'Elite patience' guides young Cardinals as they build for future

MILWAUKEE – As he prepared for his club’s final game of the 2026 season, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol reflected on the tone he and his staff wanted to establish back in Spring Training. In doing so, he kept coming back to one specific concept.

“Elite patience.”

The Cardinals’ campaign – which concluded with a 6-4 loss to the Brewers Sunday afternoon at American Family Field – featured a somewhat surprising level of success. But it began with a roster nearly devoid of veterans after a slew of offseason trades.

That meant the members of St. Louis’ suddenly youthful clubhouse were not only getting more chances to play. They were also getting their first true opportunity to both face adversity and find their way out of it, and it was important that they knew they had a coaching staff willing to let them do so.

“Our level of patience through process had to be at an elite level,” Marmol said. “[The players] need to understand that yes, they're being evaluated, but we are coming alongside with them in that process. That's what I feel like we did really well.”

To Marmol, the Cardinals’ ability to maintain that approach through the entire season – one which had the team within arm’s reach of a Wild Card spot as recently as Aug. 20 -- gave him confidence for the days ahead. Yes, at 77-85, St. Louis fell one win shy of its record from last year. But when comparing the two seasons, the similarities end there.

“You're doing it with a young group that has a high ceiling,” Marmol said. “This is just the beginning. If that weren't the case, it'd be disappointing if we're just on all cylinders and this is what we've got. That's not the case.

“This group is young. They're learning how to be big leaguers. They're learning how to be consistent with their tools. That’s what makes it exciting.”

It wasn’t a luxury the Cardinals had on their hands last season, which featured consistent roster balancing between veterans like Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras and Brendan Donovan along with younger players such as Jordan Walker, Alec Burleson and Iván Herrera. But when those older players departed via offseason trades, it gave Marmol and his staff the chance to not only see what they have in their young core, but to also watch how they navigate through the struggles of a full season.

“You're going to allow someone to play through the down period of the year, knowing that, ‘No, we have to see this through,’” Marmol said. “You can't be out on a player like, ‘Man, I don't think he can do it.’ That's not your job to say he can't do it. Your job is to get him better.

“So when I say ‘elite patience,’ even if production is not right around the corner, you've got to stay committed to seeing this all the way through and be patient.”

In looking at the Cardinals’ season, it’s not hard to find positives in this approach.

Walker just barely made the Opening Day roster after years of going back and forth from the Minors, then proceeded to tally 29 homers and 102 RBIs in a breakout campaign. With an opening at second base, rookie JJ Wetherholt was able to make the team out of Spring Training and put forth a campaign that might earn him the NL Rookie of the Year Award.

Meanwhile, Burleson became the everyday first baseman after spending 2025 rotating throughout the field. All he did from there was become the first Cardinal to lead MLB in RBIs (116) since Joe Torre in 1971.

“The grind of a season, you want to try and be as consistent as you can,” Burleson said. “Obviously, there’s always going to be ups and downs, but I felt like the ups and downs were pretty short-lived, at least the downs were. But that’s another kudos to the staff for helping me.”

The Cardinals were even able to practice their patient approach on late season callups like Leo Bernal. The club’s No. 4 prospect didn’t join the team until Sept. 1, but Marmol still ensured he was given the opportunity to start all 24 of the games he played with St. Louis.

“He gave me the confidence to be myself at the end of the day,” Bernal said. “If you want to have success in something, you have to trust yourself and have the confidence. … And the coaches gave me the confidence to feel like I've been here for a long time.”

Nobody with the Cardinals views the 2026 campaign as cause for celebration. St. Louis finished back-to-back full seasons with a losing record for the first time since 1958-59. But considering the roster the Cardinals have worked with, with nearly all everyday players at or below the age of 27, it was hard for them not to feel encouraged.

The St. Louis coaching staff finally had the opportunity to give its young players the runway needed to grow in the Majors. What happened as a result has the club feeling bullish on where things go from here.

“You're doing it with a really young group,” Marmol said, “and the fact that you're able to compete to the degree that we did this year is a really strong signal as to where it's headed.

“What's going on in that clubhouse is pretty special. I've been around a decent amount of teams up here now, and what's happening in there is different.”