St. Louis Cardinals: Ken Boyer gets A+ Biography

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Former St. Louis Cardinals’ player Ken Boyer has a fantastic new biography that every fan should read.

Former St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Ken Boyer has gotten an A+ biograpgical treatment from author Kevin D. McCann in Ken Boyer: All-Star, MVP, Captain.

If you might recall, McCann turned to Kickstarter in 2013 to help finance the book. This resulted in 45 supporters helping contribute to the cause so that McCann could pay for travel and research expenses. McCann explores the Missouri native’s personal life, his childhood growing up in southwest missouri, and his playing, coaching, and managerial careers.

Boyer’s managerial career was cut short when he was diagnosed with cancer and died in 1982. Among friends and teammates interviewed were Tim McCarver, Dick Groat, Tommy John, Solly Hemus, Bill Virdon, and Red Schoendienst.

A captain of the St. Louis Cardinals from 1959-1965, Boyer was selected for 11 All-Star Games during his career. His five Gold Glove Awards should make him worthy of the National Baseball Hall of Fame as Chicago Cubs third baseman Ron Santo was recently elected. 

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Throw in an MVP Award and World Series championship during the 1964 season and Boyer certainly has all the accolades for a player of his status. There’s no doubt how underappreciated that he is compared to other players of his time.

His 62.8 WAR is good enough for 155th all-time prior to the 2016 MLB season. Boyer first appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in 1975 before dropping off after the 1994 ballot. Ultimately, he maxed out at 25.5% in 1988. If you missed it, Boyer made our all-time 28-man roster, top 20 hitters, and top 50 Cardinals of all time lists.

Published by BrayBree Publishing, McCann’s book runs close to 500 pages.

Next: The 50 Greatest Players in Franchise History

Earlier this year, author Lew Freedman published The Boyer Brothers of Baseball. Two previous books on Boyer were published after the 1964 season and they were intended for children: Guardian of the Hot Corner by Jack Zanger and Ken Boyer by David Lipman.