President of Baseball Operations
John "Mo" Mozeliak was named the Cardinals Senior Vice President and General Manager in October, 2007, and enters his ninth season in that position. Mozeliak, who received a contract extension through 2018 in April, 2014, was promoted from his position of Assistant General Manager - a post he had held for six seasons - and he is the 12th general manager in the over 100-year history of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Under Mozeliak, the Cardinals won their third-straight National League Central Division title in 2015 with a 100-win campaign. It marked the third time in club history and first time under his leadership that the team had won three-straight Division titles (2013-15), and the ninth time in franchise history a Cardinals team had won 100 games. St. Louis led all Major League Baseball teams in wins and reached the postseason for a fifth-straight season in 2015, the first time in team history the club had reached the playoffs in five consecutive seasons.
The five-year run began in 2011 with the team's 11th World Championship. Over that span (2011-15) the Cardinals have won more games than any other Major League team with 465 wins and own an MLB high .574 win percentage. Mozeliak engineered a series of late season moves in 2011 that transformed the Cardinals and saw the team go from 10 ½ games back in late August to winning the franchise's 11th World Championship. Baseball America named the Cardinals the 2011 Organization of the Year, the first time the franchise had received the honor. Mo was the 2011 recipient of the MLB.com GIBBY (Greatness in Baseball Yearly) Executive of the Year award and he was named, along with Tony La Russa, as the 2011 Baseball Man of the Year by the St. Louis Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America.
In 2012, after the selection of Mike Matheny as manager, the Cardinals fell just one win shy of capturing the N.L. Championship, and with the team's success, Mo was honored by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum with the Andrew "Rube" Foster Award as Executive of the Year. The 2013 team won the National League Championship and returned to the World Series just two years removed from winning the World Series title in 2011. Following the season the organization was recognized by Baseball Ameriacsa the Organization of the Year - the second such honor in three years - and was honored by USA Today Sports as having the best franchise among Major League baseball teams. The 2014 team captured the Central Division title for a second-straight season and returned to the National League Championship Series for a fourth-straight year.
A consistent culture of retaining key players has resulted in several significant deals aimed at keeping the organization's top talent in St. Louis. During the off-season since 2012, the club has worked out multiyear deals with All-Stars Lance Lynn (2015), Matt Carpenter (2014), Adam Wainwright (2013) and Yadier Molina (2012). Mo also orchestrated the largest player contract in team franchise history in January 2010 when he signed outfielder Matt Holliday to a seven-year deal with an option for 2017.
Mozeliak, 47, is a 21-year veteran of the Cardinals front office, having joined the organization following the 1995 season where he initially served as an assistant in scouting operations during both the 1996 and 1997 seasons. Mo was named assistant scouting director in 1998 and was promoted to scouting director during 1999 and 2000. Several notable players came out of the draft classes of '99 and 2000 under Mo's direction, most notably first baseman and perennial All-Star Albert Pujols who was drafted in the 13th round of the 1999 draft, as well as catcher Yadier Molina.
In 2001, Mozeliak was named Director of Baseball Operations and in 2003 he was promoted to Assistant General Manager. During his time as Assistant GM, Mo's duties increased as he focused more on the Major League Club and professional scouting, while still having direct involvement in both the scouting and player development departments.
Mozeliak began his career in baseball in 1993 with the Colorado Rockies where he worked in a variety of positions in baseball operations. He attended the University of Arizona and the University of Colorado. He currently serves as the National Trustee for the Foundation Fighting Blindness, is an active fund raiser for American Parkinson Disease Association and sits on the Mercy Hospital Foundation. Mozeliak lives in St. Louis with his wife, Julie, daughter, Allyson, and son, Will.
