who now runs the Orioles) and Charles Cook (assistant general manager of the Astros).
For years, Stuper discussed the famed "Cardinal Way" with his Yale players.
Stuper believes that longtime Cardinal instructor George Kissell, who inspired and instilled this mindset and playing philosophy, "has influenced probably more baseball players, even to this day after his death (in 2008), than anybody else." By phone, Stuper spoke glowingly about the Cardinals' dedication to fundamentals. He even mentioned that Kissell determined there were 17 different ground balls that could be hit to a second baseman.
So yeah, Stuper has often done some preaching while teaching — explaining what made the Cardinals so great was this brand of baseball and attention to detail.
"Sometimes you don't realize your players are listening to you," Stuper said with a laugh. "But apparently (Cerfolio) was. One thing he said was I talked a lot about the 'Cardinal Way' and playing the game right. And that, to me, that's what the Guardians did. And he was a huge part of that — I mean, he was the director of player development."
Stuper said Cerfolio is, naturally, a modern thinker of baseball regarding analytics — but "I think Cerf has some old-school to him, too. And that combination, to me, is the way to go."
This should help as the Cardinals, who missed the playoffs the past two years, search to rediscover their way.
"(Cerfolio) texted me way early in the process (with the Cardinals)," Stuper said. "You know, we just talked back and forth a little bit. And I didn't say this to him. I didn't want to influence any decision, because it was really hard for him to leave Cleveland and he loved his staff and all that. But I was secretly sitting there going — man, I hope he goes to where the birds sit on the bat."
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