Mike Girsch

Michael Girsch is an American professional baseball executive. He is the Vice President of Special Projects for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously served as their general manager from 2017 to 2024.

Mike Girsch
Education	University of Notre Dame (BS) University of Chicago Booth School of Business (MBA)
Employer	St. Louis Cardinals
Title	Vice President of Special Projects
Term	2024–present
Predecessor	John Mozeliak

Career

Girsch graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a bachelor of science in mathematics in 1998^[1] and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business with a master of business administration in 2003.^[2][3] He worked in valuations for Boston Consulting Group in Chicago.^[2]

In 2005, wanting to pursue a career in Major League Baseball (MLB), Girsch wrote an academic paper on the valuation of MLB draft picks and sent it to teams. John Mozeliak, the general manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, responded and hired him in 2006 as the coordinator for amateur scouting.^[1] He was promoted to director of baseball development in 2008 and to assistant general manager in 2011.^[4]

In 2017, the Cardinals promoted Mozeliak to the new position of president of baseball operations and promoted Girsch to general manager.^[5][6] As general manager, he signed Paul DeJong, Paul Goldschmidt, and Matt Carpenter to contract extensions.^[7][8][9] The Cardinals signed Girsch to a multi-year contract extension on October 17, 2022.^[10] After the end of the 2024 season, Girsch was given the new title of Vice President of Special Projects.

Personal life

Girsch is from Hinsdale, Illinois, and graduated from Benet Academy. He and his wife, Kelly, live in Webster Groves, Missouri, and have four children.^[11]