Breaking – Miami Marlins sack coach Skip Schumaker today
Did Skip Schumaker just call out the Cardinals’ coaching staff? Probably not.
Whoa, this season has already generated controversy with the St. Louis Cardinals coaching staff, particularly manager Oli Marmol. Skip Schumaker, the former bench coach, could have just fanned the flames.
The former Miami Marlins manager made some scathing remarks about the staffs he’s been on on the Dan LeBatard Show, labeling them “a little bit toxic” due to the atmosphere that was fostered. Listen in on the tweet that follows.
Was Skip Schumaker referring to the Cardinals coaching staff?
It’s impossible to know if Schumaker was referring to the Cardinals or not, but some of the things he mentioned here lead me to believe he may have been referring to his time with the San Diego Padres (although, there is still reason to believe it is the Cardinals, which I’ll look at later).
During his career as a coach with the Padres from 2018 to 2021, Schumaker witnessed a managerial change midway through the season (Andy Green was replaced by Jayce Tingler), then Tingler was dismissed shortly before he left to take a bench coach position with the Cardinals.
I think Schumaker was looking for a change of scenery because he would make a lateral career move and join the Cardinals staff in the same capacity as he did with the Padres. Even when he was with the Padres, Schumaker was being considered by clubs as a manager, so the time would come for him to take over a team.
But it’s still worth wondering if even bits of that were about the Cardinals’ coaching staff. Obviously, Schumaker wasn’t going to turn down the Miami job, especially with no clear path toward becoming the Cardinals’ manager. But it’s important to note the Cardinals’ experienced their own staff exodus this past year.
Hitting coach Jeff Albert and pitching coach Mike Maddux both decided to leave their roles with the club and pursue opportunities. Maddux has had great success in Texas this year, and although the Mets have not been good this year, Albert received a prominent role with them. Both coaches chose to leave their roles and were not fired.
Matt Holliday was originally onboard to be the Cardinals’ new bench coach but then decided right before Spring Training started that he wasn’t going to do it anymore. It sounds like being with family played a major role in that, but there also could have been some hesitations as he began working with the staff.
And let’s not forget the Mike Shildt situation. The famous “philosophical differences” was not just between the front office and Shildt, but also related to friction he had with other Cardinals’ coaches. So maybe that kind of clubhouse toxicity continued with Shildt’s protegee, Marmol, in charge.
