Cardinals: Oli Marmol’s insightful interview encouraging for St. Louis

The St. Louis Cardinals manager was interviewed on 101 ESPN on Friday, and Cardinals fans should be reminded of just how excellent Marmol is.

St. Louis Cardinals manager Oli Marmol went 93-69 in his first year as the club’s skipper, but many fans were left disappointed after a Wild Card Series sweep at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies. While I myself questioned some of Marmol’s decisions in Game 1 of series, he still remained one of the biggest bright spots of the 2022 season.

The 36-year old appeared on BK & Ferrario on 101 ESPN to discuss a wide-range of topics, impressing once again at the mix of leadership, thoughtfulness, and baseball knowledge that the manager has. This should come as no surprise to anyone who watched him closely all year long and is a great reminder for even his biggest fans.

What stuck out to me the most from the 20 minute interview was Marmol’s response to what goes into his decision making, which Brandon Kiley captured the quotes on Twitter.

It’s pretty impressive that the manager of one of the most passionate, and sometimes one of the most critical, fanbases in baseball would be so fired up to explain all decisions he makes. Whenever Marmol explains his thinking, even if you do not agree with it, he is always able to give a sound and compelling reason for his actions. You can’t ask for much more than that.

John Mozeliak and the Cardinals front office loved Marmol’s leadership traits and overall talent as a potential manger, but also cited his ability to learn and work with others as a big reason he got the job after manager Mike Schildt was fired. Knowing the skipper, he will learn a lot from his first year as the St. Louis manager and build upon his success in 2023.

It is clear he has buy in from both the clubhouse and front office, making him the ideal middle man as most managers are. Marmol is not afraid to speak up about the front office or his players, pushing both to be the best versions of themselves. Marmol’s goal is World Series or bust, and he appears to be the kind of guy who can make good on that dream.