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The comments St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol made about outfielder Tyler O'Neill not giving maximum effort while running home, which then led to him being benched, has brought to light an interesting generational debate.
Old-school baseball minds probably saw no problem with a skipper calling out a player for not hustling enough. That was quite common 30 or 40 years ago. Just take a listen to New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner's “Mr. May” remarks about Dave Winfield's poor postseason production. Others will say publicly questioning an athlete's work ethic will do much more harm than good and completely destroy their working relationship.
Marmol, probably aware of this predicament, appeared to seek a balance when revealing that O'Neill would be back in the lineup Saturday.
“I like Tyler O'Neill. I think he's one of the most talented players in that clubhouse,” he said, per Katie Woo of The Athletic. There's a next step for Tyler in his career. And my job is to get him there.”
Complimenting the former Gold Glover while still laying down firm expectations could prove to be an effective approach. O'Neill reaching the level he displayed in 2021, when he hit .286 with 34 home runs and a .560 slugging percentage, could be instrumental to the Cardinals realizing their full potential as a team.
A healthy locked-in Tyler O'Neill spells trouble for the entire National League. Marmol seems to know that. For the sake of Redbird fans, hopefully this latest media session, as well as potential private conversations, remove any tension between player and manager.
This franchise has realistic World Series expectations this season. They cannot settle for another early-round exit, or worse. A drama-free dugout brings that year-long objective back into focus.
