Joe Kruzel will be back this year for a third season as Peoria Chiefs manager. (Photo by Craig Wieczorkiewicz/The Midwest League Traveler)

Joe Kruzel will return for a third season as manager of the Peoria Chiefs this year, the St. Louis Cardinals announced Tuesday.

Kruzel is 64 victories away from becoming the winningest manager in Chiefs history. He led the team to 72 wins in 2014 and 75 wins in 2015.

Before becoming Chiefs manager, Kruzel was hitting coach of the Quad Cities River Bandits, from 2008 to 2012. The River Bandits were affiliated with the Cardinals during that time.

Also returning to Peoria are pitching coach Dernier Orozco and hitting coach Jobel Jimenez, for their second and third seasons on the Chiefs staff, respectively.

A fourth coach, Nathan Sopena, joins them. New to the Cardinals organization, he played one season in the minor leagues, for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2014.

You can read more about the Chiefs coaching staff here.