Former Cardinals manager defends his stars in a way Oli Marmol wouldn't understand

The St. Louis Cardinals fired Mike Shildt prior to the 2022 season due to some philosophical differences, or so they said at the time. This is despite the fact that Shildt had spent his entire career within the Cardinals organization to that point and was nominated for NL Manager of the Year that same season.

The Cardinals front office wanted to go in a different direction, and that direction was Oli Marmol. So far during his tenure in St. Louis, Marmol has done little but disappoint. Still, he is preferred by the front office, which is why the Cardinals signed him to an extension just months after he finished last place in the NL Central.

If there is one issue Marmol has on a consistent basis, it's an inability to connect with his players. In fact, Marmol does the exact opposite, sending clear signals to underperforming players on the team through the media. It's his style of management, which isn't a successful one so far in his young career.

Mike Shildt defends his players the way Oli Marmol should with the Cardinals

Players often make mistakes on the field, and the best way to handle those is in-house. Marmol has made the mistake of airing his grievances to the media on several occasions, including when he wrongly assumed then-Cardinals outfielder Tyler O'Neill didn't hustle early in 2023. As it turned out, O'Neill was injured, and is now one of the better hitters in the Boston Red Sox lineup. Whoops.

Now with the San Diego Padres, the former Cardinals Shildt came to the defense of Fernando Tatis Jr., calling out opposing teams for throwing up-and-in at one of the Pads best players.

"We're seeing way too many pitches up and in on Tati," Shildt said, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. "It's enough. It really is enough. If you want to throw in, that's fine. But I don't know what people are trying to accomplish by throwing up and in. All you're doing is pissing the guy off, and it's uncalled for. ... It's happening way too frequently, and it's not something that we're going to tolerate much longer."

Marmol has certainly stood up for his players to the media before, but those opportunities are few and far between. Shildt is a players manager, and because of that they love playing for him. Marmol is a loose cannon, and in the end that will be his downfall.