José Leger steps into his office inside Hammons Field – a cramped room with cinder block walls more suitable for high school coaches than the 41-year-old Springfield Cardinals’ skipper named Best Manager Prospect by Baseball America last year.
But Leger – a former NCAA Division-II standout that played four minor league seasons in the Minnesota Twins organization and manages in his native Dominican Republic during the winter – is used to humble accommodations.
He ducks into the bathroom, empty coffee pot in hand, and flips on the sink.
Springfield is hunting for a playoff spot and the Cardinals’ open a 12-game homestand in one hour. The arrival of trade deadline acquisition Thomas Saggese that afternoon only added to Leger’s pregame schedule.
With the caffeine brewing, Leger has a chance to relax. He sits back in his chair and talks baseball.
“For me, my philosophy is just communication. Make sure the players understand and get the message clear from me. And then teaching the game, I like the strategy of the game and make (players) think the game,” he said.
To survive in an age when managers collaborate more than command, communication is key. Leger’s skills were tested when he managed Tim Tebow with the Columbia Fireflies (Low-A, Mets) and hordes of reporters pressed for soundbites on the former Heisman Trophy winner.
But it’s Leger’s commitment to analytics with an old-school touch that’s enhanced his reputation within the organization. The Cards’ staff employs high speed cameras and technology that capture spin rates, exit velocity, launch angle and other modern metrics.
“(Analytics) helps you look at things you might miss with the naked eye,” he said. “Sometimes you always wonder, like back in the days, how is this guy throwing 90 mph getting people to whiff at his fastball and this guy throwing 99 is getting whacked?
Well, you can see that by the extension, by the vertical break on the fastball. There is so many good resources now that help you analyze a player better.”
Leger was a two-time all-conference selection at Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville, Georgia, a small rural school far from his hometown in Santo Domingo, D.R. Minnesota Twins minor league field coordinator Joe Vavra signed him to a free agent contract in 2004.
Jose Leger, Mgr. Springfield Cardinals
The ink was barely dry when Vavra told Leger he’d be a good manager when his playing days ended.
“It kind of caught me by surprise,” Leger recalls.
“Right away, I think he saw it in me, because of my leadership skills. He said ‘listen, whenever you’re done playing and I’m not suggesting you should be done soon – I know you just signed. Just give me a shout and let me know because maybe we’d have something for you.’ Four years later, I knew right away. Time to contact Joe.”
Leger was in Fort Meyers, Florida awaiting the arrival of his first-born son and coaching a 13-U team. Vavra recommended he attend the Twins’ scouting school in the Dominican, an experience that changed Leger’s perspective.
“It’s hard to scout players when you’re emotionally attached to them – it plays a factor on your grading.”
The Mets hired Leger the following year to manage their club in the Dominican Summer League and promoted him to the Appalachian League (Rookie) where he guided the Kingsport Mets to the league title in 2013.
He joined the Cardinals in 2018 as the Latin American Field & Academy Development Coordinator, a position he held until taking the Springfield job in 2021. Leger’s natural bond with Latin American prospects that often arrive in the U.S. as teenagers is invaluable, but his work ethic earned creditability with everyone.
“He’s so much like me – we’re both hard workers,” said Chandler Redmond, who has played more than 230 games under Leger in Springfield.
“One of the big knocks on me is my defense, and me and José – we grind out some defensive extra work. He never tells me no. I haven’t played for a lot of managers but, not all managers want to do that.”
Leger’s Springfield clubs have been a pipeline to St. Louis; since 2021 Leger’s helped Brendan Donovan, Nolan Gorman, Alec Burleson, Jordan Walker, and now Masyn Winn reach the Major Leagues. But the conversation with Vavra in 2004 that sent Leger on his journey sticks in his mind.
J.C. Rodriguez reached Double-A in the Mets organization and played under Leger for multiple seasons.
“He became like, my son, that’s what I called him,” Leger said.
Rodriguez is now the hitting coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks DSL Red club in the Dominican Summer League.
Andy Carroll is a freelance sports writer living in the Ozarks with his wife and four great kids. He loves St. Louis, toasted ravioli and minor league baseball. You can follow him on Twitter @carroll_sgf and Instagram @andycarroll505
