Why Rangers Hiring Skip Schumaker Creates Long-Term Question For Cardinals

Was Schumaker the right skip for St. Louis?

Sep 10, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker (45) hits ground balls during batting practice before a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

One managerial vacancy has quickly been filled, and the St. Louis Cardinals had both nothing and everything to do with the move.

After parting ways with manager Bruce Bochy this week, the Texas Rangers quickly focused their search on Skip Schumaker, the former Cardinals infielder and Miami Marlins manager who spent the last year in Texas' front office as a senior advisor.

On Friday, the news became official. Schumaker will be the 21st manager in Rangers franchise history.

Skip Schumaker could be the one that got away in St. Louis

Apr 9, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals bench coach Skip Schumaker (55) looks on from the dugout during the fifth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

“I am honored and excited for this opportunity to manage the Rangers,” Schumaker said, per MLB Trade Rumors. “While I attained a good understanding of the organization through my front office role this past season, the conversations with Chris Young, (general manager) Ross Fenstermaker, and others this week have only intensified my interest in this opportunity. I can’t wait to begin the work for 2026.”

Schumaker, who was drafted by the Cardinals all the way back in 2001, played eight years in the majors with the team, then served as the bench coach from 2021 to 2022 (the last two years the team made the playoffs). But if St. Louis ever had designs on hiring him as manager, that opportunity has passed.

This isn't a knock on Oliver Marmol, who has received his fair share of both criticism and praise in his four years as Cardinals manager. But Schumaker impressed in his stint with the Marlins, taking a meager roster to the postseason in 2023 before stepping down in 2024 following an inexplicable front-office sell-off.

One has to imagine that Schumaker would have jumped at the opportunity to manage this St. Louis club, had it been offered in any of the last few offseasons. Now, he's got a four-year contract in Texas, with a team that won a World Series two years ago.

It seems highly unlikely that Schumaker will be on the market if the Cardinals decide to move on from Marmol during their impending rebuild. Whether that becomes a long-term regret is for the future to answer.

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