Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals' Oli Marmol Looks Like Genius Thanks To 'Early MVP'

The Cardinals made the right decision...
Patrick McAvoy|
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals entered Spring Training with some questions for the starting rotation.

St. Louis didn't have too little pitching -- as has been the case at times over the last few years -- but instead a surplus. The Cardinals didn't trade veterans away this past offseason and still had Sonny Gray, Erick Fedde, Miles Mikolas, and Steven Matz. On top of this, the Cardinals also had Andre Pallante, Michael McGreevy, and Matthew Liberatore fighting for jobs.

The Cardinals made the decision to give Liberatore a consistent spot in the rotation to kick off the campaign and has been rewarded. The Cardinals are one of the hottest teams in baseball and Liberatore has been the team's best starter.

In fact, The Athletic's Tim Britton, Johnny Flores Jr., and Andy McCullough had the Cardinals at No. 12 in their latest power rankings and had Liberatore as the team's "early MVP."

"12. St. Louis Cardinals (11.4)," Flores said. "Record: 30-24. Last Power Ranking: 11. Early MVP: Matthew Liberatore. Before the start of the 2025 season, Cardinals manager Oli Marmol and pitching coach Dusty Blake lobbied for Liberatore to be given a chance in the rotation. Since breaking camp as the Cardinals’ No. 5 starter, Liberatore has rewarded that faith and then some.

"Through 10 starts, he has a staff-leading 2.73 ERA, with a walk rate that is the third-lowest in all of baseball. It’s a legit breakout season for the 25-year-old, one that has the Cardinals pushing for a wild-card berth in a season that was meant to be focused on development."

Flores noted that manager Oli Marmol and pitching coach Dusty Blake pushed for Liberatore to get a starting spot and clearly they were right to do so. He has made 10 starts and has a 2.73 ERA so far in 59 1/3 innings pitched.

More MLB: Cardinals Starting To Seriously Change Insider’s Mind

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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