Since Mike Shildt had his exit interview with the media on Monday, the Cardinals camp has been very quiet. Mike Shildt was all business on Monday during his time with the media and was very thankful and gracious towards the organization.

Shildt openly said that there were disagreements about the future of the club, but those disagreements would be left unsaid and a private matter.

Shildt thanked the organization for all the years he had spent with the club and his chance at being a major league manager. Shildt had made many friends in his time in St. Louis.

During his media session, Shildt thanked individual media members and shared memories with them during their time together. Shildt is a top candidate for the San Diego Padres job.

Now the question remains, where are the Cardinals going to go. Who is available? We have created a list of possible candidates and their backgrounds.

Oliver Marmol

What we think to be the lead candidate here is bench coach, Oliver Marmol. Marmol was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2007, in the sixth round. Marmol played in the Cardinals organization until 2010.

After the 2010 season, Marmol became a hitting coach with the Gulf Coast League Cardinals, an affiliate of the club, and would eventually work his way up to a managerial spot with the Palm Beach Cardinals.

Marmol started with the big league club in 2017 as the first base coach, under the Mike Matheny staff. From there it took one season before Marmol was promoted to bench manager. Marmol has served as the bench coach since 2018 and still currently holds that position.

With being in the system and the organization for a long time, Marmol is the perfect candidate for the Cardinals. Marmol has a good relationship with the hitting coach Jeff Albert, which is a plus for the organization, and Marmol has prior managerial experience.

Stubby Clapp

Stubby Clapp is another guy who has been in the organization for a while with the Cardinals and he too has previous managerial experience. Clapp was promoted in 2018 and became the first base coach. Jeff Albert was also moved into his role as the hitting coach in 2018.

Clapp previously served as the manager of the Triple-A affiliate, the Memphis Redbirds. Clapp also played for the Cardinals, as a 1996 36th round draft pick.

Clapp has an illustrious playing background, with appearances in Double-A, Triple-A, the big leagues, and even played for Canada in the 2004 Olympics and the 2006 World Baseball Classic.

Clapp became the manager of the Memphis Redbirds in late 2016. In his first year as manager in 2017, Clapp led the Redbirds to an American Conference Southern Division title and eventually won the PCL title.

Clapp was named the 2017 PCL Manager of the Year and Baseball America named Clapp as the Manager of the Year as well.

Coming off a championship season in 2017, Clapp led the team back to the PCL title game and the team won the 2018 championship as well. Clapp was once again named the PCL Manager of the Year in 2018.

Clapp in my opinion is the best candidate for this job. He has the most managerial experience and he knows how to lead a team to a championship and lead a team late in the season. Clapp has been with the team long enough to know the in’s and out’s of how they operate.

The organization trusts Clapp enough to be at the big league level. Clapp has the best resume for the position out of any candidates.

Skip Schumaker

A dark horse in this race and a name that is continually thrown around. Skip Schumaker is a possible candidate for this job but unfortunately is on the outside looking in. Schumaker is a name well known in Cardinal nation, as he was a beloved player during his time in St. Louis.

Schumaker has spent the last few seasons working in San Diego with manager Jayce Tingler, working as a first base coach and the associate manager in 2020.

Schumaker was a fifth-round draft pick in 2001 by the St. Louis Cardinals. He would make his debut in 2005. Schumaker was a part of the 2011 World Series Championship team and would sign an extension but eventually traded in 2012.

Schumaker has been mentioned as a candidate due to his allegiances as a player with the organization, and his coaching experience in San Diego. Schumaker is loved by the organization and the fans which could give him a chance at this job.

Other Candidates

Other candidates have been mentioned. The candidates here are former coaches that could be looking to get back into the game of baseball but would have to make a huge impression on this front office and be willing to listen to what the front office says.

  • Bruce Bochy
  • Carlos Beltran
  • Jose Oquendo
  • Buck Showalter