Springfield, MO – The St. Louis Cardinals have announced that Springfield Cardinals Field Manager Dann Bilardello will return to the helm in Springfield for the 2016 season. Also returning are Pitching Coach Jason Simontacchi and Athletic Trainer Scott Ensell. New to the Springfield staff are Hitting Coach Ramon Ortiz and Assistant Coach / Scout T.C. Calhoun.
Bilardello, 56, enters his second season as Springfield's skipper and seventh season managing within the Cardinals system. Through 11 overall years as a manager in the Minor Leagues, the former Major League catcher has compiled a 574-556 career record. His previous managerial posts for the Cardinals included the Batavia Muckdogs (Short-A) from 2010-12, the Peoria Chiefs (Low-A) in 2013, and the Palm Beach Cardinals (High-A) in 2014 before coming to Springfield in 2015. While with Batavia, Bilardello helped guide the Muckdogs to the 2010 Pinckney Division crown in his first campaign at the helm, after serving as the Cardinals Minor League Catching Coordinator from 2007-09. Before coming to the Cardinals, he gained four years of managing experience in the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers organizations from 2002-05.
Bilardello played all or part of eight Major League seasons with the Cincinnati Reds (1983-85), the Montreal Expos (1986), Pittsburgh Pirates (1989-90) and San Diego Padres (1991-92). A former 1st-round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers, he debuted in the Majors with the Reds in 1983 and played in a career-high 109 games during his rookie campaign, hitting his first career home run against Tom Seaver that year. Bilardello resides in Vero Beach, Florida and has two sons, Davis and Trey, and a daughter, Kammie.
"We are very excited to welcome Dann, Jason and Scott back to Springfield," said Springfield Cardinals Vice President / General Manager Matt Gifford. "Not only do Dann and Jason provide a wealth of Major League and Minor League experience, but they do a tremendous job of developing the future of Cardinals Baseball both on and off the field. We're also really looking forward to our new staff additions of Ramon Ortiz and T.C. Calhoun. Ramon has been an invaluable piece of the Cardinals player development staff for years, and T.C. brings a really diverse and extensive coaching and scouting background to the fold."
Simontacchi, 42, embarks on his second season as the Springfield Pitching Coach and fourth as a coach within the Cardinals Organization, serving as Peoria's Pitching Coach from 2013-14. In his first coaching campaign, Simontacchi's 2013 Peoria pitching staff posted the 2nd-lowest ERA in the Midwest League at 3.54, while also finishing 2nd with 1,112 strikeouts, 2nd with 398 walks allowed and 3rd with only 71 home runs surrendered.
The former St. Louis Cardinal toed the rubber at Busch Stadium from 2002-04, before concluding his playing days with the Washington Nationals in 2007. Simontacchi made his Major League debut with the Cardinals on May 4, 2002, dealing seven innings to help lead the Cards to a 3-2 win against the Atlanta Braves. He went on to win his first five decisions, earning the June National League Rookie Pitcher of the Month honors. Simontacchi was named the Cardinals Rookie Pitcher of the Year by the St. Louis Chapter of the BBWAA in 2002, while also receiving one third place vote for the National League Rookie of the Year. Through 53 Major League starts spanning 355.2 total innings, he posted a career record of 26-17. Simontacchi resides in St. Louis with his wife, Paula, and two sons, Bradley and Nathan.
Ortiz, 63, enters his first season as the Hitting Coach in Springfield and ninth year as a coach in the Cardinals Organization. He has a total of 17 years coaching for the Cardinals, including stops in High-A Palm Beach (2015), Short-A State College (2013-14), Rookie-level Johnson City (2010-12), Short-A Batavia (2009) and the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Cardinals (2008), plus nine seasons from 1987-95.
A native of Venezuela, Ortiz began his coaching career at the University of Central Venezuela from 1983-85, before starting his first stint with St. Louis in 1987. He has also served as a coach for the New York Yankees (1996-98), Tampa Bay Rays (1999-2004) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2005-07) systems. A former outfielder, Ortiz played five seasons in the Montreal Expos and Minnesota Twins organizations. He currently resides in Tampa, Florida.
Calhoun, 31, begins his first season as Springfield's Assistant Coach / Scout and his first campaign as a member of the Cardinals Organization. The Wytheville, Virginia native was a standout infielder at Virginia Intermont College from 2002-06, twice earning All-Academic Conference and Athletic Director's Honor Roll selections.
Following his collegiate career, Calhoun broke into coaching in the high school ranks in Virginia in 2007, before serving as an Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Emory and Henry College in Emory, Virginia. Calhoun's first foray into professional baseball came in 2010 as the Assistant General Manager for the Pulaski Mariners (Seattle Mariners Rookie Affiliate). While continuing to gain experience in the collegiate ranks as a coach at Asbury University (2012-14) and Transylvania University (2015), Calhoun also served as an Associate Scout for the New York Yankees in 2014 and has scouted for the Baseball Factory since 2011.
Ensell, 29, will begin his fourth season as the Springfield Cardinals Athletic Trainer and his seventh within the St. Louis system. He previously had stints with the Quad Cities River Bandits (Low-A) in 2012 and the Johnson City Cardinals (Rookie) in 2011. While earning his Master's Degree at the University of Memphis, he served as an athletic training intern with the Memphis Redbirds in 2009.
