Cal Eldred

Calvin John Eldred

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 4", Weight 235 lb.
• School University of Iowa
• HIgh School Urbana Community High School
• Debut September 24, 1991
• Final Game October 4, 2005
• Born November 24, 1967 in Cedar Rapids, IA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Cal Eldred was in the majors for 14 years, posting a career record of 86-74, while suffering numerous injuries during his career. He was signed as a 1st round pick in the 1989 amateur draft by the Milwaukee Brewers and scouts Steve McAllister and Dick Foster.

He originally burst upon the major league scene winning 13 of his first 15 decisions for the Brewers in 1991 and 1992. Oddly, he then went exactly .500 four years in a row, from 1993 to 1996, going 16-16, 11-11, 1-1, and 4-4. Later, he went 10-2 for the division-winning Chicago White Sox in 2000 and had winning records for division-winning St. Louis Cardinals teams in 2004 and 2005. Eldred retired following the 2005 season.

Eldred began his post-playing days baseball career as a video scout for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2007. In 2008, he was working in the Cardinals front office with the title Special Assistant to the General Manager. Eldred changed jobs in 2009 and worked as a baseball analyst for Fox Sports Midwest during Cardinals' broadcasts. He continued as a Cardinals broadcaster through the 2012 season. From 2013-2015 Eldred once again worked as a Special Assistant to the General Manager for the Cardinals.

In 2016, he was appointed as a Special Assistant to Kansas City Royals General Manager Dayton Moore, then in 2018 was appointed the team's pitching coach. He remained in the position until the end of the 2022 season. Eldred was let go at the same time as manager Mike Matheny and only a couple of weeks before Moore himself was terminated.

He was nicknamed "Corn Field" because of his Iowa roots. He threw a fastball, curve and change-up. Eldred returned to those Iowa roots and established the Eldred Baseball and Performance training center in Hiawatha. Cal is the father of C.J. Eldred who played minor league baseball for several years.

"Cal has been a leader on and off the field. He carries himself like a professional, so younger guys like myself can learn from him." -Jim Parque

Notable Achievements

• 1992 Topps All-Star Rookie Team
• AL Innings Pitched Leader (1993)
• 15 Wins Seasons: 1 (1993)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 2 (1993 and 1997)

Related Sites

• Cal Eldred at the SABR Bio Project