Oliver Marmol's candid quote should be refreshing to Cardinals fans

Coming into spring training this year, many of us expected St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol to favor certain players over others, no matter how the "position battle" actually played out on the field.

The position this conversation occurred the most was with center field, as Victor Scott II, coming off a rough rookie campaign, came into camp red-hot and thoroughly outplayed the incumbent, Michael Siani, for the center field job.

But even as we awaited the official Opening Day roster, many of us believed the Cardinals would not hand the role over to Scott. And yet, they did.

Another name coming into camp who seemed to have his name written in pen in the starting lineup was Nolan Gorman, but he also "lost" his job to a player who pushed him hard in camp, Alec Burleson.

With Nolan Arenado still on the Cardinals roster to begin the 2025 season, having someone like Victor Scott II start in center field means the club is going to have a crunch when it comes to at-bats for young players on the roster. Gorman seems to have drawn the short end of the stick in that regard thus far, which is surprising considering how John Mozeliak talked about his role all offseason.

When Marmol was asked about this dynamic, specifically how Scott's presence impacts others' playing time, he had this refreshing quote to share.

“Sure, it takes at-bats away from somebody, but that’s the whole point of there not being a level above this one,” Marmol said. “This isn’t just free opportunity. It’s the damn big leagues. You earn it. You run with it, and if you never look back, good for you. It’s at somebody’s expense, but when they get an opportunity, they’ve got to run with it, too."

Oliver Marmol's stance when it comes to the playing time of young Cardinals is refreshing

Many of you reading this were dumbfounded regarding how Nolan Gorman could be handed a starting job when he struggled so badly in 2024 and is coming off a rough camp as well. I get that. I really do. And it sounds like Marmol does as well.

Opportunities are earned when you get to this level. Runway is important in a year like this where you want to see players sink or swim, but if someone is drowning like Gorman has been, it is hard to justify consistent opportunities until he earns it or someone else loses theirs.

I do think this mentality will work its way to the Cardinals rotation sooner rather than later. Matthew Liberatore is an example of that out of camp, but Michael McGreevy and Quinn Mathews will soon join him starting games in St. Louis. And if guys produce, more opportunities will come their way.