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

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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.

Oliver Marmol #37 of the St Louis Cardinals argues with home plate umpire CB Bucknor #54 after being ejected during the third inning of a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on August 21, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /

What kind of job has Oli Marmol done with the Cardinals?

Ben Cerutti (@stlfanbc7)

Ben is a blogger at Birds on the Black and host of the Conversation with Cerutti podcast

“I think that the Cardinals made a massive improvement when they went from Mike Matheny to Mike Shildt. Bullpen strategy alone was worth the transition.”

“I also believe that the Cardinals made an improvement when they went from Mike Shildt to Oli Marmol. I personally believe that Marmol has had fantastic bullpen management this year(for the most part-of course I will quibble now and then, without knowing what he knows about individuals being available that day). I also believe that Marmol’s willingness to play the matchups on offense and stick to his guns has made an enormous difference on this team”

Chris Lollis (@_ChirsLollis)

Chris is the founder of the Cardinals Nation 24/7 Facebook group and Facebook page. He also blogs at and co-hosts the Cardinals Nation 24/7 podcast

“Given the talent that St. Louis has, it’s hard to say how much better/worse the team has been under Marmol than if Shildt was still managing. Having said that, the shift to Marmol (and addition of Skip Schumaker) has seemed to provide a good clubhouse presence with both the young guys and veterans of the club.”

“There are definitely similarities in how Marmol and Shildt manage, but without direct knowledge of what goes on behind closed doors and just speaking as a fan, I’d say the Cardinals are a more energized team under Marmol. I think he probably has a hand in Nootbaar. Donovan, Gorman, and others transitioning to this level better than if under Shildt.”

“And lastly, just listening to Marmol’s pre/postgame interviews, he doesn’t seem to sugarcoat things as much and isn’t afraid to point out what aspects aren’t clicking. Whereas under Shildt, we’d often hear the ‘Gotta tip our cap to the opposing team’ speech that sounded like a broken record, multiple times a week.”

Greg Simons (@GregSimonsSays)

Greg is one of our top bloggers here at Redbird Rants

“That’s such a tough call. Determining how much influence a manager has over a team’s record is challenging when other factors such as the composition of the 26-man roster, injuries, front-office influences, and simple dumb luck are all part of the equation. A manager can only move the needle so much.”

“Considering Shildt was at the helm during last season’s 17-game winning streak, it’s difficult to say he was a detriment last year. Of course, the team dismissed him because it thought his leadership wasn’t going to meld with the front office’s plans. Given that, I’ll say the team is doing better with Marmol than they would have with Shildt. That’s not an implication of the former manager, just an acknowledgement that the Cardinals had a plan in mind, and executing that plan would have been more challenging with Shildt in the dugout. St. Louis’ success is a positive reflection on Marmol’s ability to handle the playing time, pitching, decisions, and range of ages and personalities in the clubhouse. A rookie manager having a solid case for a Manager of the Year award is someone whose managerial career is off to a very good start.”

Albert Pujols (5) celebrates with manager Oliver Marmol (37) after the Cardinals defeated the San Francisco Giants at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

Donald Glenn (@BigD_GCS)

(Donald is the host of the Talking Sports on the Bleachers Podcast and a blogger at Gateway City Sports)

“I think really it comes down to support by the front office. I think there was a definite conflict between Mo and Shildt that snowballed. Mo may have publicly supported Shildt, but his movements with the club did not reflect that”

“Marmol has enjoyed an updated roster, additions to the rotation, and the bullpen that were not reclaimed projects. I think if you put a bat like Dickerson in place of say Carp and you have a guy like Montgomery in the rotation last year, it would been a lot different. I think Shildt would have done quite well with this group. I can’t say he would have won more games by now, but I would have like to seen what he could have done with it.”

” I will also say I think the team is playing looser because they don’t sense the tension between the clubhouse and management.”

Ultimate St. Louis Cardinals Fans Facebook Group

Ultimate St. Louis Cardinals Fans is a facebook group that was founded by Mark Gram. I threw the question to the members of this group. Here are some of the responses:

Mark Gram (@mkg59)

“I don’t think there would be a big difference in the Cardinals won/loss record. I do feel that Marmol has created a closer relationship with the players than Shildt had, especially in 2021.”

Rick Zelle

“No difference. Unless a manager is just horrific, quality of players on the roster, and players performance has more to do with wins and losses. I have the utmost respect for both Shildt and Marmol.”

Bill Shuler

“99% of managers are interchangeable parts. Exceptions are LaRussa and Whitey on the good end of the spectrum and Vern Rapp on the other end.

Aaron Allen

“Managers are limited by their roster…..the best managers only impact a couple of games per year. I don’t think there is much difference, at least so far, between the two to say that the team is in a different place now than they would have been with Shildt.”

My own thoughts

It’s hard, if not impossible, to quantify Marmol’s impact on this year’s team. Nevertheless, the team is playing better and looks like it will outpace last year’s 90 wins.

I feel the organization is better in sync with Marmol in the manager’s role as opposed to Mike Shildt. This is what Bill DeWitt Jr has been trying to accomplish as far back as 2007, when they released Walt Jocketty as General Manager and promoted John Mozeliak.

Building an organization from the top down with the Analytics philosophy has been DeWitt’s goal. It feels like the firing of Shildt and the promotion of Marmol has completed that circle. I guess my view closely mirrors a comment from Kevin Jones of the Ultimate St. Louis Cardinals Fans Facebook group.

“Oli seems to be working the plan and implementing the analytics without losing touch with the style of baseball that Cardinal fans have. Now that the front office, manager, coaches, and players are on the same page, the team is doing well.”

So to answer my own question: Is the team better, worse, or the same with Oliver Marmol as the manager? I believe they are better. However, I just can’t quantify Marmol’s overall impact.

Next. Predicting what the St. Louis Cardinals roster looks like in 2025. dark

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