How Much Credit Does Oliver Marmol Deserve for Cardinals Surprising Start?
At the start of the season, expectations weren't very high for the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Cardinals entered the 2026 campaign with the youngest roster in Major League Baseball, with no player over 27. St. Louis also moved on from two veteran stalwarts this offseason, trading All-Star third basemanNolan Arenado to the Arizona Diamondbacks and infielder Brendan Donovan to the Seattle Mariners.
Despite these low expectations, the Cardinals have been one of baseball's biggest surprises this year thanks to their youth movement led by rookie phenom JJ Wetherholt. After Ivan Herrera's walk-off home run sealed a 9-6 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night, the Redbirds are now 28-19 on the season and just half a game behind the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the National League Central.
WAVE 'EM IN THE AIR, ST. LOUIS! pic.twitter.com/Pb5P1iDrEf
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 20, 2026
While the Cardinals' young core of players have certainly helped them get off to this great start, manager Oliver Marmol is also getting a ton of praise for the job he's done.
During an appearance on the Foul Territory podcast, Cardinals broadcaster Jim Hayes explained why he thinks Marmol deserves significant credit for the job he's done with this ballclub.
"[The] players have always liked Oli, even when they weren't winning; everybody played for Oli. I didn't hear things from the clubhouse against Oli," Hayes said. "I think he has the ability to motivate, to appease the higher-ups...he's got everyone to buy in to what they need to do, to listen to the coaching staff. The organization has confidence, and he's starting to win over fans. How can you argue with that?"
Oli Marmol is proving why he's the man for the job in St. Louis.
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) May 20, 2026
"The organization has confidence, and he's starting to win over fans. How can you argue with that?" pic.twitter.com/aY6SXCxX39
Marmol was hired by the Cardinals during the 2021 offseason following the shocking departure of Mike Shildt. And after making the playoffs during his first season in 2022, St. Louis has missed the postseason over the last three seasons, including compiling losing records in 2023 and 2025.
Despite that lack of success, the Cardinals have still shown clear trust in Marmol, best shown by their decision to sign the 38-year-old to a two-year extension before the start of this season. Given the middling results over the past three years, this was a move that some found surprising.
It looks like, though, the Cardinals knew what they were doing with that move. Marmol clearly has this team motivated and on pace to avoid back-to-back losing seasons, a feat they have never accomplished in a full 162-game season. They will now aim higher and try to contend for the NL Central crown, with every team in the division at .500 or better.
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This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 1:12 PM.