St. Louis Cardinals Franchise Four: Lou Brock

Until May 8, St. Louis Cardinals fans can vote for the top four players in franchise history. The players from each group that receive the most votes will be honored at this summer’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Cincinnati.

An Arkansas native, Brock attended high school and college in Louisiana. Lou Brock was signed by the Chicago Cubs as an amateur free agent in 1960 and went on to make his MLB debut on September 10, 1961. As everybody knows, Brock was traded by the Cubs to the Cardinals during the 1964 season. The Cubs traded Brock along with Jack Spring and Paul Toth on June 15, 1964, to the Cardinals for Ernie Broglio, Doug Clemens and Bobby Shantz. Brock and Broglio, of course, were the cornerstone moves of the deal.

A cornerstone of the Cardinals World Series teams of the 1960s, Brock played in all three World Series where he hit .300, .414, and .464, respectively. In 21 career postseason games, the left fielder scored 16 runs, drove in 13 runs, and swiped 14 bases.

He played his last game with the St. Louis Cardinals on September 30, 1979. After Gibby had retired a few seasons earlier, it truly marked the end of an era for the St. Louis Cardinals. After trades made in the early 1970s, the Cardinals just never were able to recover and contend in the National League. The BBWAA would elect Brock into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985 with 79.7% of the vote.

Playing 19 seasons mostly in left field, Brock retired with 3023 career hits, 149 home runs, 900 runs batted in, and 938 stolen bases. A six-time All-Star, Brock retired with a .293/.343/.410 batting line. At the time of his retirement, Brock held the career record in stolen bases.

Stay tuned during the rest of the week and next week as Redbird Rants profiles the other candidates being considered for the Franchise Four: Stan Musial, Dizzy Dean, Albert Pujols, Bob Gibson, Red Schoendienst, Rogers Hornsby, and Ozzie Smith.