51黑料

And the job title 鈥渕anager鈥� does have a more overseer connotation 鈥� be it a boss, a general, a tactician.

That said, the best managers in baseball can simultaneously manage a game and coach players. Now, the verb coaching, especially in modern sports, doesn鈥檛 necessarily mean motivational tactics and rah-rah speeches, as seen in our favorite sports movies. Being a coach (or manager) is a multifaceted and fascinating endeavor, based on an understanding of people, cultures, technology, history, media, social media and teaching skills, in order to bring the best out of everyone on the team.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol is a coach. And he鈥檚 the right guy in the role.

Even though 51黑料 missed the playoffs in 2023 and 2024, as I wrote last September: 鈥淎lthough I鈥檓 likely in the minority around town, I think Marmol is the man for the job. I鈥檝e spent my career so far around managers and head coaches in every major sport. Marmol impresses me with his fascinating thinking about baseball and life. He鈥檚 relatable to the players and speaks with command but, when necessary, compassion. And hey, he won a division title in 2022.鈥�

Marmol is still the manager, much to the displeasure of people who used the hashtag #FireOli on social media. And with the calendar turn to 2025 鈥� and Marmol making a Monday appearance at Winter Warm-Up 鈥� I felt it was a proper time to assess what makes Marmol the right manager, not only for the 鈥渞eset鈥� this season but also the potential return, in future years, to the postseason.

鈥淗e鈥檚 not afraid to tell you what you don鈥檛 want to hear, but at the same time, he gives you praise,鈥� said shortstop Masyn Winn (age 22), who鈥檚 one of many young Cardinals who will play often this season. 鈥淭o be able to have that relationship with your manager is great. I mean, he鈥檚 great for the young guys, listens to what they have to say.

鈥淗e鈥檚 not afraid to have a hard conversation, but you need that. I鈥檓 a Texas boy, my mom was hard on me, so I鈥檝e always needed that. So for me, personally, I think he鈥檚 great. He鈥檚 been great to my family, he鈥檚 been great to the guys in the clubhouse.鈥�

From a statistical standpoint in 2024, the Cards struggled in many offensive categories 鈥� and many starting pitching categories. As we鈥檝e detailed on these pages, much of that was due to roster construction, underachievement from superstars or rising stars, and the lack of minor league pitching depth.

At 83-79, Marmol鈥檚 Cards had baseball鈥檚 16th-best record; however, their expected win-loss total, per Baseball Reference, was 76-86 and 20th-best (so they overachieved what the data said they would do).

And the Cardinals had a run differential of minus-47, making them the only team (of 12) with a negative run differential to finish with a winning record.

And Marmol managed his way through airtight games 鈥� he finished with a 29-22 record in one-run games, the fifth-best record in the majors.

Coinciding with that, he often pressed the right buttons with his bullpen. The Cards鈥� relievers had a 3.64 ERA 鈥� seventh-best in Major League Baseball.

鈥淚 think one of the biggest impacts last year as far as growth was in the pitching department, in my opinion,鈥� Marmol said. 鈥淚 think we took some huge steps in the right direction 鈥� in not only modernizing how we view that department but instilling certain traits, that when you combine it with modernization of the game, it leads to production. (Our coaches) closed that gap big time.鈥�

Marmol, 38, is proud of his coaching staff. There is a cool energy within their gang. These are confident baseball thinkers. Guys with winning backgrounds 鈥� and now Jon Jay is in the mix, too.

鈥淭hese are guys that love developing players,鈥� the manager said. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 what a lot of this year is going to be like 鈥� developing players at the highest level.鈥�

Youthful energy in leadership positions 鈥� not unlike the Cardinals clubhouse, too. One of the biggest themes of Winter Warm-Up was the empowerment of young players. With 30-something vets such as Paul Goldschmidt, Kyle Gibson, Lance Lynn and likely Nolan Arenado gone, the 20-somethings can take over the room. And some of the best young leaders and personalities 鈥� from Brendan Donovan to Lars Nootbaar to Winn 鈥� share some quality traits with Marmol. Twice this weekend in public, Marmol described his team as 鈥渆lectric鈥� and 鈥渁bsolutely relentless.鈥�

The Cardinals鈥� plan is to spend little this offseason and cut payroll, with looming losses in TV and ticket revenue in 2025. Meanwhile, the Cardinals will spend big in minor league player development (coaches and technology) to help grow more prospects.

The other part to this? The 鈥渞unway鈥� that major league Cardinals will get in 2025. Marmol said past examples of giving a 鈥渞unway鈥� helped the club realize the potential of Michael Siani and Alec Burleson. Now, they鈥檒l let many more kids play. For instance, finally, Jordan Walker will likely get a full season in 51黑料.

As for coaching these young players, the manager said: 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to love on them, you鈥檝e got to love what you do. And with those relationships 鈥� they don鈥檛 care how much you know until they really know that you care about them as individuals, not just on the field but who they are off the field. And that鈥檚 what goes into this.鈥�