Denton Newsletter: Schumaker, Cards a perfect fit

ST. LOUIS —
Skip Schumaker knew it was going to take a downright special situation to get him to leave his family and his native Southern California, so much so that he turned down offers for coaching interviews elsewhere out of state last fall.

That is, until the St. Louis Cardinals came calling. The Cardinals have always held a special place in the heart of Schumaker, who was a part of World Series championship teams in 2006 and ’11 with the Redbirds. When the bench coach job was put on the table for Schumaker, not even the tug of his native Southern California could keep him from heading back to the Midwest.

“This was the only place I was going to leave California for,” said Schumaker, who served the role of acting manager on Saturday and Sunday when manager Oliver Marmol contracted the flu. “I had kept in contact with [president of baseball operations John Mozeliak] and [assistant GM] Randy Flores and I have some friends who are still here, but I didn’t know this was going to come about. When San Diego manager Jayce Tingler was let go and all the coaches were free agents, I started getting calls. But with where my family is at, I didn’t take any other interviews, because I wasn’t going to leave Southern California for anybody other than St. Louis.”

Schumaker, now the bench coach for Marmol, had strong feelings about the Cardinals from what he experienced while playing with the team for eight seasons. A career .278 hitter in MLB, Schumaker became a fan favorite in St. Louis because of his combination of heady and fearless play. It also didn’t hurt that he hit .381 in 11 playoff games in 2011, the postseason in which the Cards rallied past the Rangers in the World Series.

“What makes St. Louis special is players like me and the Daniel Descalsos of the baseball world are treated almost the same as the superstars,” he said. “It shows you what kind of place St. Louis is. My wife and I kick ourselves for not raising our family in St. Louis, but we just figured as soon as we bought a house in St. Louis, I’d get traded because I never had that tenured spot. But it’s a special place, and because of that, our family has fallen in love with the fanbase and the community.”

What Schumaker would love more than anything is to help Marmol and the Cardinals win another World Series. He said his coaching style is a blend of the many leaders he was around while in St. Louis, such as Tony La Russa, Dave Duncan and Mark DeJohn. Schumaker said he sees many of the same traits in the 35-year-old Marmol, whom he has grown to admire because of his ability to reach players through honesty and integrity. The two of them talked extensively on Saturday and Sunday about what an ill Marmol wanted to see, and then Shumaker went out and executed it as the interim manager.

“Oli knows where I’m at in terms of being a former ballplayer, someone who has coached before and someone who has been in the Cardinals’ system for a long time,” Schumaker said. “A lot of the stuff that he values, I value. We were brought up the same way in baseball, and the culture and chemistry between us have been great.”

WHAT ARE THE ODDS?

When rising star Dylan Carlson led off Thursday’s Opening Day win over Pittsburgh with a double, he became the first Cardinal with an extra-base hit in the first plate appearance of the season since Fernando Viña accomplished the feat in 2000 with a triple.

As it turns out, Carlson and Viña have quite a connection. Not only are they both from Elk Grove, Calif., but Viña is a long-time family friend of the Carlsons, and the former scrappy second baseman has spoken numerous times to the 23-year-old Carlson about playing for the Cardinals.

“He and my dad grew up together, so I’ve known him through family growing up,” Carlson said. “He’s a really good guy, and he was always looking out for me. He always had a lot of good things to say about the Cardinals.”

Carlson, who was promoted to the leadoff spot, must be making Viña — a popular leadoff hitter in St. Louis from 2000-03 — proud. After opening the Cardinals’ first game with a double, Carlson led off the second game with an opposite-field single and stole second base. In both instances, he came around to score.

TRIVIA TIME

Albert Pujols, who moved into a tie for second all time in consecutive Opening Day starts with 22 on Thursday, also has another impressive streak going. Known as an aggressive baserunner who is willing to take an extra base when teams ignore him, Pujols has stolen 14 bases without being thrown out since 2015. However, he trails a teammate for the longest active streak of stolen bases without being caught. Which Cardinal has stolen 17 consecutive bases without getting caught in a steak that dates back to May 6, 2019?

• A. Dylan Carlson
• B. Yadier Molina
• C. Harrison Bader
• D. Paul Goldschmidt

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH … COREY DICKERSON

The Cardinals signed Corey Dickerson to a one-year, $5 million contract in the offseason to serve primarily as a left-handed-hitting option at DH. Dickerson, a nine-year veteran who has played for seven teams, is a career .283 hitter with 128 home runs and 416 RBIs. He grew up in McComb and Brookhaven, Miss., as a Cardinals fan. Here are five questions that might help you learn more about the 32-year-old Dickerson.

Who’s the best pitcher who you have homered against throughout your career? 

“I thought it was really cool when I hit a home run off Josh Beckett when he was pitching in L.A. I grew up watching him when he was dominant. By then, he wasn’t the same as he was early in his career, but getting in the box I was like, ‘I’m really getting in the box to face Josh Beckett!’ So that was a cool moment for me. He threw me a two-seamer away, and it felt really good to hit it hard. That year, I started out pretty good and had a lot of confidence.”

What’s a hidden talent that you have that maybe nobody knows about?

“Drawing. I can pretty much look at anything and draw it. I wouldn’t say I’m great at drawing faces, but I can draw a lot of different things. For me, drawing is meditative. I have a few of my drawings hung up in my office, but I usually just keep them in my drawing pad. I show some people, but not many people know that I like to draw.”

I heard a story that Adam Wainwright would text you when you played for the Pirates and tell you that he admired you as a hitter. How much of an impact did that have on you, and does that happen often? 

“Usually, you are just having conversations at the field. But with somebody as humble as [Wainwright] and as selfless as he is, for him to send a text, that really encouraged me. It’s amazing when somebody on that level really recognizes your talent.”

Has it dawned on you yet that you might someday find yourself in the lineup with Albert Pujols on one side of you, Yadier Molina on the other and Wainwright on the mound? 

“I try to pick their brains as much as possible and watch everything they do. But at the same time, you have to understand that you’re on the same field as them and you have to perform with them and help them. It’s cool, because I grew up watching Pujols, Yadi and Waino star for the Cardinals. You just try to take it in as much as possible, because this is probably the last time for them.

Have you ever been starstruck by another Major League Baseball player? Who were you most excited about meeting when you got to the big leagues? 

“For me, when I was coming up with the Rockies, it was Todd Helton. With all he accomplished and him being the face of the franchise so long, when I saw him walking around, he was a superstar to me, and I was almost afraid to approach him. But he was unbelievable to me.”

VIDEO VAULT

With the Cardinals opening the 2022 season against the Pirates and Pujols, a future Hall of Famer, back in the fold in St. Louis, it’s time to flash back to the first grand slam of No. 5’s illustrious career. It came against the Pirates on Sept. 21, 2001. Pujols would go on to win the NL Rookie of the Year Award that season. Enjoy!  

TRIVIA ANSWER

D. Paul Goldschmidt

Incredibly, the Cardinals’ first baseman has the longest active consecutive stolen-base streak in baseball at 17. Goldschmidt swiped the 141st base of his career on Opening Day. Coincidentally, Pujols’ 14 consecutive steals is tied for second on the active list, along with former Cardinal Magneuris Sierra. 

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