Cardinals’ Oli Marmol Has Silenced Critics Through 52 Games

There was a time not too long ago that people were calling for the St. Louis Cardinals to move on from manager Oli Marmol.

St. Louis has had a tough few years and with Chaim Bloom taking over as the club's president of baseball operations after the 2025 season, it wasn't a guarantee that the club would stick with Marmol. There was even a lot of chatter about franchise legend Yadier Molina to the point that Marmol had to address the noise last summer. At the time, Marmol made it clear that he wasn't worried about his role and he was right not to be.

The Cardinals stuck by Marmol and handed him a two-year extension for the 2027 and 2028 campaigns. Also, the team included a 2029 club option with the extension. They did the right thing.

Oli Marmol Has Been Great In 2026

Apr 22, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol (37) speaks to pitcher Gordon Graceffo (44) after pitching against the Miami Marlins during the sixth inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Right now, the Cardinals are 29-23 through 52 games played in 2026. Marmol has pushed all the right buttons. Despite the club trading away Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, Brendan Donovan and Willson Contreras, St. Louis is better than it was last season. Right now, the Cardinals have the 13th-ranked rotation ERA at 4.09. The Cardinals have the 22nd-ranked bullpen ERA at 4.41, which obviously could be better. On the offensive side of the ball, the Cardinals are 12th in homers (60), 18th in base hits (418), 16th in batting average (.239) and 16th in runs scored (234).

Despite being near the middle of the pack in a lot of major categories, the Cardinals have overachieved. A lot of that can be attributed to good management. The Cardinals may not always score 10 runs, or completely shut down an opposing team's offense, but the club has had timely success, which shows Marmol knows how to put the club in the right position.

On top of this, it can't be ignored that the young Cardinals' roster has taken a step forward in general, starting with Jordan Walker. That's also a positive for Marmol. Before the season, Marmol publicly backed Walker and talked about the faith he has in the young slugger. That confidence and public backing didn't go unnoticed and clearly he was right to stick by his guy. Frankly, there are few things Marmol could do better right now. He has been everything the Cardinals could've hoped for over the last 52 games and has quieted the noise around him.

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