Cardinals: What kind of job has Oli Marmol done as manager?

Has Oli Marmol been a difference maker this year? I asked several bloggers and podcasters what their opinions were about the Cardinals first year manager.

As I write this, the St. Louis Cardinals have been on literal tear, going 31-13 in the second half of the season. This includes a 22-7 run in August, which was an incredible .759 winning percentage.

The Cardinals now stand at 81-57 on Sept. 9 with a commanding 8-game lead over the second place Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central. Barring a seismic fall, they will win their first NL Central Crown since 2019, and make their fourth consecutive postseason appearance.

What are the reasons for this year’s second half surge? Certainly Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado having MVP-type seasons are major reasons. Also, the surprising breakout of rookies Lars Nootbaar and Brandon Donovan, along with the second half performance of Corey Dickerson. No one can doubt the trade deadline deals that brought Jordan Montgomery and Jose Quintana to the Cardinals rotation made a big impact.

Yes, all those should be included with having the best infield in baseball, a solid bullpen, and, off course, Albert Pujols.

But what about the impact of first year Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol? What talents has Marmol brought to this year’s team? Has he been improvement over Mike Shildt?

I posed these questions to a few of the Cardinals bloggers and podcasters I interact with during the season. Here are the responses I received.