This offseason, it's time to appreciate St. Louis Cardinals manager Oli Marmol

First, a quick story:

In 2019, my younger brother, who works in digital marketing, decided to go to the MLB Winter Meetings in San Diego to see if he might be able to transition to a career in baseball. The aim was to network and determine if such a career switch might be possible.

While wandering the halls, he happened to bump into Mike Shildt, fresh off his Manager of the Year award after guiding the Cardinals to a division title and an NLCS appearance. My brother approached Shildt to express his admiration and asked if he might be able to share some advice for a young professional interested in a future baseball career.

Despite how busy he must have been, Shildt stopped and spoke to my brother for a few minutes, offering him some tips on how to break into the trade while also encouraging him not to give up on his dream. I don’t know the specifics of what he said, but my brother told me that he was ready to run through a wall for Shildt.

I’ve thought about that story a lot the last few weeks. For those Cardinals fans living under a rock, the San Diego Tribune published a story last month detailing Shildt’s issues working with staff in both San Diego and St. Louis.

And while I was disappointed to read the report, I don’t share the story with my brother to offer any comment there. Instead, I tell it to offer context into why I was so upset when Shildt was fired for “philosophical differences,” a phrase that was left (it seems now) purposely — albeit maddeningly — vague.

And, if I’m being honest, I think those feelings led to a lukewarm reception from me — and I’m sure many others — toward Oli Marmol.

At the time Marmol was announced as the next manager, replacing the successful Shildt, I was embarrassed by the Cardinals organization. A skipper who received votes for Manager of the Year each year he was here (including his half-year stint in 2018) was unceremoniously dumped for Marmol, who was (unfairly) considered to be a John Mozeliak yes-man.

While my perception of Marmol has certainly changed since then, I think it’s always been hard to fully embrace him as the leader of the Cardinals. Yes, the past three seasons of baseball futility have not helped, but I think it’s been more than that. I think it was the stink of the Shildt sacking.   

And while plenty of people are now seeing Mozeliak in a new light, I think my perception toward Marmol is what has changed the most.

Last month, following the Tribune report, Derrick Goold reminded fans on his Best Podcast in Baseball that it was Marmol who held the staff together during Shildt’s time here, serving as a conduit between field staff and the manager and managing any feelings that might have frayed.

I admittedly somehow missed Goold’s reporting of that the first time around, and when I heard it again on the podcast, it finally opened my eyes. If Marmol could weather that storm, perhaps his interpersonal skills are as good as advertised. In light of what we know now, it makes sense that those qualities are what the front office focused on when selecting him to lead the team.

This offseason will be a pivotal one for the Cardinals, with a checklist of figuring out what this team will be over the next few years.

But my own personal offseason checklist? It starts with learning to appreciate Marmol more — and to finally give him a fair shake.