St. Louis Cardinals’ Top 20 Hitters

April 13, 2012; St. Louis, MO. USA; St. Louis Cardinals hall of famer Stan Musial waves to the crowd during an opening day ceremony before a game against the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium. Chicago defeated St. Louis 9-5. Image Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals have had some really great hitters play for this team, who ranks among the best?

In the St. Louis Cardinals storied history, there have been many great players. In our historical series we’ve covered the top free agents, best roster, and top ten starting pitchers. In this edition of our historical series, we will be determining the best hitter.

Determining the best position player isn’t too hard, as Stan Musial stands head and shoulders above the rest, and Bob Gibson is pretty clearly the best Cardinal pitcher ever, but what if you want to break it down a little more?

What if you threw out defense, threw out base running, and looked solely at who was the best when they were standing in the batter’s box? Today, that’s exactly what we’re going to do — finding out who the St. Louis Cardinals’ best pure hitters have been throughout history.

Before we begin, let’s set some ground rules. First, we’re going to use weighted runs created plus (wRC+) to do most of the ranking for us. Given that it adjusts so that 100 is league average in any given year, wRC+ will help us avoid any potential pitfalls and allow us to compare each player to the league that they played in. This is going to be a collaborative effort between two of us here at Redbird Rants, with Co-Editor Steven McNeil and Staff Writer Chris Greene both weighing in on this great list.

We’ll limit our scope to players with at least 2,000 career plate appearances and at least five seasons in a Cardinals uniform. Primarily, we will be looking at what the players accomplished in their career as a St. Louis Cardinals’ player, although some weight will be given to the player’s overall career as well. Now, let’s get started!

Next: Sweet Lou

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#20 – OF Lou Brock

Sweet Lou may not on paper sound like the definition of a great hitter. Lou was one of our exceptions here, as when you rank the top 20 in history according to wRC+, but one cannot leave Lou and his 3,023 hits off of this list. Brock also sits fourth in team history with his 684 extra base-hits.

Brock may have been known primarily for his wheels, but what most don’t know about Brock is that from 1965-1967 Brock had more than 15 homers each season, having 20 or more doubles in each of those seasons as well, and stealing over 60 bases in ’65 and ’66.

While you may disagree with us here that Brock was not as good of a hitter as the others on this list, Brock stands in with a really good career line of .293/.343/.410. Brock’s best numbers of his career came when the outfielder was playing in one of the best eras for pitching this league has ever seen, also known as the second dead ball era.

While wRC+ does account for era, I am not sure enough credit is given to Brock for regularly having an average in the area of .280-.320 and totaling 200 hits four times in this same era.

Brock’s numbers may not stand up to some of the other boppers in this team’s history, specifically those who may have played during a time when baseball was just getting on its’ feet. In my opinion the level of talent was not as great as it was during this time, especially the pitchers.

When reading about this era in the book  “Baseball’s Code”, it is clear that this was a tough time for hitters. Brock was a guy, who was likely routinely targeted by pitchers for his knack to steal bases at the “wrong time”, but Brock stood in there and still was a great hitter for his time in a Cardinals’ uniform.

Next: The Cardinals' best third-basemen

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#19 – 3B Ken Boyer

Here we have another Cardinals’ great hitter that is lower than I would have thought initially. Boyer was without a doubt one of the best to ever man the hot corner for the St. Louis Cardinals. He spent 11 years in a Cardinals’ uniform, and posted a slash of .293/.356/.475.

What stands out for Boyer is consistency, as throughout his career as a Cardinal he routinely played 140-160 games a year and only hit under 15 homers once in his entire career with the team, with that being his final year with the club in 1965.

Boyer as a Cardinal had several outstanding seasons, especially in the early 60s. Boyer’s best seasons came in 1960-1961. In 1960 Boyer posted his career best wRC+ at 144, he had a slash of .304/.370/.508 with 68 extra base-hits (32 homers, 26 doubles, and 10 triples) and 97 RBI.

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It was a great season for Boyer no doubt, although he only finished 6th in MVP voting that year. The very next season, Boyer had another good year, but in terms of wRC+ it was not his best year, as he finished at 137 that year, being the second best number of his career.

That year, Boyer finished with 61 extra base-hits (26 doubles, 24 homers, 11 triples) and 95 RBI. Boyer also scored 109 runs, which was his career high mark in that category. This season was still not able to net Boyer an MVP award.

However in 1964, his slash of .295/.365/.489 and OPS nearly 1oo points less than his ’60-’61 numbers, netted him the NL MVP award. All in all, Boyer was one of the best Cardinals’ hitters of all time, especially at third base.

Next: Silent George

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#18 – OF George Hendrick

While on the surface this spot may seem a little bit of a questionable player, Hendrick definitely was one of the Cardinals’ great hitters of all time in terms of wRC+. Hendrick played for the Cardinals from 1978-1984 posting a career slash line of .294/.345/.470 with a wRC+ of 125 in his time with the Cardinals. Hendrick doesn’t have the jump out at you great seasons that some of the other guys on this list.

However, what Hendrick does have is consistency, in four out of the seven seasons he played in St. Louis he averaged at least a .340 OBP with the three other seasons coming in at .323, .324, and .337.

Hendrick was fortunate enough to get to play in the 1982 World Series team and managed to come up with nine hits and five RBI, good enough for a .321 average. Hendrick’s best season as a Cardinal can be plucked from either his 1981 season or his 1983 season. In both of those seasons he had a wRC+ of 136.

In 1981, Hendrick slashed .284/.356/.485 with 40 extra base-hits (19 homers, 18 doubles, and three triples), driving in 61. However, his 1983 season probably takes the cake as he finished with a .318/.373/.493 with 54 extra base-hits (33 doubles, 18 homers, and three triples), driving in 97.

This was while playing in 144 games versus the 101 games he had in 1981. Regardless of the season you pick, a wRC+ of 125 and two seasons above 135 is what put him here on this list.

Next: Ed Konetchky

Busch Stadium April 19, 2015 Photo Credit: Steven McNeil

#17 – 1B Ed Konetchy

On paper Konetchy seems like an interesting choice for this list. He wasn’t a power hitter, as he never hit over eight home runs for the Cardinals. However, what gets Konetchky on this list is his wRC+, which as we mentioned, accounts for the era that the player played in.

Koentchky played with the Cardinals from 1907-1013, playing in what is considered to be the first “Dead-ball Era”. For his career, Konetchy has a wRC+ of 125, this is including two seasons above 130 in 1909 and 1910.

Those two seasons were his best. Konetchy slashed .286/.366/.396 in 1909, totaling 41 extra base-hits (23 doubles, 14 triples, four home runs), while driving in 80. He was also worth 23.6 runs above average on offense that year.

Which again shows Konetchy was extremely valuable to his team during that time. In 1910, Konetchy slashed .302/.397/.425 with 42 extra base-hits (23 doubles, 16 triples, and three homers), while driving in 78.

That year Konetchky’s wRC+ was 136 in comparison to the 134 he had in 1909. While he may not have the numbers of some of the others in this list, what he does have is the success in an era in which pitchers dominated, making him one of the of best in team history.

Next: Ted Simmons

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#16 – C Ted Simmons

In recent history, the position of Catcher has been a position where offense has been an after thought, but in the 70s that was not the case. Ted Simmons definitely stakes his claim to the best offensive catcher this team has ever seen.

Simmons was a bit of a staple of consistency during his 13 years as a Cardinal. In those 13 years, Simmons slashed .298/.366/.459 with 541 extra base-hits (332 doubles, 182 home runs, and 32 triples), posting a wRC+ of 126 as a Cardinal.

As a Cardinal, Simmons highest strikeout total came in 1972, which was 57. After that season, Simmons only had 50 or more once. Simmons also had three separate seasons in which he posted a wRC+ above 140 (1975, 1978, 1980). With his best seasons coming in 1975 and 1978. Let’s take a look a the two seasons.

In 1975, Simmons posted his best overall slash line at .332/.396/.491 with 53 extra base-hits (18 homers, 32 doubles, 3 triples) while driving in 100 and posting a wRC+ of 145. After this season, he posted a wRC+ in four out of the next five seasons. This is including 1978, when he slashed .287/.377/.512 with 67 extra base-hits (40 doubles, 22 homers, and five triples), while driving in 80.

Unfortunately for Simmons, after finishing his career as a Cardinal in 1980 and moving on to the Brewers, he made the World Series at the wrong time against the wrong team, losing to the Cardinals in 1982.

Next: The Prospect

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#15 – OF J.D. Drew

Drew’s appearance on this list is a little bit of an enigma. In fact, both J.D. and his brother Stephen have both been hard to figure out. J.D., at least, always had the tools he needed to be a good player, but he never quite put it all together — much to the frustration of Cardinal fans in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In spite of the fact that he never really reached his potential, J.D. Drew hit quite well for the St. Louis Cardinals, posting a 127 wRC+ in his six seasons with the Redbirds, hitting .282/.377/.498 with 96 home runs over that span.

While that doesn’t seem like the kind of performance that would be one of the Cardinals’ best, and Drew certainly isn’t one of the best Cardinal players all time, his skill with the bat was surprisingly good in retrospect.

It’s kind of easy to forget, but there was a reason why so many fans and analysts saw potential in Drew, and his 2001 season puts his skill on display. In spite of a broken pinkie and back strain that limited him to 109 games, J.D. Drew smacked 27 home runs while slashing .323/.414/.613 — good for a 162 wRC+ that beat out such sluggers as Albert Pujols, Gary Sheffield, Alex Rodriguez, and Manny Ramirez.

So, as surprising as it is, Drew’s numbers earn himself a spot on this list in spite of his persistent injuries and frustrating inconsistency.

Next: The other Whitey

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#14 – OF Whitey Kurowski

Before I began researching for this post, I didn’t know who Whitey Kurowski was, but after a bit of research, I think that uncovering such a fascinating and inspiring player made the whole endeavor worthwhile.

As a child, Kurowski was diagnosed with Osteomyelitis, a disease which effectively damages the bones, and Kurowski was left missing pieces of bone in his right forearm. In spite of that, Whitey became a professional baseball player, and from 1941 to 1949, he was one of the better hitters in the league, and he earned four trips to the All-Star Game. Ultimately, Kurowski’s career was ended at the young age of 31 by elbow and arm problems in his right arm.

Over those nine seasons, Whitey Kurowski hit .286/.366/.455 while swatting 106 home runs and posting a 127 wRC+. Additionally, he played a crucial role in the 1942, 1944, and 1946 World Series teams, helping lead the Cardinals to all three titles.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Kurowski was his ability to perform at a high level in spite of an illness that limited his natural and structural strength. His numbers are good enough to earn him a spot on this list, but his perseverance earned him spot in my mind as one of the Cardinal greats.

Next: The other best third basemen

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#13 – 3B Scott Rolen

If left to my own devices, I don’t think I would think of Scott Rolen as one of the best Cardinal hitters ever, over five seasons with St. Louis, the fiery third baseman hit 111 home runs while slashing .286/.370/.510, which gave him a 128 wRC+ and easily earns him a spot on this list.

Upon further investigation, I discovered that he also made the All-Star game four consecutive times from 2003 to 2006, and that he was a crucial piece of the puzzle in 2006’s World Series team, hitting .421/.476/.737 with three doubles and a home run in the Series itself. In short, for whatever reason, I’ve simply forgotten how good Rolen was with the Cardinals.

In particular, Scott Rolen absolutely crushed the ball for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004, slashing .314/.409/.598/ while mashing 34 home runs on his way to finishing 4th on the MVP ballot, which his 159 wRC+ nearly justified apart from his outstanding defense.

Although his time with the St. Louis Cardinals was relatively short, Rolen was a far better hitter than I remembered, and he certainly earned his number 13 spot on this list.

Next: The Mad Dasher

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#11 – 1B Keith Hernandez

Keith Hernandez is one of those Baseball limelight guys that not many younger Cardinals’ fans know of as a Cardinal. However, before Hernandez’ more popular Mets’ tenure he played in parts of ten seasons for the Cardinals, and was a pretty good player.

He posted a slash of .299/.385/.448 in his career with the Cardinals, with 196 extra-base hits (265 doubles, 81 homers, and 50 triples). Hernandez wasn’t your typical first basemen, who bops 30 homers and drives in 100.

However, like many on this list Hernandez was nothing short of consistent for the Cardinals. He was a hitting machine for many years and was a guy who was always getting on base as is represented by his .385 OBP.

His best season as a Cardinal was without a doubt in 1979, when he slashed .344/.417/.513 with 70 extra base-hits (48 doubles, 11 homers, and 11 triples), and a wRC+ of 156. Not only were his average, doubles, and runs scored tops in the league that year; but that year Hernandez also took home the MVP crown.

Hernandez would go on to produce a 155 wRC+ in the very next season, leading the league in runs scored (111) and OBP (.408). Continuing in the best three years of his career, he finished with a 144 wRC+ in 1981. Hernandez would help the team win the title in 1982, where his 7 hits and 8 RBI were a key cog in bringing the title to St. Louis for the first time since 1967.

Unfortunately, in 1983 Hernandez was dealt to the Mets for a whole host of reasons, as is outlined here in RetroSimba’s piece on the trade. Hernandez went on to have a fine career with the Mets, leading them to the World Series in 1986.

After finishing the 1990 season with Cleveland playing only 43 games, he decided to hang it up. Hernandez was definitely one of the top hitters to ever wear the birds on the bat.After his career, Hernandez became apart of Mets’ lore and joined their broadcast team. He also appeared on an episode of Seinfeld in 1992.

Next: The greatest manager of all-time?

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#10 – C/1B/3B Joe Torre

Joe Torre is the second catcher to make this list, although he played more first and third base with the Cardinals. Over six seasons with St. Louis, Torre hit 98 home runs while slashing .308/.382/.458, good for a 132 wRC+ en route to four All-Star Game appearances, an MVP award, and ultimately a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

Perhaps the most impressive part of Torre’s time with the St. Louis Cardinals was his incredible 1971 season that earned him the National League MVP Award. Over 700 plate appearances and 161 games, Joe Torre slashed .363/.421/.555 while leading the league in batting average, hits, RBIs, and total bases. He was easily one of the best offensive players of the season with a 173 wRC+, and in spite of the Cardinals’ second place finish, Torre won his first and only Most Valuable Player award.

Although that season was far and away Joe Torre’s best in his career, he was never a slouch at the plate, and consistently put up good numbers, and it’s that consistency — combined with a number of truly exceptional seasons — that helped him break into the top ten Cardinal hitters ever. We all know what Torre went on to do with the rest of his career, despite our wishes that he be best known for his Cardinals’ days.

Next: Bottoms Up!

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#9 – 1B Jim Bottomley

In 10 years from 1922 to 1931, Jim Bottomley was the picture of consistency, as he averaged 33 doubles, 12 triples, 17 home runs, and 106 RBIs a season while slashing .327/.390/.541. Those numbers were good for an impressive 136 wRC+ and the number nine spot on this list. Ultimately, they also helped him earn him a well-deserved spot in Cooperstown.

One of Bottomley’s more interesting feats with a bat came on September 16, 1924 when he drove in 12 RBIs over the course of a single 9-inning game, setting a record that stood until his fellow St. Louis Cardinal — Mark Whiten — matched the feat with 12 RBIs on September 7, 1993, nearly 50 years later.

In addition to stumping many a sports trivia fan with that feat, Bottomley won the 1928 MVP with an impressive season in which he led the league in triples, home runs, and RBIs while slashing .325/.402/.628. Beyond that, the tall first baseman was a crucial part of the 1926 and 1931 World Series teams, helping bring the title to St. Louis in both years.

When you consider all of Jim Bottomley’s feats and his overall performance, it’s clear that he’s deserving of a spot among the St. Louis Cardinals’ best hitters all time.

Next: Ducky

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#8 – OF Joe Medwick

Much like Joe Torre, Joe Medwick was a very consistent hitter for the Cardinals who also boasted one absolutely fantastic season. Between 1932 and 1940, Medwick managed an impressive .335/.372/.545 slash line while swatting 152 home runs, giving him a very respectable 142 wRC+. He was a seven time All-Star from 1934-1940, and he finished in the top ten of MVP voting four times in that stretch.

In 1937, however, Medwick flipped a switch. On the way to his only MVP award, Joe Medwick led the league in games played, at-bats, runs, RBIs, hits, home runs, doubles, batting average, slugging percentage, and total bases, posting a .374/.414/.641 line that looked almost Ruthian.  In addition to his MVP award, Medwick took home the rare triple crown honors and his 180 wRC+ paced the entire league.

In addition to his impressive regular season performance, Medwick helped the Cardinals win the World Series in 1934, hitting .359/.400/.552 for the Redbirds when they needed him the most. Once again, steady consistency paired with an overwhelmingly impressive burst of production earns Joe Medwick a spot as one of the St. Louis Cardinals’ best hitters ever. Although his later achievements never quite matched his performance in St. Louis, he is certainly deserving of a spot here.

Next: Jimmy Ballgame

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#7 – CF Jim Edmonds

Jim Edmonds has been in the public eye a fair amount of late since he’s appearing on the Hall of Fame Ballot for the first time this season. There’s a reasonable amount of support for his induction from fans (spearheaded by the Twitter account @JimEdmondsHOF), but he’s in danger of falling off of the ballot. We’ve even covered his case here.

Apparently, the voters don’t appreciate or haven’t examined closely enough what Jimmy Baseball accomplished at the plate. In eight season with the St. Louis Cardinals, Edmonds paired 241 home runs with a .285/.393/.555 slash line. Even in the explosive offensive environment of the early 2000s, those numbers were among the best in the league, and his 143 wRC+ over that span ranked him as the 15th best offensive player around.

Jim Edmonds’ impressive combination of on-base skills and power earned him three trips to the All-Star Game with the Cardinals and helped him lead St. Louis to a World Series title in 2006. While the Hall of Fame voters may not recognize his batting skills with a spot in Cooperstown, given his prominence in his era, Edmonds clearly stands out as one of the best hitters to ever wear the birds on the bat.

Next: Mr. Reliable

Oct 9, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder

Matt Holliday

hits a RBI single against the Chicago Cubs in the first inning in game one of the NLDS at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

#6 – LF Matt Holliday

Matt Holliday holds the largest contract in franchise history right now, and he’s received a fair amount of criticism from Cardinal Nation for not being good enough for that contract. As far as I can tell, he’s done everything he can to live up to that contract. If he’s being paid to hit, then he’s definitely doing that, as his 144 wRC+ in a Cardinal uniform is the sixth best mark all time.

His .298/.386/.498 line may not stand out immediately, but when you pair that with solid power (136 home runs) and consistent performance, you realize just how good Holliday has been. It’s easy to forget that offense has been down around the league over the past years, but when compared to his peers, Holliday’s production stands head and shoulders above the rest of the league.

The St. Louis Cardinals have enjoyed watching an underrated hitter day in and day out, but Matt Holliday is as deserving of his spot on this list as he is of his contract, which is to say very deserving. It seems unfortunate the attention he’s getting these days, at the end of his career.

Unfortunately, many fans feel as if one bad injury year makes him useless, but I believe that Holliday is still writing the pages of his Cardinals’ story. If Holliday has a good year this year, I would say that management will likely extend him on to the next season and let him have one final ride in 2017 and retire a Cardinal as he should.

Next: Big Mac

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#5 – 1B Mark McGwire

In order to get Mark McGwire onto this list, I had to fudge the rules a little bit, but there’s a really good reason. McGwire was only with the St. Louis Cardinals for four and a half seasons, rather than the five everyone else has. In those four and a half seasons, he mashed 220 home runs, which ranks him 6th among Cardinal players.

Really, that’s what makes Mark McGwire’s career exceptional: an unparalleled ability to crush the ball. His .263 batting average is a little lack luster, but his .325 career ISO (slugging percentage minus batting average — or slugging percentage without the singles) is second best all time, behind only Babe Ruth. In his years with the Cardinals, that number is even higher at an unbelievable .413.

To put that in perspective, the second best Cardinal ever is Albert Pujols with a .288 ISO. Fangraphs’ cheat sheet tells us that any ISO above .250 is “excellent”. I don’t know what .163 points above “excellent” is, but it has to be good. McGwire’s best season obviously came in 1998, during the famous home run race with Sammy Sosa. That year, McGwire slugged a slash line of  .299/.470/.752, with 91 extra base-hits (70 homers, 21 doubles), with a wRC+ of 205.

In short, Mark McGwire only played in St. Louis for four and a half seasons, but he absolutely tore the cover off of the ball while he was here.

Next: The first best first-basemen

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#4 – 1B Johnny Mize

Johnny Mize burst onto the scene as a 23 year old first baseman for the Cardinals in 1936 and simply started hitting. In six seasons with St. Louis, Mize’s batting average never dipped below .314, his OBP never dropped lower than .402, and his slugging percentage bottomed out at .535. All told, he accumulated 158 home runs to go with a .336/.419/.600 slashline, worthy of a 171 wRC+ at the time.

After serving in World War II for three years between 1943 and 1945, Mize finished his career in New York City with both the Giants and the Yankees, but he never reached the same heights as he did with the St. Louis Cardinals where he was a five time All-Star.

In four of his six seasons, his wRC+ topped 170, with his best coming in 1938 when he had a wRC+ of 179. During that time, he hit 25 home runs and topped 100 RBIs in each season. Mize’s most impressive statistic to me, is his strikeout percentage.

As a Cardinal, Mize didn’t finish with a K% above 9.2, which is extremely good. Additionally, Johnny Mize nearly won the triple crown in both 1939 and 1940, falling short in RBIs and batting average respectively.

Although Mize may not be one of the best known St. Louis Cardinals’ players in franchise history, he certainly knew how to swing a bat, and his appearance on this list is no fluke.

Next: The Machine

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#3 – 1B Albert Pujols

Although Albert Pujols won’t finish his career in a Cardinals’ uniform, there’s no doubt that he’ll go down as one of the best St. Louis Cardinals players ever — particularly with the bat. In eleven years in St. Louis, Pujols hit an incredible .328/.420/.617 with 445 home runs and a 167 wRC+ overall.

He hit at least .300 with at least 30 home runs, at least 100 RBIs, and at least 100 runs scored in ten of those eleven seasons, missing a .300 average and 100 runs by one point in 2011. Regardless of how you feel about counting stats, that’s an amazing run.

In fact, if you remove his down season in 2011 from consideration, Albert Pujols’ ten year run from 2001-2010 looks even more impressive: .331/.426/.624. Over that stretch, Pujols took home the Rookie of the Year Award, three MVP trophies, and five other top-three finishes in the MVP voting.

For an entire decade, Pujols was an unstoppable force who drove the Cardinals and terrorized the National League. His best season came in 2003, when he slashed .359/.439/.667 with 95 extra bas-hits (51 doubles, 43 homers, one triple) with the best wRC+ of his career at 184. In spite of his contract choices after 2011, Albert Pujols is well deserving of a top spot among St. Louis Cardinals’ hitters.

Next: The Man

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#2 – 1B/OF Stan Musial

There are not many lists where Stan Musial comes in second place, and for good reason. Musial is the heart and soul of St. Louis Cardinals’ history, both as a career player with over twenty phenomenal seasons with the Birds, but also as a great man worthy of admiration.

Going strictly by wRC+ with the Cardinals, Musial would have placed fifth, with a 158 mark, but by showing up day in and day out for 21 years, he earned himself a spot right at the top.

It’s (relatively) easy to be incredibly good for four and a half seasons like Mark McGwire, but to do it for two decades is unbelievable. In his career, Musial hit .331/.417/.559 with a franchise leading 475 home runs. Numbers like that would earn an MVP award in nearly any year, and Stan the Man kept it up year after year after year.

If we were evaluating the Cardinals’ best position players ever, Musial would win the top spot every time, but for this post we’ve limited ourselves to offensive production. There’s no doubt that the great first baseman is one of the best in Cardinal history, but there has been one player in franchise history even better with a bat.

Next: The Franchise

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#1 – 2B Rogers Hornsby

And now we reach the pinnacle: second baseman Rogers Hornsby. Never in the St. Louis Cardinals’ history has there been a better hitter. Initially, that statement may seem like blasphemy, as Stan the Man usually holds the top spot in any competition among Cardinals’ position players, but Hornsby is simply the better hitter.

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Although the counting stats such as home runs, RBIs, and runs all side with Musial, Hornsby only accrued about half of the plate appearances, and holds fairly substantial leads in rate stats such as batting average, OBP, slugging percentage, and wRC+.

In fact, the second baseman’s .359/.427/.568 line with the Cardinals earned him a 174 wRC+ with the Cardinals, but his career 173 wRC+ puts him in a tie for third place all time with Lou Gherig. Only Babe Ruth and Ted Williams have been better hitters in the history of baseball. With all due respect to Stan Musial, he isn’t quite in the same company. 

Perhaps the most interesting thing about Hornsby topping this list is his position. Generally, second baseman are below average hitters — the next best second baseman ever by wRC+ is Ross Barnes with a 148 wRC+ —  but Rogers Hornsby put up legendary offensive numbers while handling the keystone.

Next: Top Ten Pitchers in St. Louis Cardinals' History

In spite of a slew of great first basemen and outfielders who have done their best to dethrone him, Hornsby remains the St. Louis Cardinals’ batting king. If history is any indication, he’ll reign there for many years to come.