The St. Louis Cardinals’ 50 greatest players

#48 Slim Sallee SP

You’re probably sitting here wondering, how can a guy with a career FIP of 2.85 be so low on your list. Sallee played for the Cardinals from 1908-1916 in the first and probably most impactful “dead ball” era in baseball. So, despite his FIP of 2.85 Sallee makes it in at #48 on our list.

Sallee was really good in his time as a Cardinal, as he finished with an fWAR of 21.1 in his nine and a half seasons as a Cardinals’ pitcher. Sallee like most pitchers in his era, was a starter and a reliever fro the Cardinals, as he regularly posted over 40 appearances in his career.

In terms of fWAR, Sallee’s best season came in 1912 when he went 16-17 with a 2.60 ERA (3.18 FIP), keeping hitters at bay with a .258 average against in that season. sale that season finished with a n fWAR of 3.9. Sallee also finished three seasons a Cardinal with and FIP under three, which is pretty darn good.

Despite these great numbers, Sallee never was able to win a World Series with the Cardinals. However, when you can post five consecutive seasons with an fWAR over three, you are definitely going to make this list of best Cardinals’ ever.

Next: Walter McGee