The St. Louis Cardinals have a new manager, as 35-year old bench coach Oliver Marmol was elevated to the managerial position on Monday, replacing Mike Shildt, who was fired two weeks ago after leading the Cardinals to a National League wild-card berth in 2021.
At just 35 years of age, Marmol is the youngest Cardinal manager since 34-year old Marty Marion in 1951.
Marmol has spent his entire pro career with the Cardinals organization, chosen in the sixth round of the 2007 draft, only to see his playing career derail shortly thereafter. He coached in the minor leagues until 2017, when he became the first base coach in St. Louis. For the last three seasons, he was bench coach for Shildt, with the Cardinals reaching the postseason all three years.
However, just making the postseason at times isn’t seen as successful enough in St. Louis, one of the winningest organizations in MLB.
Marmol recognized the pressure that comes with the job, saying “A championship is the goal, and anything less than that, it is a disappointment. This year, 2022, will be no different.”