Dave Duncan To Step Down As Cardinals Pitching Coach

The St. Louis Cardinals have done a lot of replacing this off season.  They replaced their long time and future Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa with rookie manager Mike Matheny.  They also replaced their former face of the franchise Albert Pujols with a switch hitting outfielder named Carlos Beltran.

Now it looks as though they will need to replace their outstanding pitching coach as well. 

According to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan will step down as the team's pitching coach effective immediately.  Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports is reporting that the team is leaving a window open for a possible Duncan return although it is unclear just how long the veteran pitching coach will be away.  

Strauss tweeted that it is believed that family matters will be the reason for Duncan's departure from the staff as his wife Jeanine Duncan has been fighting cancer for much of the last year.  

Strauss says that the team plans on making the official announcement on Friday.  

Cardinals to issue announcement regarding Duncan stepping down tomorrow. Family matters to be cited.
— Joe Strauss (@JoeStrauss) January 6, 2012

Duncan has been the pitching coach for 16 seasons alongside Tony La Russa in St. Louis, preaching an efficient approach that focused on throwing to contact and keeping the ball down in the zone.

Pitchers who came up under Duncan often threw a sinking fastball along with an overhand curve ball to keep hitters off balance.  It wasn't unique that a "Duncan pitcher" often had a cut fastball in his repertoire as well.

As a pitching coach, Duncan was known for his preparation.  Duncan had a very concrete game plan prepared for each opponent, allowing his pitchers to focus on mechanics and execution rather than research.  His philosophy simplified things for his pitchers and gave them an opportunity to succeed.  

The former Major League catcher also had become known for his ability to create something out of nothing, or re-kindle a flame that had burnt out. 

Duncan got more out of pitchers like Garret Stephenson, Jason Simontacchi, and Jason Marquis than many could have expected.  

He also helped revive the careers of Jeff Weaver, Andy Benes, Joel Pineiro, and Chuck Finley while they spent time in a Cardinals uniform. 

So while replacing legends like Tony La Russa and Albert Pujols is never easy, replacing Dave Duncan will likely be even more difficult. 

In fact, finding a comparable replacement for Dave Duncan may not be possible at all.  

Sources:

• Joe Strauss tweet that Dave Duncan will step down