Cardinals: 3 biggest mistakes Oli Marmol made so far this season

Cardinals: Oli Marmol should’ve kept Tyler O’Neill drama in-house

Yes, this absolutely counts as two mistakes in one.

Marmol’s perception that O’Neill wasn’t hustling is one thing. If that’s the case, then perhaps some punishment is in order, like benching him the next game or even taking him out of that contest vs. the Braves.

However, taking out his frustration with O’Neill in the media definitely cost him some points with Cardinals players, which could very well rear its ugly head long-term. O’Neill would’ve rather solved this problem in-house. In fact, he likely thought it had been handled, until Marmol went to the media and voiced his problem.

O’Neill is a talented player and the Cards need him now more than ever. St. Louis has plenty of outfield depth, but several of those players are injured. O’Neill is arguably their best everyday outfielder at the moment. Why would Marmol try to mess with his head?

Sure, there are consequences for any action, including not hustling on the baseball diamond. Marmol took it a step too far. The following day, he benched O’Neill and put him on blast in the process:

“There is a standard here. You meet it, you play. You don’t, you don’t,” Marmol said.

What happens in the clubhouse ought to stay there. If not, there is no trust between a manager and his players.