ST. LOUIS (KMOX) – From his draft day, to managing rookie ball, to becoming the first St. Louis Cardinals manager of color since 1940, Oli Marmol covered a lot of his background in a KMOX interview we conducted on Monday, the day of his introduction as the 51st skipper in team history.
As far as his job moving forward, here are six of my questions for Marmol, the youngest manager in MLB at the age of 35:
TA: When I say “Manager of the St. Louis Cardinals,” what goes through your mind?
OM: We’re talking about one of the most storied franchises in all of sports. It’s an absolute honor. It’s a privilege… not many people get to manage, let alone for one of the top organizations in all of sports. It’s an absolute privilege to be able to lead this organization forward.
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TA: To take a spot that (Mike Shildt) occupied, I’m sure there are several emotions flowing through you, as they are through him. I mean, he always speaks very highly of you, Oli.
OM: Yeah, there’s definitely a ton of emotions. When you look back at equipping me to be in this position, there’s a lot of time and energy that went into that. Didn’t think it would be today, but to be able to have a conversation with him and get his support on moving this organization forward was meaningful. And I’m looking forward to doing exactly that.
TA: It is a job with very high expectations… but you will lean on a lot of people. The word “collaborative” has come up a lot. Can you describe, just from your perspective, your view of the organization from that standpoint? From the front office down – actually, from ownership down – and how they have tried to move this organization forward in that fashion?
OM: I think that’s what the greatest organizations and companies do. They are never content with where they are at, and they’re looking to improve upon their processes that are in place. That’s what I’m looking forward to doing. We’ve got to understand, this organization has had a ton of success. So when we talk about doing things differently, I don’t think of it that way… as much as I build upon the success that this organization has had. And modernize certain strategies and decision-making tools and things of that nature. It’s definitely building on the tradition of rich history that’s already in place here. The collaborative nature that you’re talking about… it’s being able to have a continued conversation with the front office, with the baseball development and analytical department, with the performance staff, with the medical staff and all other departments that play a role in the player performing… and making sure that we’re all speaking the same language. And at the end of the day, moving the mission forward to win a championship for the city of St. Louis. It’s very collaborative. It’s using all the resources at hand to make sure that we’re making sustainable decisions for 162 games. And that’s what I’m looking forward to.
TA: This staff, it sounds like, is going to remain intact. Is that the case, as far as you know?
OM: Yeah, we’re excited about our staff. We really are. And our hope is that we do bring our staff back. I’ve been able to talk to several of them over the last couple days. Our staff does a phenomenal job and I mean that in every area. It’s just a great group of guys that are collaborative in nature, that understand what this looks like from a family standpoint. So I’m looking forward to that.
TA: And you have quite the roster, we know that. What have those conversations been like, in general, with your players?
OM: Yeah, I’ve had the opportunity to talk to a couple guys. It’s been good. You want to make sure that when you sit in this seat, you have the respect of your veteran group and that there’s just an understanding of how they want to be held accountable… and what it looks like to push this forward and make sure that they’re reaching their goals personally. But also how that fits into the overall picture of the team. To be able to have discussions with people like Waino, Goldy, Nolan and Yadi… we are looking forward to 2022, I’ll tell you that.
TA: Stepping back and coming up with who the Cardinals are… what are the St. Louis Cardinals to you? What makes this organization successful and how do you do that to achieve a 12th world championship?
OM: The first thing that comes to mind is an absolute pursuit of excellence, in every area. We will push our staff and our players – and everybody involved that comes in contact with our players that has a say or an impact on an overall win – to pursue excellence. That is what’s important here. We’re going to be very detailed in our approach. And when I think of the word “excellence,” it’s every single area in detail. At the end of the year when you look back, you’re able to rest your head and say we didn’t overlook anything.
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