‘Reality is, I needed to be better’ : Make-or-break third season ahead for Oli Marmol

ST. LOUIS – Coming off their first losing season in 15 years and worst finish in decades, the St. Louis Cardinals look to turn the page and build back to franchise standards.

Soon-to-be third-year manager Oli Marmol says the road to improvement starts with him.

During the Cardinals’ Winter Warm Up offseason event two weeks ago, Marmol dug deep during a self-reflection of his first two seasons.

“You learn a lot. You have a positive season in ’22. You have a season in ’23 that wasn’t so positive. It was a difficult year, and you learn a lot about yourself,” said Marmol.

“It tested my character. It really did. It makes you sit back and think through what went well, what didn’t, and what I would do different.”

“The reality is, I needed to be better. Last year wasn’t good enough, and our staff needs to be better. But that starts with me.”

(NOTE: Check back for video of these comments and more later on)

Marmol enters his third season as a big-league manager on the final year of an entry-level contract. It doesn’t appear the Cardinals have discussed the possibility of a contract extension one-on-one with Marmol much this winter.

With his future managing the Cardinals beyond 2024 somewhat uncertain, Marmol knows there’s pressure to perform.

The Heat Is On

In light of his contract uncertainty, Marmol told media members at Winter Warm Up that it’s not a motivator for him to turn things around.

“If you look at it that way, then what the hell were you doing for two years if you were motivated just now?” said Marmol. “I don’t think of that in that sense. For 18 years, I’ve woken up and wanted to make the St. Louis Cardinals better. This is no different.”

More coaches

The Cardinals added three new members to their coaching staff, all who hope to help Marmol in different ways.

Former 2011 World Series champion Daniel Descalso is the new bench coach. Former pitcher Dean Kiekhefer will serve as an assistant pitching coach. And the Cardinals promoted Daniel “DC” MacLea as their Major League Coordinator of Technology and Systems.

Marmol and Descalso shared parts of their minor-league journeys together and hope to bounce various strategic ideas off of each other.

“I love Daniel Descalso,” said Marmol. “Everything he brings to the table, from his personality to his accountability, to his experience in the game. He’s a winner. He does a really good job of being direct with players, but he does it in a way where he’s continuously earning their trust. This is a guy I have a lot of respect for.”

Marmol also acknowledged MacLea will have an important role in team analytics.

“You have a lot more technology to make adjustments when it comes to mechanics on the pitching side [and] on the hitting side. So increasing the number of staff only makes sense,” said Marmol. “You only have so many hours in the day. And you want to make sure certain positions are really intentional about being relational with the player and being available to the player.”

Another team mentor

Yadier Molina, one of the most decorated catchers in Cardinals history, returns to the team as a special advisor to President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak. To start the 2024 season, Molina will mostly engage in front office roles, but he’ll also be available to help Cardinals catchers and other big-leaguers as needed.

Marmol, whose first season managing was Molina’s last season catching, says he has a strong relationship with Molina and knows his return will benefit the franchise.

“I had numerous conversations with Yadi at all times of the day over the last couple months, leading to him accepting the position to join us. At the end of the day, I wanted him around as much as possible.”

“My hope was to have him in our dugout often, but the time’s not right for that just yet. So, having any bit of Yadi is definitely a good thing.”

Impact of new hires

In Marmol’s eyes. there’s an interesting connection between Molina and Descalso that also includes former bench coach Skip Schumaker and almost-bench coach Matt Holliday. He believes all four are capable in managing big-league ballclubs.

Marmol says there’s a reason why many former Cardinals are pushing for big roles.

“For me, that position [as bench coach], I want to hire somebody that could replace me,” said Marmol. “You want to surround yourself with people that can challenge you. …. I’m constantly looking at that position as one that they have the qualities to be a manager.

“Skip’s done a nice job. I think Matt at some point will jump in and do a really good job. Descalso is no different.

As for Molina, Marmol added “he’s hungry to understand the ins and outs of what it looks like to be a coach at the big-league level.”

How exactly is Marmol comfortable with that arrangement? He says it’s part of the nature of the game.

“It’s a high-stake environment,” said Marmol. “If you’re not secure, then the seat’s not for you. It’s as simple as that. You want the best people around you at all times. That means you’re hiring people who can also one day do your job. I think that’s the best way to do it.”

“This isn’t a matter of skating around. It doesn’t matter to me. It really doesn’t. I want that best people in the clubhouse, in the dugout, on our staff, and I’ll continue to do that.”

Revamped rotation

The Cardinals added three former All-Stars with a combined several decades of experience in starting pitching this winter. Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson all join the fold.

“Every move that has been made has been with a purpose,” said Marmol. “These guys are going to add to the win column, no doubt about that. That’s why they’re here, but they’re also going to do a really good job of speaking life into this clubhouse.”

If the new trio is healthy, along with Miles Mikolas and Steven Matz, Marmol won’t have too many tough decisions to make rotation-wise aside from spot starts.

Production aside, Marmol says Gray, Lynn and Gibson will all carry a competitive edge.

“These are guys that are hungry to win but know what it takes to bring a clubhouse together,” said Marmol. “When you talk about a sustainable culture, that’s extremely important. Conversations with those guys this offseason have been tremendous.”

Renewed sense of urgency

Marmol feels the players have held themselves accountable for last year’s setbacks and believes there’s lots of motivation for this year’s squad.

“This is a group that honestly isn’t looking at the past,” said Marmol. “They do have their eye on what’s possible moving forward, and they’ve done a really good job investing a lot of time and energy making sure next year looks different.”

Marmol says many players have taken on leadership roles in unique ways and seems optimsitic about the clubhouse culture.

“The conversations that are taking place from a culture standpoint and expectations have been a lot of fun,” said Marmol. “I think it’s sustainable. I’ve been highly encouraged by the offseason.”

All things considered, a make-or-break season is on deck for Marmol, and it’ll be here before we know it. Pitchers and catchers will report to spring camp in Jupiter, Florida by Feb. 14.

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