MLB Rumors: Oli Marmol replacement, Pirates frustration, Verlander calls out Tigers
By Mark Powell
MLB Rumors: If Oli Marmol is fired, who replaces him?
The St. Louis Cardinals are off to their worst start in decades, and Oli Marmol could be the scapegoat if the team doesn’t turn things around fast. St. Louis entered the season with World Series aspirations. Now, a playoff appearances even feels like a longshot.
Marmol’s decision-making has come into question many times, including on Thursday when he pulled Nolan Gorman in favor of Taylor Motter. Gorman is a far better hitter than Motter, and there were men on-base in the sixth inning when this occurred. After the game, Marmol defended his decision before backtracking to suggest Gorman had back tightness.
If the Cards were to fire Marmol in-season, the replacement would likely come from within, and with an interim tag. St. Louis has a habit of hiring from within the organization anyway, as Marmol and Mike Shildt before him were both assistants prior to promotion. FanSided’s Kevin Henry suggested a couple of candidates, namely Cards bench coach Joe McEwing:
"“As the St. Louis bench coach, McEwing is seen by many as the right-hand man to Marmol. He also has ties to the organization as a player, spending two seasons in St. Louis in 1998 and 1999. McEwing has experience navigating through difficult times while in Chicago and he has plenty of big league experience as a coach and as a manager. Making the move to McEwing would make sense on a number of levels from an organizational standpoint if the Cardinals were to make a switch.”"
McEwing can also list Tony La Russa as a reference, which should only help matters in a place like St. Louis.