Breaking: Oliver Marmol on hot seat as Cardinals’ insider names potential manager to replace him
The St. Louis Cardinals, who sit near the bottom of the MLB rankings going into today’s games, are among the poorest clubs in baseball this season. Oliver Marmol, the manager of the Cardinals, might be fired if things don’t get better soon.
Marmol is one of MLB’s youngest managers at 37 years old. He was drafted by the Cardinals in the sixth round in 2077, and in 2011 he was appointed hitting coach for the team’s Gulf Coast affiliate. He moved to St. Louis in 2017 as the first base coach for the team, and in 2019 he became the bench coach.
When Cardinals manager Mike Shildt was fired following the 2021 season, after posting a 90-72 record, St. Louis wasted little time in promoting Marmol to become its new skipper. He delivered strong results in his first season, 93-69, but the Cardinals experienced the same first-round exit in the NL Wild Card Round as they did under Shildt.
- Oliver Marmol manager record: 180-184 (.495) with the St. Louis Cardinals
Since then, things have become worse. For the first time in decades, the Cardinals finished 20 games below.500 with a 71-91 record in the previous campaign. Marmol was signed on for the 2024 campaign in the hopes that adding a pitcher via free agency would improve the situation. The Cardinals are on pace to be even worse (.400) this season after 40 games played.
In the event that St. Louis decides not to continue with Marmol this season, a member of the team will be promoted to serve as interim captain. There is one applicant, though, who might pose a challenge to win the position this winter.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Skip Schumaker would be a contender for the Cardinals if the manager position becomes available this offseason.
At 44 years old, Schumaker manages the Miami Marlins at the moment. However, a new front-office leadership chose not to exercise his 2025 team option after he helped the team earn an unexpected postseason trip in 2023. He is therefore anticipated to depart the team after the 2024 campaign.
The Cardinals were his first major-league team, having taken him in the fifth round of the 2001 MLB Draft. In 2005, Schumaker made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut wearing a Cardinals uniform. He remained a member of the organization until the 2012 season, during which he won a World Series in 2011. Schumaker’s connections to the team and his early success in Miami would make him a strong contender for the Cardinals if St. Louis decides to make a move.
