How Jose Oquendo was a baseball teacher without the manager label
I like to imagine different scenarios playing out, like switching up events and wondering what the outcome would be. It’s like what Quentin Tarantino does with some of his movies. In Inglourious Basterds, he imagined a world where the USA dispatched a wild gang of soldiers to take out Hitler, and they did. In Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, he imagined the night of the Sharon Tate murders going a different way.
What if Jose Oquendo was named manager by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012 instead of Mike Matheny? Spin that one on the record player for a second while I light the gunpowder on the next train of thought.
Oquendo had served as a bench coach and third base coach for a long time under Tony La Russa before they collected that 2011 World Series, so the logic was there to promote from within if a deal with Terry Francona wasn’t going to happen. Instead of handing off the fate of the team to a guy who had as much professional managing experience as I did, Bill DeWitt Jr. and John Mozeliak could have done things differently.
Maybe things go differently with Albert Pujols, and the team actually wins another World Series before #5 departs. Maybe the next few years go differently. Maybe a cold-as-ice Michael Wacha isn’t inserted into a playoff game at the worst spot? Oquendo had more know-how in forming a cohesive baseball environment as Matheny.
Think about it. The team and fanbase adored him. He gets 1-3 years to prove himself, and then they can bring in a veteran or merely a yes man. What Mozeliak chose was the latter, hiring three straight managers without a single game of MLB managing experience. While Mike Shildt had decent success in his three year run, he was ousted once he tried peeling off the “yes man” label from his Cardinal hat.
Who knows how Oquendo would have been as a manager? Only Puerto Rican World Baseball Classic fans will know. While it’s true his desire to manage eroded over the next few years, there was a time when Oquendo was ready to step into the spotlight. How could you not after giving over half your life to a team, on the field as a player and then logging countless hours as a coach?
I’d like to think every player who ventures into coaching has the ultimate goal of being the main guy. The same way an actor wants to get behind the camera. The curiosity defies the other part of the brain telling them to retire and relax. That’s why Oquendo wanted that job. When he didn’t get it, the desire took a hit.
I’d love for that alternate reality to move into the one Cardinals fans are living. Thinking back on a day where Oquendo could have convinced DeWitt Jr. to hire him instead of Matheny, and putting into play a whole new cycle of events. Oh, what if?
Oqeundo put on a red jacket Saturday, cementing his legacy and impact on St. Louis. He still works with young players in Jupiter, popping the hood and tweaking their talent before the upper echelon of the big leagues starts to call. That’s where real managing and coaching begins, at the lowest level with Jose.
“The Secret Weapon” got that name during his playing days by being the guy most people forgot about. They figured he couldn’t do this or that, but the player ended up doing both and then some. Oquendo’s time in St. Louis has been less secret, starting in 1985 with few breaks. One would think 11 years ago, when it had been 27 years together, a better decision would have been made.
The claims about bad knees and age eating into the desire to manage are legit. Oquendo has grown to like his minor league infield coordinator job down in Florida, where the weather is consistent and the older body can deal easier. But it’s his ability to connect with all players and find the gift in their talent that makes me think about retconning history.
The truth is Oquendo was a teacher without the manager label. He didn’t need it. Managing and coaching isn’t about merely getting results from a player or team; it’s about making an extended, profound impact on human beings as they ascend through one of the harshest professional sports that exists on Earth. Make a dent, coach a mind, and watch a pro evolve.
Oquendo’s gifts weren’t as secret as history makes them out to be. He was, and continues to be, the real deal.
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