A lot of ‘runway’ is being given to young players this season by the St. Louis Cardinals, including Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman. The Cards are aware that they have little chance of making it to the National League postseason, much less winning the NL Central. Player development victories are the most Cardinals supporters can expect for this season, according to the front office. Walker, Gorman, Masyn Winn, and others come first, with Oli Marmol being a key player.
Tough love is a part of that. Since player development is meant to be one of Marmol’s strong points, he doesn’t hesitate to express his opinions. While keeping patient with two guys he thinks will be a part of the Cardinals core for years to come, Marmol delivered a strong message with Walker and Gorman both batting beneath the Mendoza line.
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Marmol stated, “There is runway in the sense of allowing them to fail.” “We knew at the beginning of the year that this would be different, and we don’t want them to be constantly watching them with the mindset, ‘If I don’t get two knocks tonight, I’m going to be in Memphis.'”
Oli Marmol fails to support Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman amid Cardinals struggles
For once, even we agree with Marmol’s approach. The Cardinals must let their young players to develop without constantly monitoring them. Without a lot of breaks, St. Louis won’t be able to compete this season. Why take the chance of regressing even more? However, where Marmol loses us and probably even his squad is the following sentiment:
However, that runway is also temporary. How they’re reacting to the failure is what you’re measuring,” Marmol went on.
He’s not incorrect, but why was that remark required? It will only become worse if two players in their early 20s are under pressure to learn how to pitch at an MLB level. Marmol has a reputation of resolving his player disputes via the media instead than in person. The manager is always better off keeping these types of things in-house, whether or not there is chaos in the locker room.
Walker and Gorman need to improve if they want to be regular major league players in the long run. They must already be aware of this without the media calling it out. Marmol almost said the correct thing. Rather, he completely messed it up.
