St. Louis Cardinals’ Top Ten Starting Pitchers of All-Time

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Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

#10 Bill Doak

Here we have another one that I missed for my all-time roster. Doak pitched in a different time than most of these guys did, as he pitched from 1913-1924 with the Cardinals. In that time period Doak went 144-136 with an ERA of 2.93 (3.09 FIP) and an ERA+ of 105.

Despite not knowing much about Doak, it is easy to see how Doak was one of the best pitchers in Cardinals’ history. In 1914, in what was his first full year as a starter, Doak went 19-6 with fantastic ERA of 1.72 (2.72 FIP) and a 162 ERA+, while posting a 3.4 fWAR. This was without a doubt his best season of his career. This started an impressive run for Doak where he finished a total of six straight seasons with a FIP under 3.00.

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He eventually would total 26.7 fWAR for the Cardinals in his career, but unlike the others on this list would not ever make it to a World Series with the Cardinals as he left the team two years before they would win the title in 1926 and did not return to play his final season until 1929.

Review

While there may have been some snubs and surprises here. This is one solid list. The Cardinals have a rich tradition and this only adds to it. There are some guys here that I didn’t think would make the list, and some guys that I thought would make this list. As a fan, it makes me appreciate the history a little bit more, as we have guys sprinkled in here from pretty much every era of baseball and that is really neat.

Next: St. Louis Cardinals' All-Time 28-Man Roster

It also makes me want to look at the history myself instead of just taking for granted what the guys on TV and the radio say during the games, as I can’t tell you how many times I have heard Joaquin Andujar‘s (nothing against “One tough Dominican”) name mentioned on the telecasts, but I am pretty sure I have never heard Brecheen, Haines, or Doak’s name mentioned.