Walt Jocketty | |
|---|---|
 Jocketty before Opening Day 2006 atBusch Stadium | |
| Born | (1951-02-19)February 19, 1951 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | April 25, 2025(2025-04-25) (aged 74) Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |
| Education | Metropolitan State University University of Minnesota (BBA) |
| Known for | General manager ofSt. Louis Cardinals andCincinnati Reds |
| Spouse | Sue |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame |
Walter Joseph Jocketty (February 19, 1951 – April 25, 2025) was an American professionalbaseball executive. He served inMajor League Baseball (MLB) asgeneral manager of theSt. Louis Cardinals from 1994 to 2007, and general manager,president of baseball operations, and executive advisor for theCincinnati Reds from 2008 until his death in 2025.
Jocketty was born inMinneapolis,Minnesota on February 19, 1951. He had two brothers and three sisters.[1]
Jocketty attendedMarshall-University High School inMinneapolis, where he playedbaseball,football,basketball, andhockey.[2] He attended theUniversity of Minnesota, where he earned abachelor's degree in business administration.[3]
Jocketty began working for theOakland Athletics beginning in March 1980, when he was hired by ownerCharlie Finley as Director of Minor League Operations and Scouting.[3] It was in this capacity that Jocketty took a lead role in overhauling the A's minor league system, and was also instrumental in founding theArizona Rookie League and theDominican Summer League.[3] Less than five years into his time with Oakland, Jocketty was promoted to Director of Baseball Administration, a post he held the remainder of his time in Oakland. During the 1994 season Jocketty served theColorado Rockies for a brief stint as their assistant general manager of player personnel.[3][4]
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Jocketty was hired as general manager of the St. Louis Cardinals on October 14, 1994. WhenAnheuser-Busch sold the team following the 1995 season, the new ownership chose to retain Jocketty. He was instrumental in bringing new managerTony La Russa, whom he had worked with in Oakland, to St. Louis.
During his time as Cardinal GM, the Cardinals compiled seven National League Central Division championships (1996, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006), twoNational League championships (2004 and 2006), and oneWorld Series championship (2006). The Cardinals had seven straight winning seasons under Jocketty, including 100+ win seasons in 2004 and 2005. Jocketty wonThe Sporting News Executive of the Year Award three times, in 2000, 2004, and 2010.
Jocketty was fired by the Cardinals organization on October 3, 2007. Team ownerBill DeWitt cited divisiveness in the baseball operations front office as the reason for Jocketty's dismissal.[5]
Jocketty was hired as a special advisor to the Cincinnati Reds on January 11, 2008. Jocketty's role was to advise and assist the team in their baseball operations which includes the front office, personnel, scouting, minor and international operations and training and medical services. He was named the next general manager of the Reds afterWayne Krivsky was fired on April 23, 2008.[6]
After the 2010 season, Jocketty was namedSporting News Executive Of Year.[7] After the 2015 season, he was named to the new position ofpresident of baseball operations.[8] On December 27, 2016, he was named executive advisor to the CEO.[9]
Walt Jocketty died on April 25, 2025, at the age of 74.[10]
| Preceded by | St. Louis CardinalsGeneral Manager 1995–2007 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Cincinnati RedsGeneral Manager 2008–2015 | Succeeded by |