Darwin Marrero is content with being the man behind the scenes, as one who helps shape the careers of aspiring professional baseball pitchers who wear the iconic Cardinals birds-on-the-bat uniform.
The Springfield Cardinals’ pitching coach since 2017, Marrero is like a proud papa when one of his pupils eventually makes it to the big leagues.
“I think that is the best satisfaction you can have,” Marrero said before a recent home game at Hammons Field. “When you see guys who have success in the big leagues, it makes you feel like, ‘Wow, I did a little bit to help on this one.’”
Recent examples include Andre Pallante, who went from pitching in Springfield a year ago to being an important member of the 2022 St. Louis staff. Or Ryan Helsley, who spent parts of 2017 and ’18 in Springfield and is now the St. Louis closer. Jake Woodford, Springfield Class of 2018, earned a big-league win for the Cardinals on Tuesday in Chicago.
A great motivator
Marrero has been with the Springfield Cardinals longer than any of the coaches. He’s known for his upbeat personality, enthusiasm and an ability to motivate through various means.
Pitcher Kyle Leahy spoke about Marrero’s “tough love” approach that helped Leahy navigate a rocky 2021 season on the way to improved results this season.
“Darwin’s a character,” Leahy said. “He’s been really positive this year with me. He’s been one of those people who push me and help me do what I need to do to get better.”
Springfield manager Jose Leger said Marrero, 41, bleeds Cardinal red with how he goes about his job.
“His passion and his communication skills are outstanding,” Leger said. “He is very passionate. He cares a lot about the guys.”
Love of the game led him to coaching
Marrero, a native of Valencia, Venezuela, spent seven seasons pitching in the minor leagues in the Montreal Expos organization. He never made it to the big leagues, peaking at Double-A Harrisburg in 2002 and 2004.
Overall, Marrero had a 25-28 record with one save and a 4.25 ERA in 107 minor league games, including 81 starts.
With a thirst to stay in the game, he got into coaching in the minor leagues with his road eventually leading to the Cardinals’ organization in 2013 at the Rookie-ball level.
“When he’s away from the field, he’s on the computer trying to find what he can do to help guys get better. He takes pride in his job. It shows. You can see the guys progressing throughout the year.
“The guys respond to him. He’s enthusiastic and keeps a loose atmosphere in the clubhouse with the pitchers. The fact that he is passionate and is a hard worker, I think those are the ingredients you need to help the guys have success.”
No cookie-cutter approach to coaching
Marrero said he doesn’t have a cookie-cutter approach to coaching his pitchers, whether they are turning pro directly out of high school or are a bit more polished coming from the college level.
“We try to individualize everyone,” Marrero said. “It depends. Everybody is different. I think you have to individualize how you want to get the best out of a guy.”
The hitter-friendly Texas League, where the majority of the parks favor offense with either short dimensions or south winds, makes his job all the more challenging. Hammons Field is considered one of the most-favorable hitters’ parks in the league.
But he said the tradeoff for solid fan support in the middle of Cardinals country is worth it.
“When you take a look at this stadium, at times you feel you’re at Busch Stadium. The people here make you feel that way,” he said. “I enjoy it and my family enjoys it. They always come when school is over and they spend a good month, six weeks with me.”
Dreaming of the big leagues
Marrero makes his offseason home in Wesley Chapel, Florida, in the Tampa area with his wife, Monice, and children Darwin Jr. (16), Nikary (13) and Sophia (12).
Asked if watching some of his former Springfield pitchers succeed in the big leagues makes him dream about joining them at the highest level, he smiled.
“In baseball everybody has their dream. Everybody wants to be in the big leagues,” Marrero said. “The managers, the coaches, the trainers, the clubbies, the front office people.
“But it is something that I personally don’t think about. I don’t have it in my hands. It is out of my control. But I am extremely proud and extremely happy to be a part of the Cardinals organization. I think it is the best organization in all of baseball.”
Cardinals’ final homestand
The Springfield Cardinals began a road series at Northwest Arkansas on Tuesday night. They return home for the final homestand of the season at Hammons Field starting Tuesday, Aug. 30 for a six-game series against Wichita (Aug. 30-Sept. 4) before a six-game series at home against San Antonio (Sept. 6-11).
