Walt Jockett, the three-time MLB Executive of the Year, former general manager of the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds, has passed away. He was 74 years old.
Jockett reportedly passed away in the Phoenix area on Friday, and the Cardinals announced the news on Saturday. He reportedly struggled with health issues for several years.
Jocketty was the general manager of Cardinals from 1995 to 2007. The franchise won the World Series in 2006, beating the Detroit Tigers in five games.
“On behalf of the entire St. Louis Cardinals organization, I would like to express my sadness to Walt’s family and many of his friends,” Cardinals Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said in a statement. “Walt was the first GM when he bought the ball club and he helped lead baseball operations through some of the most successful and memorable franchises of the year.
“He’s been overlooked badly, but he remembers for a long time because of his prominent baseball career.”
The Cardinals made the playoffs seven times during Jocketty’s tenure. They reached the 2004 World Series and appeared in four games by the Boston Red Sox.
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Among his big moves was to hire and trade Tony La Lassa as managers of Mark McQuire, Jim Edmonds, Scott Lauren and Adam Wainwright.
Jocketty earned top executive honors at The Cardinals in 2000 and 2004 and at Reds in 2010.
Jocketty was fired by the Cardinals after the 2007 season due to a conflict with ownership.
Cincinnati nominated Jocketty as GM in April 2008, playing more than eight seasons of roles. The Reds played in the playoffs in 2010, 2012 and 2013.
Cincinnati has made the playoffs only once since Jocketty’s tenure ended. It was the 2020 Covid-19-Shortened season.
