St. Louis Cardinals: Breaking down the Matheny years

2016 and Beyond

So where do things go from here for Mike Matheny? What does his future in St. Louis hold? Like it or not, he is going to have some cloud of doubt hanging over him, based off of his decisions of the past.

As a leader, there is nobody I would want managing the Cardinals more than Mike Matheny. What he was able to accomplish last year, with everything his club faced, was remarkable in so many different ways.

The fact remains, though, that Matheny seems to become a different manager when playoff baseball rolls around. It just seems like the game speeds up on him, and guys like Bruce Bochy and Joe Maddon are quick to jump all over that.

With time, I have to believe that Matheny’s in-game decisions are going to get better. He is in a position in 2016 to not have to ride guys like Siegrist, Maness, Molina and others as much, and experience has to help him come playoff time.

Next: Cardinals look to hold off Cubs in 2016

The next step for Matheny is to accomplish the one goal that has eluded him thus far. He needs to get a ring, plain and simple. Easier said than done, I know.

The fact of the matter is that expectations are insanely high in St. Louis, probably to the point of being a bit unfair. That is just the reality of the situation. With the roster that he has and the tradition that has been established in St. Louis, Matheny is going to be up for a year-by-year evaluation until he gets that playoff monkey off of his back.