Derek Lilliquist insists he won't try to reinvent the wheel as Cardinals pitching coach. He only wants to keep it turning.
Named as Dave Duncan's successor on Friday, Lilliquist describes his promotion as "bittersweet" because of the family issues that caused the team's longtime pitching guru to step aside. Lilliquist believes the best tribute to his predecessor would be to extend the Cardinals' pitching success.
"I don't see a reason to come in and change things around," said Lilliquist, who served as first-year bullpen coach during the Redbirds' World Series rush last season. "What 'Dunc' advocates has been proven to work, so why would you not maintain that philosophy?"
Lilliquist, a former first-round draft pick of the Atlanta Braves who finished fourth in NL Rookie of the Year balloting in 1989, enjoys great familiarity with the majority of the staff.
Not only did he run the bullpen last season, he took over as interim pitching coach when Duncan took a seven-week leave of absence to tend to his wife, Jeanine, after she was diagnosed with a brain malignancy.
"I know the guys and believe the guys know me," Lilliquist said. "It's a very professional group. They know their responsibility and take it very seriously. You couldn't ask to work with a better group."
Lilliquist won't waste any time setting up shop. Beginning this week he will supervise former 20-game winner and 2010 NL Cy Young Award runner-up Adam Wainwright's throwing program at the team's Jupiter, Fla., spring training headquarters. Pitchers and catchers aren't scheduled to officially report for more than a month.
Lilliquist, 46, carries some of Duncan's personality traits. He is both blunt and low-key and has a no-nonsense approach to his work. Duncan advocated his promotion after the Cardinals dismissed bullpen coach Marty Mason in October 2010.
"I've learned a lot from being around and listening to 'Dunc,'" said Lilliquist, who joined the organization as Johnson City (Tenn.) pitching coach in 2002. "I mean, he should be a Hall of Fame pitching coach. He was always extremely prepared and made sure his pitchers were the same way."
The Cardinals retain Duncan's righthand man, video coordinator Chad Blair, an expert at uncovering opponents' tendencies, which Duncan exploited so well. However, Duncan takes with him his voluminous binders full of notations â€" his baseball bibles â€" leaving Lilliquist to begin his own library of sorts.
Lilliquist will work with organizational pillar Dyar Miller, whom the club promoted Friday from minor-league pitching coach to its third bullpen coach in as many seasons.
"To me, it's the perfect situation if there is going to be a change," Lilliquist insisted. "Dyar and I know each other. We know how we like to do things. He adds a lot. He's extremely familiar with guys in the system and has helped a lot of the guys already here. I see it as a win-win."
Lilliquist finds himself in a parallel situation to manager Mike Matheny by succeeding a legendary figure who stepped aside after 16 years in the Cardinals' dugout.
Just as Matheny has emphasized the need to look ahead as he succeeds Tony La Russa, Lilliquist understands what happens next is his responsibility.
"When you walk into camp, everything is about making the team better,'' he said. "That's really all that matters. Once the season gets here, everything is about winning that day's game."
Lilliquist remains a devotee of Duncan's theories about pitch efficiency, the "pitch-to-contact" philosophy that meshes well with sinkerball pitchers who command the strike zone.
"'Dunc' had a successful formula that worked for a long time," Lilliquist said. "You'd be foolish to come in and try to change philosophies."
Added pitcher Kyle Lohse: "I think anybody will tell you you're not going to replace 'Dunc.' "You're not going to replace Tony. You're not going to replace Albert (Pujols). But 'Lilly' showed last year when he stepped in that he was capable of doing what needed to be done. It wasn't like we got lost when he was the guy in the pitchers' meetings. He definitely seemed like he had an idea of what he wanted to get done. He was in the meetings. He knows what he's doing. It'll be a big step for him the first part of the year, but I believe it's a solid situation."
The Cardinals compiled a 3.39 ERA during an 18-8 September that catapulted them past the Braves for the NL wild card playoff spot. The team's 3.01 strikeout-to-walk ratio also was its best for any month during the season. Jason Motte stepped forward as indispensable pivotal figure by securing the closer role. During the season's final weeks Lilliquist publicly lobbied for Motte to retain the role in 2012.
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