Cardinals Manager Oli Marmol Responds To Anonymous Player Poll

The Cardinals manager opened up...

May 31, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol (37) and pitching coach Dusty Blake (90) look to the stands after the Cardinals defeat the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals have a very solid manager on their hands in Oli Marmol.

The last few years have had a lot of drama and transition, but Marmol has steered it well and is a big reason why the Cardinals have played above expectations so far this season. St. Louis is in the middle of one of its coldest streaks of the season, but it is still 36-34 on the season through 70 games.

If you had projected the Cardinals' record at this point before the season, it likely would've been way worse than this. Marmol has helped to steer the ship, but he doesn't have universal love. He actually was tied with Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black in a recent anonymous players' poll shared by The Athletic as a manager players don't want to play for.

Marmol joined "Foul Territory" and had a perfect response to the poll.

"Like you see him across the way and you just hate him," Marmol said. "Like his act. All of it. And then you get him in the clubhouse and you're like 'He's my favorite dude. Like, I want him here for as long as he wants to be here.' So, I don't care like if the opposing team doesn't like me, I'm okay with that. If it's my own guys, that's different. Poll my own guys and then we'll go from there."

Marmol was referencing former big league catcher AJ Pierzynski being voted most hated, but being a good locker room guy.

All that matters is what the Cardinals think of Marmol and things have been good this year.

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