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Torre and Yadi are apples and oranges.
Torre managed nine years for the Mets and Braves before coming to StL. The Cards fired him for the third time. Having a big budget future Hall of Fame roster with the Yankees instead of the bargain bin Cardinals of the early 1990s certainly helped him earn his own spot in Cooperstown.
Torre finished his managerial career with three non-playoff seasons with the Dodgers.
Yadi hasn’t shown any interest in a daily job helping sort out prospects and hopefuls in relative obscurity beyond some local interest. When and if a potential path to glory emerges, he will emerge from the mist.
Not to belabor the point, Brian, but during that same era when Torre was winning all those championships, the Atlanta Braves made the playoffs 11 years in a row, 1995 to 2005, but only won one championship. And that was with Glavin, Smoltz, and Maddux, arguably the greatest threesome starting group in history. Give Torre his due.
But that just drives home the point how far we are from making a championship run. 2006 was a complete fluke that might not be duplicated this century. To have a reasonable shot at a championship, you need a lot of above average players. The 2025 national league average BA was .247, That’s the average. We need guys BETTER than that. Ditto pitching.
I am not down on Torre in the slightest. I have the pleasure of working with him on the Cardinals Hall of Fame Committee. He is knowledgeable and professional to the max and of course is highly accomplished.
My point is that unlike Yadi, Torre did not need grooming to be an MLB manager when he arrived in StL.
However, it is also fair to note that Torre made the Hall thanks to his excellent results with one of his four teams managed. That is not criticism; it is fact.
I agree the Cardinals need better players.
P.S. Regarding the Braves of 1995-2005, manager Bobby Cox is also deservedly in the Hall of Fame.
Marmol is starting to receive praise for his “cerebral” approach.
You’d expect it from MLB.com (Will Leitch).
https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/news/cardinals-manager-oliver-marmol-success-recipe-2026
Brendan Schaeffer agrees, but he also works for the Cardinals website. So there’s that.
"I think this is a very cerebral coaching staff that probably doesn't get enough credit from #STLCards fans."
Does the Cardinals coaching staff deserve more credit? @bschaeffer12 thinks it probably does pic.twitter.com/f4iQxfxjkQ
— STL Sports Central (@STLSprtsCntrl) May 13, 2026
And another team employee weighs in…
Did you know Oli Marmol has more wins than Tony La Russa in his first four years as Cardinals manager?
"Give the man time to do his work, "#STLCards TV voice Chip Caray tells @ChrisAmyKMOX.
🔊Listen: https://t.co/o39kygUYer pic.twitter.com/a5iGN9JfP1
— KMOX Sports (@KMOXSports) May 13, 2026
Marmol has done a fine job. It also helps to have a smart front office and new investments in player development.
A bad manager can really screw up a team. A good manager is what his players make of him. A great manager (so I’ve read) is worth 4-5 extra wins over the course of a season.
Clubhouse chemistry / mood probably has as much as anything to do with whether an ‘average’ team is a few games over or a few games under .500.
I have stated that I will not trash Olli but I feel it was a mistake for Mo to make him a manaager when he did, and unfair to Ollie as well,
I have gone on record that I was not going to trash Ollie again. I feel that he has improved in his lineup decisions and somewhat in bullpen decisions.
I also feel that the coaching staff that Bloom has put together deserves a lot of credit for what the team and our entire system is becoming.
fair i
I was not in favor of the firing of Shildt and hiring of Marmol. And Ollie’s managing seemed below average his first 2-3 years.
But it seems like he has been learning on the job and is much better. I see a team this year with a ton of heart and hustle. I think he and the coaching staff are pretty darn good.
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