Oliver

Marmol

Brown replaces Turner Ward after Ward didn’t have his contract renewed for 2025. Brown was last with the Mariners under the title of offensive coordinator until he was let go at the end of May. Prior to working with Seattle, the 53-year-old was the hitting coach for the Marlins and has also coached for the Dodgers.

Marmol was about to enter the final year of his original three-year deal. He led St. Louis to a 93-win campaign in his first season at the helm, but the club regressed to just 71 wins this past season, finishing fifth in the NL Central.

The Cardinals are in the midst of a highly disappointing season and Marmol will be entering the final year of his three-year contract, so it’s no surprise that there have been questions regarding whether or not he would be returning. Mozeliak said that he was encouraged by what he has seen from Marmol as a young manager, though he also noted that there could be other changes on the Cardinals’ coaching staff heading into the 2024 season.

Holliday took the job in November but has now apparently decided to do something else. He had been heavily involved in the Oklahoma State University baseball program with his brother, and his eldest son was just recently selected No. 1 overall in the 2022 MLB Draft by the Orioles. Perhaps those other interests simply carried more weight for him personally. Joe McEwing will now serve as the Cardinals’ bench coach as part of manager Oli Marmol’s fully-retooled staff.

The Cardinals have also officially promoted Dusty Blake to pitching coach and Turner Ward to hitting coach on manager Oliver Marmol’s staff for the 2023 season. Obviously, Holliday is the most notable inclusion of the trio as he spent 15 seasons in the majors, including an eight-year run with St. Louis from 2009 through 2016. The 42-year-old will replace Skip Schumaker, who was hired earlier this offseason as the Marlins’ new skipper, as the Cardinals’ bench coach.

They both decided to step away from the organization, per Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak. Skip Schumaker was officially hired to be the new Marlins manager on Tuesday, so the reigning NL Central champions will also need to bring on a new bench coach this offseason to work with second-year manager Oli Marmol.

Great news. Marmol wound up missing a pair of contests over the weekend after being diagnosed with the flu. Cardinals bench coach Skip Schumaker filled in admirably in his absence, but the rookie manager will be back in the dugout on Monday afternoon, weather permitting.

Marmol, who tested negative for COVID-19, has been battling the flu lately and will not be in the dugout for the Cardinals on Saturday afternoon. Bench coach Skip Schumaker will handle the managerial duties in his absence. Hopefully he’s feeling well enough to return soon.

The Cardinals have also confirmed the hiring of Skip Schumaker as Oli Marmol’s new bench coach. Ward had a previous stint as hitting coach with the Reds and already has a strong connection with first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. Jeff Albert remains the team’s lead hitting coach.

The deal is expected to be finalized this weekend according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The 41-year-old spent the bulk of his playing career with the Cardinals, as he was drafted in the 5th round of the 2001 draft, came up through the organization, broke into the big leagues in 2005 and spent eight seasons with the club before leaving after the 2012 campaign. Schumaker joined the Padres coaching staff prior to the 2018 season, and served as their associate manager during the 2021 season.