With 11 World Series Championships, the St. Louis Cardinals are the most successful franchise in the National League and second overall to only the Yankees.
Founded in 1882 as the St. Louis Brown Stockings, the team officially became the Cardinals in 1900. Their first World Series win came in 1926, and the most recent in 2011.
With 38 Hall of Famers there is a large selection of players to recognize as the greatest, so here are my picks for the greatest to ever wear the Cardinal uniform.
10) Ken Boyer
Position: Third Base
Years: (1955-1965)
Boyer was the greatest third baseman ever to play for the Cardinals. His 250 bombs ranks third on the Cardinals home run list; behind only Musial and Pujols. Boyer was a 11-time all star, and won five gold glove awards while with the Cards. Boyer tried managing for the Cardinals, but had little success and was fired early into his third year. Unfortunately Boyer’s life would be taken due to cancer in 1982. Boyer was 51.
9) Enos Slaughter
Position: Right Field
Years: (1938-1942, 1946-1953)
Enos Slaughter ranks second among all Cardinals in RBI with 1,148. He won two World Championships while with the Cardinals and played 1,820 games in a Cardinal uniform, 4th all time. Slaughter was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985. Impressive stats for any ballplayer, let alone a man who served three years at war while in the middle of his career.
8) Red Schoendienst
Position: Second Base
Years: (1945-1956, 1961-1963)
Red Schoendienst is the ultimate Cardinal. Red won four World Series titles with the Cardinals, including one as manager. He is a 10-time all star and ranks 5th on the Cards all time hit list with 1,980. He would finish his career with 2,449 hits. Red became Cardinals manager just two years after retiring.
7) Rogers Hornsby
Position: Second Base
Years: (1915-1926, 1930)
Rogers Hornsby is the definition of a slugger. During his tenure with the Cardinals he won two MVP awards and a World Series. He even won another MVP award after he moved to the dark side of the intense Cardinals-Cubs rivalry. Hornsby won two Triple Crown awards; the only man ever to do so. To this day Hornsby holds the record for batting average in a season with a ridiculous .424.
6) Dizzy Dean
Position: Pitcher
Years: (1930, 1932-1937)
Dean was another Cardinal great who left for northern Chicago after his time in St. Louis. But while he was here, he did some special things. Dean’s greatest year was in 1934, when he was an All-Star, NL MVP, and a World Series Champion. Dean is second to only Bob Gibson on the Cards’ all-time strikeout list. With all the awards under his belt, Dean is the second greatest pitcher to ever play for the Redbirds.
5) Lou Brock
Position: Left Field
Years: (1964-1979)
Brock has a number of titles to claim, but he will forever be known as the Cardinals greatest baserunner. No other man stole more bases in a Cards uniform than Brock. He is a two-time World Series champion and a six-time all star. Brock is second on the Cards all-time hit list with an impressive 2,713.
4) Albert Pujols
Position: First Base
Years: (2001-2011)
Albert Pujols established himself as one of the greatest right-handed hitters to ever play the game. His remarkable stats and achievements could take up a whole page, but I’ll only name a few. No other player had the start Pujols did; putting up 30+ home runs, 100+ RBI, and an average above .300 in each of his first 10 seasons. Pujols is second to Stan Musial in doubles, home runs, and RBI despite the fact that his career as a Cardinal was considerably shorter in duration. He left for the Angels in 2012, leaving St. Louis only to imagine where he would rank if he would have stayed for the remainder of his career.
3) Ozzie Smith
Position: Shortstop
Years: (1982-1996)
Nicknamed “The Wizard” due to his spectacular defensive ability. Smith put on a show each time he stepped on the field, from diving plays, clutch hits, and even doing flips out on the field after wins. Smith was a 15-time all star and 13-time gold glove winner and is a member of the 2,000 hit club as well as 500 stolen base club. Although Smith is the greatest Cardinal defender of all time, he will forever be remembered for the walk off home run he hit against the Dodgers in 1985, resulting in Jack Buck’s famous line, “Go Crazy Folks, Go Crazy!!”
2) Bob Gibson
Position: Pitcher
Years: (1959-1975)
Bob Gibson is the greatest pitcher to take the mound for the Redbirds, and ranks among the greatest to ever play the game. With 251 wins, a 2.91 era, and 3,117 strikeouts, it is no surprise that Gibson holds all of the Cards pitching records. In 1968 Gibson posted a 1.12 era, which remains the lowest era ever in Major League Baseball. In 1969 Major League Baseball was forced to lower the pitching mounds because of Gibson’s dominance the prior season.
1) Stan Musial
Position: Outfield
Years: (1941-1944, 1946-1963)
Stan ‘The Man’ Musial. Musial is undoubtedly the greatest ever to play for the Cardinals. Musial is atop the Cardinal ranks in almost every offensive category: runs, hits, at-bats, doubles, triples, home runs, RBI and walks. Musial dominated the league for three decades, and only missed time due to serving in the war. Musial’s statue on 8th St. stands alone, and for Redbird fans that is just right.
Official St. Louis Cardinals Website
