Before Brandon Allen was promoted to the Cardinals’ major-league staff as their new assistant hitting coach in early November and before he began his coaching career in the minor leagues in 2016, there came a moment when he needed to make a difficult decision with his career as a player.
Allen — a 2004 fifth-round draft pick by the White Sox — spent the 2016 season with Cincinnati’s Class AAA affiliate. It was a year during which he was limited to 67 games because of injuries and was the fourth consecutive season where he hadn’t appeared in the majors.