I have to ask you to forgive me for what I’m about to say ... but I need to say it:
I told you so.
I’ve spent weeks – maybe a couple of months – insisting the Cardinals would be just fine with their newer and younger-generation style of clubhouse leadership. In my view, it simply wasn’t an issue, let alone a problem.
I refused to go along with the constant media/fan anxiety over the absence of an established, veteran clubhouse leader who could chaperone the lads through the 2026 journey.
The Cardinal “kids” would be alright. Left unsupervised elders, the youths wouldn’t set fires in the clubhouse food room as a prank. They wouldn’t tell a coach or manager to go bleep themselves and get the bleep out when asked to turn down the blaring, thumping sounds of “Hot in Herre” or “Back on My BS” during a pregame hitter’s meeting. The boys wouldn’t react to a 9-2 loss to the Pirates by rolling a keg of Urban Chestnut beer into the bathroom. None of these fine young fellas would set up dog fights out in center field, throwing $50 bills around, betting on the outcome as two Dobermans tore into canine flesh.
I went with the “I told you so” for a reason: manager Oli Marmol and president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom went out of their way earlier this week to put an emphatic message out there for public absorption during an appearance on the popular “Foul Territory” YouTube show.
Both men shut down the naive belief that leadership means “old dudes.” They pushed back on the idea of the rebuilding Cardinals being dangerously vulnerable without the recruitment of a veteran “leader” who would come here as a baseball shaman.
Look. Time to accept this: Bloom and Marmol want the young guys to take ownership of this team. This is part of the plan. Because the young Redbirds – not an outside mercenary or two – will be leading the rebuild on the field.
It’s what I’ve been saying for a while now: it’s their time, and this is their team. So take charge and lead it. Why hire a temp to do this? The Cardinals have young players who can't wait to do it. And when young guys want to take on that responsibility, isn't it a positive sign? Yes. It is.
“Yeah, that's really been the cool part of this camp so far,” Bloom told Foul Territory. “Every year is different. You never really know what you're going to have in terms of the vibe until you get in there.
“And with a lot of these guys seeing that they can make this what they want it to be.
“They can step up and they can take a leadership role. I always believe you can lead at any age.”
(Thanks, Chaim. Word.)
“It's really about bringing a really good and authentic version of yourself to this,” Bloom said. “And it's been cool to see some of these guys realize like they understand the standard here is very high.
“We want to keep that very high, but they get to define what that looks like now for them going forward. And that's always better than having to get opposed from the outside when the group (already) there gets to define it.”
Yes. Brendan Donovan, Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray are gone. And it will mean a helluva lot more if the young Cardinals step up and fill the leadership void instead of waiting for a couple of strangers to show up and try to do the job for them.
This means more to the current, younger Cardinals because they will determine this club’s future. Period. They will determine who, and what, the Cardinals will become while shaping a new identity.
Masyn Winn, JJ Wetherholt, Alec Burleson, Ivan Herrera and others will be doing the defining. (Same with Lars Nootbaar for as long as he's here.) Other potential leaders are starting pitchers Matthew Liberatore and Michael McGreevy.
One veteran reliever, Ryne Stanek, was signed as a free agent. But not because Bloom and Marmol were freaking out over the leadership thing. They just wanted to add some experience and fastball heat to a young bullpen, and if Stanek can play the wise ol' uncle role in all of those bullpen conversations – that’s a bonus.
Here’s Marmol, on Foul Territory:
“I think if you would have removed the veterans last year and had this group, I would have said [they're not ready to lead]. I don't think some of these guys were ready to take that next step and be able to hold a clubhouse accountable, and do it in a way that's actually impactful.
I do feel much better about where that group's at. Not having that big voice that everyone looks to for everything, it allows every one of them to kind of step into that role. I like the mix right now.”
Marmol is right.
Leadership should be organic and grow naturally. It can’t be forced. So it shouldn’t be forced.
The POBO and the manager strongly agree with that. But if they want to put some gray hair in the clubhouse at some point ... they can do it. But here’s the thing: they don’t have to do it.
What the heck was everyone so damn worried about, anyway? You don’t need to have old dudes to lead you. The really strong leaders take charge without anyone telling them to. And they don’t have to show a proof-of-age ID at the clubhouse door to qualify as leaders.
Winn and Wetherholt have what it takes. The others have the potential. Build this thing up with the people who are doing the hard work of putting this baseball team back together. Guys like Wynn and Wetherholt (and others) are investing heart and soul and sweat. That matters. A lot.
Two more points before putting my obnoxious “I told you so” BS to rest.
Number One: the previous standard of Cardinals leadership wasn’t all that great. Sorry. There I go again. But I've been saying this for a while now. When the team had to go out to sign Brandon Crawford and Matt Carpenter to fill a leadership void in a clubhouse that already had Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt – and before that, Adam Wainwright in 2023 –
OK, what's up with that? Why did the team "leaders" need "leaders" to come in? This was absolute craziness and backs up my point on how younger leadership can actually be better leadership.
Because, among other things, the young players have more at stake. They must strive to earn respect instead of asking for it ... and they have to become true leaders instead of using the "leader" branding to push their own agendas. Leadership isn't looking out for yourself. It's about looking out for your brothers.
Those Cardinals teams didn’t need “leaders.” They had plenty of guys who could walk around with the title. The Cardinals needed home-run hitters and cool, confident performers who didn't soil themselves when batting with runners in scoring position. They needed pitchers who, unlike Mr. Gray, pitched as well on the road as they did at home. End of rant.
Number Two: in recent baseball history there have been plenty of instances of young/inexperienced players taking over the clubhouse to set the standards, set the tone, set the example, and cultivate a collective mindset. A collective personality.
— Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop in Baltimore from 2012 through 2014. They pulled the drifting Orioles out of the Chesapeake Bay after the franchise had disappeared through the murky depths of 14 consecutive losing seasons. Machado was 19 years old in 2012. Schoop was 21 when he joined Machado in 2013. Manager Buck Showalter relied on Machado to be the de facto captain who would keep the other young guys focused and in tune with what was expected of them. It worked beautifully.
— Cleveland: Francisco Lindor (age 21) and Jose Ramirez (age 23). After making the playoffs one time over eight seasons, the Guardians turned to Lindor and Ramirez to lead them to a 94-win season in 2016. The two young dynamic infielders gave the Guards a bold personality with plenty of flair and confidence. Cleveland won the AL pennant, and should have beat the Cubs in the 2016 World Series.
— Julio Rodriguez became the face, the voice and the focal point of the 2022 Mariners as soon as he made his major-league debut at age 21. His impact was immediate. With Rodriguez elevating the franchise and winning the AL Rookie of the Year award, Seattle won the AL West and made the playoffs for the first time since 2001.
— Carlos Correa: For several years Jose Altuve did his very best to help his teammates endure extreme adversity during Houston’s painful rebuild. And then, in 2015, top prospect Carlos Correa, the rising-star shortstop, was promoted to the majors at age 20 and walked into the clubhouse like he owned the place … which he pretty much did, metaphorically speaking. Everything changed for a young Houston team emboldened by Correa’s confidence and franchise-altering skill. Two seasons later the Astros won the 2017 World Series.
— The 2008 Rays ranked 29th among 30 MLB teams with their $40 million payroll. They also won 97 games, the AL East, and the first American League pennant in franchise history. And while first baseman Carlos Pena – hardly a senior citizen at age 30 – had a 30-homer, 100-RBI season – Tampa Bay’s sturdy anchor was 22-year old rookie third baseman Evan Longoria, the league’s Rookie of the Year. Longoria -- a strong and silent personality type -- inspired his teammates with the strength of unusual maturity and confidence. And then there was the superb center fielder, B.J. Upton, age 23. He was an above-average hitter, swiped 44 bases, saved bushel baskets of runs with his acrobatic defense – and went on a postseason run that featured seven home runs, 16 RBIs and a .985 OPS. Yeah. Young guys can lead.
— Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies, 2018 Braves. Freddie Freeman was the respected veteran and a terrific player. But back then, at age 27, Freeman’s personality was still on the low-key side. Albies, the second baseman, made his MLB debut in 2017 at age 20. A season later, the dynamite outfielder (Acuna) arrived on the Atlanta scene at age 20. And beginning in ‘18, the Braves made the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons. Before Acuna and Albies partnered, ATL had missed the playoffs from 2014 through 2017. An entire team’s identity was changed by the two young men. At one point during the ‘18 season, after a dramatic win, Acuna repeatedly shouted “The rebuild is over!” in the team clubhouse. He was right; that ATL team won 90 games. The 2021 World Series title soon followed.
— Adley Rutschman: Baltimore’s young catcher (age 23) led the 2022 Orioles to their first winning season since 2016. He was the centerpiece of a culture change and a team renaissance, an admired leader for the pitching staff, and the driving force behind the O’s consecutive playoff appearances in 2023 and ‘24.
I truly believe that Wynn and Wetherholt -- both at age 23 -- have leadership qualities. Part of that is their desire to do whatever it takes to make their teammates better, make themselves better, and make the Cardinals better. Their commitment runs deep.
This is what Cardinals director of player development Larry Day had to say about Wetherholt in a story at RedbirdRants.com:
“It’s the things that fans can't always see that make Wetherholt so special.”
And: “You notice it pretty quickly into any conversation you have with him. He has a certain poise to him and understanding of how to play the game. He loves the game. He is obsessed with the game.”
(That describes a leader.)
Winn is a young person and player of immense character and competitive drive.
“I want to set the tone every day,” he said earlier in spring training. “Whether it’s how we prepare, how we compete, or how we handle the little things in the clubhouse.”
In an interview with Fox 2 in St. Louis, Winn definitely sounded like a guy who is prepared for an important role that opens a new chapter in his career.
“I’m trying to be available for the younger guys,” Winn said. “Answer questions, be honest with them, and just be someone they can lean on when things get tough.”
I don’t know what this means in terms of regular-season success, but there is something buzzing in Camp Jupiter. There’s an appealing freshness about this team, with young Cardinals energizing each other – and apparently everyone in the place.
Bloom described the vibe on Foul Territory.
“This doesn't matter if you're wearing a uniform, wearing a polo shirt, whatever, you're going to have to push yourself beyond what you have been,” he said. “You're going to have to get out of your comfort zone, push yourself to improve and not be so insecure as to say there's nothing I can get better at.”
Sounds like a culture change in progress to me. And you need leaders to do that. And the Cardinals have leaders. Developing leaders. Young Redbirds who are hungry to lead. So let 'em lead and be happy that they are.
Thanks for reading …
–Bernie
Bernie was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2023. During a St. Louis sports-media career that goes back to 1985, he’s won multiple national awards for column writing and sports-talk hosting – and was the lead sports columnist at the Post-Dispatch from 1989 through 2015. Before that Bernie spent a year at the Dallas Morning News, covering the Dallas Cowboys during Tom Landry’s final season (1988) plus the sale of the team to Jerry Jones and the hiring of Jimmy Johnson as coach. Bernie has covered several Baseball Hall of Fame managers during his media career including Tony La Russa, Whitey Herzog, Earl Weaver, Joe Torre and (as an interim) Red Schoendienst. In his career as a beatwriter and columnist, Bernie covered Pro Football Hall of Fame coaches Joe Gibbs, Tom Landry, Jimmy Johnson and Dick Vermeil on a daily basis.
Bernie has covered and written about many great St. Louis sports team athletes including Albert Pujols, Kurt Warner, Brett Hull, Yadier Molina, Adam Wainwright, Jim Edmonds, Marshall Faulk, Scott Rolen, Mark McGwire, Orlando Pace, Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, Al MacInnis, Brian Sutter, Bernie Federko, Chris Pronger, Dan Dierdorf, Jackie Smith and Aeneas Williams. Bernie covered every baseball Cardinals’ postseason game from 1996 through 2014 and was there to chronicle teams that won four NL pennants and two World Series. He provided extensive coverage on the “Greatest Show” St. Louis Rams and has written extensively on the St. Louis Blues, Saint Louis U, and Mizzou football and basketball. Bernie was/is a longtime voter for the Baseball Hall of Fame, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Heisman Trophy and the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame.
You can access his columns, videos and the podcast version of the videos here on STL Sports Central, catch him regularly on KMOX (AM or FM) as part of the Gashouse Gang, Sports Rush Hour, Sports Open Line or Sports On a Sunday Morning shows. And you can catch weekly “reunion” segments here at STL Sports Central featuring Bernie and his longtime friend Randy Karraker.