Who is Oliver Oli Marmol? Meet the Cardinals new manager
Just 10 days after firing Mike Shildt, the Cardinals have their next manager.
The club has reportedly pegged bench coach Oliver Marmol to replace Shildt, who was fired Oct. 14 over “philosophical differences.” The announcement is expected to be made at a press conference Monday at 11 a.m. ET.
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Marmol has served as the club’s bench coach since 2019 and has been with the organization since 2007, first as a player and then as a coach.
At 35, he’ll be the youngest manager in the majors by five years. He also is younger than two of his franchise’s cornerstone players — starting pitcher Adam Wainwright (40) and catcher Yadier Molina (39).
Marmol takes over a Cardinals team that went 90-72 last season and made the NL wild-card game thanks to a 17-game winning streak at the end of the season. He replaces Shildt, who went 252-199 in his four seasons at the helm and guided the Cardinals to the 2019 NL Central Division title.
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He also prefers to be called Oli, rather than Oliver, something he confirmed himself.
Here’s everything else you need to know about the 51st manager (per MLB.com) in Cardinals history.
How old is Oli Marmol?
When Marmol assumes the role of Cardinals manager, he’ll be the youngest manager in the major leagues by a wide margin at 35 years, 115 days. The next-youngest manager in MLB is the Twins’ Rocco Baldelli, who will be 40 years, 30 days old on Monday.
Marmol is also older than two of his team’s stars — starting pitcher Adam Wainwright (40) and catcher Yadier Molina (39).
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Since 2000, only one manager — Cleveland’s Eric Wedge — has been younger upon assuming the role. Wedge was hired when he was 35 years, 64 days old.
It’s also the second time this decade the Cardinals will have baseball’s youngest manager. Now-Royals skipper Mike Matheny was 41 when he was hired in 2011.
Was Oli Marmol a manager before?
Marmol has been a member of the Cardinals organization every year since 2007. He was a player in their farm system from 2007-10 and then stepped into his first coaching role as the hitting coach for the Gulf Coast League Cardinals in 2011.
He got his first managerial gig in the organization with the team’s rookie-level affiliate, the Johnson City Cardinals, in 2012. He went 39-28 in his only season in Johnson City.
The next two years, he managed the State College Spikes, then the Cardinals’ short-season Single-A affiliate. In his two seasons in State College, the team had its best two years, going 48-27 in 2013 and 48-28 in 2014.
During his time in State College, he managed future big leaguers Luke Voit, Rowan Wick, Luis Perdomo and Carson Kelly, among others.
In 2015 and 2016, he managed the Palm Beach Cardinals, St. Louis’ full-season Single-A Advanced affiliate. The pitching staff for the 2016 club included Jack Flaherty, Sandy Alcantara, Austin Gomber and Dakota Hudson.
His overall record as a minor league manager was 268-225
Marmol got his call-up to the majors in 2017 when he was named the club’s first base coach. After two years in that position, Marmol was promoted to bench coach, a job he held from 2019 until being named manager of the big league team.
Did Marmol play in the majors?
The newest Cardinals skipper never played in the major leagues.
St. Louis selected Marmol in the sixth round (202nd overall) of the 2007 MLB Draft out of the College of Charleston. He was taken two picks ahead of three-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove-winning first baseman Anthony Rizzo (as noted by Cespedes Family BBQ).
Marmol was a second baseman, shortstop and left fielder across his three seasons in the minors. He never made it higher than Single-A Advanced. In 262 minor league games, he slashed .203/.301/.282 with five home runs and 68 RBIs.
Marmol’s predecessor, Mike Shildt, didn’t even play professional baseball, let alone in the major leagues.
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