Since being named John Mozeliak’s successor in September 2024, Chaim Bloom has been actively overhauling the St. Louis Cardinals’ player development and performance departments, bringing in new leadership and establishing coordinator roles to ensure greater organizational cohesion.
Today, the team announced a new coordinator hire on X—an unconventional choice, bringing in a rising star from the collegiate ranks. Casey Demko, who spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach at Abilene Christian University, announced on X tonight that he has joined the Cardinals’ organization as their new infield coordinator.
According to his staff profile, Demko’s main responsibilities at Abilene Christian University included coaching the infield, assisting with offensive development, and overseeing team defense. In his first season with the Wildcats in 2023, the program finished as the 12th-ranked defense in the nation and recorded the highest fielding percentage in school history.
Before his time at Abilene Christian, Demko coached at Division II Quincy University, helping the team achieve top-tier defensive results. He also played college baseball at multiple schools during his playing career.
For Chaim Bloom, Demko represents another fresh voice in the organization aimed at advancing the Cardinals’ player development system. One of the main criticisms of the Cardinals before Bloom’s tenure was the lack of investment in key roles such as coordinators and other coaching and front office positions essential for optimizing player development. If the Cardinals want to return to the level fans expect, they need to set a high standard in developing talent rather than simply catching up.
While Demko and other recent hires may not make headlines, their contributions are critical, which is why Bloom and his team have spent the past year carefully building out these staffs.