St. Louis Cardinals: Five Most Recent MVP Winners

Albert Pujols #5 of the St. Louis Cardinals hits a home run in the fourth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on August 26, 2010 in Washington, DC. It was the 400th home run of his career. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
Albert Pujols #5 of the St. Louis Cardinals hits a home run in the fourth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on August 26, 2010 in Washington, DC. It was the 400th home run of his career. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) /
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St. Louis Cardinals
Feb 18, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals former players Jim Edmonds (L) Ozzie Smith and Willie McGee chat during Spring Training workouts at Roger Dean Stadium. Image Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports /

Willie McGee-Centerfield

Willie McGee won the MVP for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1985.  It was his only MVP for his career.  He played in St. Louis for 13 years from 1982-1990, then again from 1996-1999.

During his MVP campaign, McGee had 216 hits, 18 triples and a .353 batting average.  All of those numbers led the majors that year.  He had a successful year on the base paths, stealing 56 bases and only getting thrown out 16 times.  He was able to set a career high in total bases at 308 while also scoring 112 runs.

McGee ran away with this victory, taking an 83 percent share of the vote.  The runner up was Dave Parker from Cincinnati, who took  a 65 percent share.  Other notable names who that season received votes were Dwight Gooden, Ryne Sandberg and Tony Gwynn Sr.

1985 was overall a standout season for McGee.  He was by no means a bad player, and could make a run at being considered one of the better outfielders in St. Louis Cardinals history.  As far as WAR numbers, 1985 was his only season above eight.  The rest of his career was hovering around two– the expected number for a starter.

McGee played nineteen seasons for four different teams.  He ended his career with four All-Star selections, three Gold Gloves, and a Silver Slugger award.

The former MVP’s career can be summed in one word: consistency.  Even at the age of 38, playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, McGee hit .300 over 122 games during the season.  While he had only the one standout year, he was a guy who got the job done year in and year out.