First-year St. Louis manager Marmol is checking all the right boxes for the team

The one consistent thread which has thus far tied together the 2022 St. Louis Cardinals’ season is that the off-season additions to the team from outside the organization have been disastrous, and the promotions which have been allowed to occur from inside have been a resounding success.

That also holds true at the far end of the dugout.

The shocking October dismissal of Mike Shildt and the subsequent speedy process which promoted Oliver Marmol to the manager’s seat was given lengthy, sidelong glances from those inside the game. Marmol had been previously well regarded and was on the precipice of receiving significant outside interest in his talents, but Shildt navigated through immensely challenging circumstances to receive Manager of the Year votes in each of his three full seasons.

Without a satisfying explanation or even a single incident at which a finger could be pointed, severing that tie didn’t seem to make a great deal of sense. Instead, it turned out to be a shrewd move toward a refresh which has helped hold together a team with results that do not measure up to the sum of its parts.

Loyalty is an important characteristic in a manager. When things are going badly for a player, they need to know that their back will be protected. That, among other reasons, is why eyebrows were raised when the Cardinals made the choice to demote righty Aaron Brooks to Memphis at the beginning of May when rosters were trimmed from 28 to 26 players.

“What message does it send to the clubhouse if performance doesn’t outweigh having options,” he asked the assembled media at the time, describing the collaborative process which led to keeping Andre Pallante in the big leagues when he could have easily been sent to Memphis.

With the benefit of hindsight — and the benefit of Pallante’s standout performance — it’s easy to say the choice was obvious. For a chronically risk-averse organization, though, that credo from the manager stood out.

More of Marmol’s deft touch

It’s a message that’s revealed itself in the usage and non-usage of others as the season has worn on. Underperforming veterans like Corey Dickerson and Drew VerHagen were given early opportunities before being shunted aside into minimized roles. When each came down with an injury, they were given ample time to work back, with an eye on roster flexibility as much as performance.

Uncertainty in the front office around the spring performances of slugger Juan Yepez and a variety of young relief options led the club to head out on the market to find external replacements. And yet when circumstances arose for Yepez, Junior Fernández and Johan Oviedo, Marmol managed to put each in a position to succeed and has been rewarded for it.

Those rewards come not only in the form of results, but also in that returned loyalty which is so important to a functioning clubhouse. With an eye on the future and a sense of which players may play an important part in it, Marmol allows himself time to nurture some of those connections which may previously have been harder to build.

The Pujols situation

That sense of future also allows him to balance the challenges of having two franchise legends struggling through their final seasons. The decision to sign Albert Pujols meant accepting the realities of what a worst-case scenario on the field would look like, and barring injury, these results largely align with that end of the spectrum.

Even his vaunted success against lefties has begun to wane, and by pinch hitting for Pujols with the bases loaded on Tuesday night, Marmol made perhaps the most public declaration yet that the past has to remain in the past.

And yet Pujols, for all his legendary surliness, has been comfortable in his environment, and a bastion of positivity who has graciously accepted his farewell tour for what it is. Credit must be given to the player, of course, but it also belongs in part in the manager’s office. To be six years younger than Pujols and still be respected enough to make those tough calls with dignified acceptance is no small feat.

The Molina situation

So too has it been with Yadier Molina, even as he remains away from the team, convalescing an injury with an uncertain time frame. In years past, suggesting extra days off for Molina was the third rail of Cardinals baseball. Now, when he’s with the team, he’s been willing to accept a limited role — and Marmol, knowing he has only one year in charge of his catcher, isn’t required to be quite so delicate about upsetting his apple carts.

Writers appreciate a blunt manager who gives a good quote, acknowledges an occasional strategic error, and comes prepared with a strong defense for times when he is challenged. Fans appreciate a fiery personality that’s occasionally caught on camera peppering in some off-color language in the direction of umpires. A front office appreciates a manager who makes it look smart and forward thinking, while still being willing to work within the system.

Oli Marmol has threaded those needles but still stands alone. The youngest manager in Major League Baseball has been an unabashed success, even as his honeymoon period comes to a close and the standings begin to loom larger.