The St. Louis Cardinals are one of the worst teams in baseball this season, entering MLB games today near the bottom of the MLB standings. Without improvement quickly, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol could find himself on the hot seat.
Marmol, age 37, is one of the youngest managers in MLB. He joined the Cardinals organization in 2007 as a sixth-round pick and became a hitting coach for the club’s Gulf Coast team in 2011. By 2017, he headed to St. Louis as the team’s first base coach and shifted to bench coach in 2019.
Related:St. Louis Cardinals game today, Cardinals schedule 2024
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
It’s been downhill since then. The Cardinals posted a 71-91 record last season, finishing 20 games under the .500 mark for the first time in decades. Marmol was retained for the 2024 season, with the hope that pitching add in free agency would turn things around. Through 40 games, the Cardinals are on track to be even worse (.400) this season.
Related: MLB players who could be traded this summer, including St. Louis Cardinals star
If St. Louis decides to move on from Marmol this year, the club will promote someone from within the organization to take over as interim skipper. However, there’s one candidate who could be a threat to take the job this winter.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post speculated that if the Cardinals manager position is vacant this offseason, Skip Schumaker could be a possibility for the team.
Also Read: Best baseball players of all time, including St. Louis Cardinals’ great
Schumaker, age 44, is currently the Miami Marlins manager. However, after helping the team earn a surprise postseason appearance in 2023, a new front-office regime decided not to exercise his 2025 team option. As a result, he’s expected to leave the team following the 2024 season.
He started his major-league career with the Cardinals, selected by the team in the fifth round of the 2001 MLB Draft. Schumaker made his MLB debut in 2005 in a Cardinals uniform and played for the team through the 2012 season, winning a World Series with the club in 2011. If St. Louis makes a change, Schumaker’s ties to the organization and his early success in Miami could make him a top candidate for the Cardinals.