The St. Louis Cardinals’ 50 greatest players

Oct 10, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; The Budweiser Clydesdales parade around the warning track before game two of the NLDS between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

#43 Bill Sherdel

Sherdel didn’t become a full-time pitcher until 1922. That year he went 17-13, with a 3.87 ERA (3.83 FIP), while totaling a 2.8 fWAR. Looking at his career numbers shows that Sherdel was much like Forsch in that he was consistent in his 12 seasons as a Cardinal, posting an ERA of 3.64 and 3.71 FIP. He finished with a fWAR of 26.1 in his career.

This was due to posting ERA numbers under 4.00 in nine of his 12 seasons as a Cardinal, and as a full time starter he only once finished with a fWAR under 2.0. Sherdel’s best season as a Cardinal came in 1928 when the lefty finished with a record of 21-10 and a 2.86 ERA (3.91 FIP), while being worth 3.3 fWAR.

Sherdel may not be that lights out starter that blew through his opponents, but you can’t argue with consistency, and his fWAR is the best barometer of this success, as he ranks 10th in all time fWAR among Cardinals’ pitchers, as well as owning one of the best LOB% in team history at 68.3%.

Next: The other Whitey