3 teams that should have fired their managers for Craig Counsell
By Curt Bishop
1. St. Louis Cardinals
Somehow, some way, the entire Cardinals coaching staff is intact for 2024 after the team lost 91 games in 2023.
Oli Marmol was handpicked to replace Mike Shildt, who was shockingly fired after a 17-game winning streak. Marmol led the Cardinals to 93 wins in 2022 before the disaster that was the 2023 season.
Like Boone, Marmol made plenty of decision that had Cardinals fans scratching their heads. He often gave his star players "scheduled days off," while oddly prioritizing players such as Taylor Motter.
A perfect example of this came in a game on April 9 when he pulled Brendan Donovan back with the bases loaded and gave Motter the at-bat against a left-hander. Motter struck out.
Earlier in the season, Marmol also publicly criticized Tyler O'Neill's effort after the outfielder was thrown out at the plate in a game against the Atlanta Braves, drawing the ire of the fanbase.
The Cardinals made a mistake in firing Shildt and choosing Marmol, who had no managerial experience. At the very least, they could have corrected this by giving Counsell a call and choosing a manager with good experience and a winning pedigree to help get themselves back on track.
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