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St. Louis Cardinals’ Top 20 Hitters

By Chris Greene

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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.

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