This story was excerpted from John Denton¡¯s Cardinals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Who better to spearhead the Cardinals' plans to shift their focus to the development of their young players in 2025 than Daniel Descalso and Jon Jay, two former players who helped form the famed ¡°Memphis Mafia¡± group of youngsters who spurred St. Louis to a World Series crown in 2011?

That¡¯s the charge now for Descalso and Jay, who have reunited a third time -- this time as coaches on manager Oliver Marmol¡¯s staff with the Cardinals. (They previously played together with St. Louis and the D-backs.) With the Cards shifting their focus toward the development of a young core -- Masyn Winn, Nolan Gorman, Jordan Walker, Thomas Saggese (the club¡¯s No. 4 prospect), Michael McGreevy (No. 10 prospect), Gordon Graceffo (No. 11 prospect) and others -- Descalso and Jay will have their work cut out in making sure that group takes large leaps toward fulfilling their potential in 2025.

Like the current crop of Baby ¡®Birds, Descalso and Jay were young players fresh out of the Minor Leagues and called upon to fill in the gaps on a veteran-laden Cardinals team in 2011 that already featured Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, Lance Berkman and Chris Carpenter. Together, alongside eventual World Series MVP David Freese and hit machine Allen Craig, that foursome formed the ¡°Memphis Mafia¡± after being promoted from Triple-A Memphis to the big leagues.

It was Descalso and Jay who singled consecutively to open the 10th inning of the famed Game 6 of the 2011 World Series, then came around to score to knot the game at 9. Freese, who had dramatically tied the game in the ninth with the Cards down to their final strike, won it with a walk-off homer in the 11th. Collectively, that group helped to push the Cards past the Rangers in seven games for the franchise¡¯s 11th World Series title.

Next month in Spring Training, Jay and Descalso will be working on the Cards' coaching staff -- Descalso as the bench coach and Jay as a coach who will work predominantly with outfielders and baserunners. Even Freese will be around in Spring Training, working as a consultant to drill with first and third basemen. If Craig weren¡¯t already working with former Cards manager Mike Shildt and the Padres, he likely would be around for a 2011 reunion as well.

¡°You just can¡¯t break us up; we always find our way back together,¡± joked Descalso, who noted that the friendships with Jay, Freese and Craig have stood the test of time.

Jay, who will turn 40 years old on March 15, jumped at the chance to return to the franchise he started his career with and played for from 2010-15. Jay worked for two-time Cardinals World Series champion Skip Schumaker the past two years with the Marlins and is excited to return to a place he still calls his ¡°baseball home.¡±

¡°When I was told I could talk to other teams, it was great to hear from the Cardinals, and after talking to Daniel it was something that made a lot of sense for me,¡± said Jay, who has already worked with Walker and Victor Scott II on outfield drills numerous times this winter.

Descalso knows that the Cardinals' ability to compete for a playoff slot -- or simply be competitive with so many young players on the roster -- will largely depend on how much he and Jay can help the club¡¯s core improve. Gorman and Walker, two of the franchise¡¯s most promising power hitters last season, took major steps back in 2024. Their ability to make strides will likely dictate how competitive the Cards can be.

¡°A big part of our job going forward will be giving that young core some runway, supporting them and putting them in positions to succeed,¡± said Descalso, 38, who played for the Cards from 2010-14. ¡°Part of that¡¯s going to be on us and part of it¡¯s going to be on them to make the proper adjustments so they can put up the numbers we think they can put up.

¡°Last year, we were where we were because our offense underperformed. So, there will be chances for guys to bounce back and it will be our job to help facilitate [bounce-back seasons].¡±

Descalso said the years of friendship with Jay means they already have a built-in chemistry and a mutual understanding of what it takes for players to succeed. However, instead of performing some sort of good cop/bad cop routine with players, Descalso joked that they will leave the disciplinarian stuff to Marmol. Their focus is simple: Helping the young core rapidly improve.

¡°I think it¡¯s an advantage for us that we¡¯re recent players and that¡¯s relatable to them,¡± Jay said. ¡°For us, it¡¯s about reaching the players, developing those relationships and helping them out. We want to use our experiences to help our players grow and ultimately get the best out of them.¡±