Walt Jocketty, the former Major League Baseball Executive of the Year, has passed away at the age of 74.
Bob Nightengale from USA Today verified Jocketty’s passing on Saturday. Nightengale also mentioned that Jocketty had been battling "significant health problems" over the last couple of years.
Jocketty is chiefly recalled for his extended stint as the general manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, a position he held from 1994 to 2007. His leadership played an essential part in transforming the Cardinals into one of the top teams during the 2000s. Importantly, under his guidance, they drafted and nurtured Albert Pujols. During this period, the team secured seven division championships in the NL Central, two National League pennants, and claimed victory in the World Series in 2006.
After the 2007 season, Jocketty was let go due to internal conflicts within the management team and subsequently joined the Cincinnati Reds. In 2008, he took over as the general manager of the Reds and played a key role in transforming the organization into a successful one, clinching the National League Central division titles in both 2010 and 2012. Although he has reduced his involvement with day-to-day operations recently, he continues to serve the Reds in the capacity of an executive adviser to the chief executive officer.
Besides these roles, Jocketty also had stints with the Oakland Athletics and Colorado Rockies at the beginning of his career.
Throughout his tenure as an executive, Jocketty received MLB Executive of the Year accolades thrice—firstly with St. Louis in both 2000 and 2004, followed by another win with the Cincinnati Reds in 2010.
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