Cardinals manager Oli Marmol has often said he receives some of his most revealing reads on players when the hits don’t come or the pitches don’t land perfectly.
Baseball is a game of failure, the notion reminds, and it’s how one responds to the setbacks that speak to who a player is at his core.
The same should be true for managers then.
Season 3 is about to teach us a lot about Marmol.
I’d suggest we already are seeing an encouraging response.
If you aren’t appreciative of Marmol’s blunt nature — it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, I understand — perhaps you can at least appreciate that he doesn’t soften it when it faces a mirror.
He showed that this weekend, first in his comments to fans at Sunday night’s baseball writers dinner, second in his media session Monday morning at Busch Stadium and then again one last time on the stage at Ballpark Village on Monday afternoon, microphone in hand so fans could hear him loud and clear.
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“Last year wasn’t a wasted year,†Marmol said. “You waste a year when you don’t take anything from it or grow from it or if you don’t make adjustments based off what you saw. This offseason, we have done that. We took a hard look at what we did not do well. Quite honestly, I’ll take ownership over all of it. It wasn’t good enough.â€
The Cardinals have added seasoned veterans to their rotation, multiple new bullpen options with at least one more sounding like it’s on the way and welcomed new pitching-focused coaches. An offense that showed promise last season was protected from trades and could improve with steadier health and experience gained. A defense that was often changed last season is scheduled to have more clarity moving forward, including letting Willson Contreras play the position he was signed to play.
“We’re on the same page,†Contreras said about Marmol. “We’re cool. There are no regrets about anything. I’m glad I have him as my manager.â€
But perhaps the biggest thing, after listening to Marmol and his players at Winter Warm-up, is that the 2024 Cardinals are aiming to be a much better team. As in, fewer individuals prioritizing themselves and more team-first players pulling the proverbial rope in the same direction. That responsibility belongs to every person wearing a uniform. But if it’s on one person the most, it’s the manager.
“If I can narrow it down to one thing, if you can get those guys to truly trust each other, everything else falls into place,†Marmol said.
Another thing he’s not hiding from? His headline-creating contract situation. He’s entering the final season of his current deal, perhaps you’ve heard.
Both president of baseball operations John Mozeliak and chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. expressed optimism about Marmol’s continued leadership this weekend, but neither said an extension is imminent. Last season’s stalled start doomed the rest of that campaign. This season’s schedule hits the Cardinals with the powerhouse Dodgers on the road out of the gate, followed by former Cardinals manager Mike Shildt’s Padres, followed by three teams that made the playoffs last season. Pressure’s on. Early.
“That’s not a motivator for me,†Marmol said about his contract. “If you look at it that way, then what the hell were you doing the previous two years? I don’t think of it in that sense. For 18 years I’ve wanted to make the ºüÀêÊÓƵ Cardinals better. This is no different.â€
Which brings us, of course, to the perceived potential threats to Marmol that have rejoined the organization. Former Cardinals Yadier Molina and Daniel Descalso could be managers in the majors one day. The former returns as a front office special assistant. The latter is Marmol’s new bench coach. Just so folks know, Marmol wanted them both.
The manager was an active and enthusiastic participant in recruiting Molina to join his coaching staff before a hesitation about the time commitment it required led to the future Hall of Famer being named as a new special assistant to president of baseball operations John Mozeliak instead.
Marmol has been eyeing his former minor league teammate Descalso for seasons, plural, as a rising managerial candidate who would be a great get for a bench coach role if Marmol had one to offer. Decalso’s ties to veteran players on the roster and his credibility as a recent major league player are valuable traits.
“For that position, I wanted to hire someone who can replace me,†Marmol said. “You want to surround yourself with people that can challenge you.â€
So there you have it, folks.
Marmol has hefted the blame for 2023 squarely upon his shoulders.
He knows there are peers with impressive credentials around him — he helped put them there.
“It’s a high-stakes environment,†Marmol said. “If you are insecure, then this seat’s not for you. It’s as simple as that. You want the best people around you, at all times.â€
And he’s not tiptoeing around the reality that while shrugging 2023 off as just one bad season can fly for some in the organization, it never works for the manager, ever.
Up there on the stage in front of the fans during his final appearance of the weekend, Marmol stared into the mirror and didn’t blink.
“Last year was a difficult year,†he said. “I can say with a lot of confidence that it tested my character plenty. The last thing you want to do is disappoint this city.â€
A late Sunday night conversation he shared with Hall of Famer Tony La Russa shaped what he said next.
“This job in ºüÀêÊÓƵ, it’s not only the biggest job, it’s the best job,†Marmol said. “Because the expectation is so high. But that’s what gets you up every morning. You want that pressure. You want the expectation. You want the accountability. If it wasn’t that way, I wouldn’t be excited to do it. If you worked for an organization where if you won, awesome, if you lost, hey, not a big deal, that doesn’t motivate me to wake up every morning. It’s being able to show up, knowing the whole city is counting on a W, and you better find a way to get it done. That’s what’s special about this job.â€
In this Series
Cardinals Winter Warm-up shows team setting goals for upcoming season