St. Louis Cardinals: Top five batting seasons of the decade

Yadier Molina, C, 2012 – 563 PA, .315/.373/.501, 22 HR, 9.8 K%, 137 OPS+

Yadi had the best offensive season of his career in 2012, en route to a 4th place MVP finish. He set his career-high in home runs, as well as OPS+. He basically never struck out and that turned out to work pretty dang well for him.

Allen Craig, 1B/OF, 2012 – 514 PA, .307/.354/.522, 35 doubles, 22 HR, 137 OPS+

Craig was Jose Martinez before Jose Martinez. The dynamic bench bat got his shot at a full-time starter and thrived in 2012. The “RBI Machine” had an incredibly successful three year stretch with the team before fading into obscurity following a 2014 trade to Boston.

Aledmys Diaz, SS, 2016 – 460 PA, .300/.369/.510, 48 XBH, 134 OPS+

Following an injury to incumbent shortstop, Jhonny Peralta, prior to the 2016 season, the little known Cuban import put up an All-Star performance in his rookie year. Diaz looked like the answer to the long-running shortstop issues in St. Louis before struggling to start 2017 and was eventually replaced by Paul DeJong.

Matt Carpenter, 2B, 2013 – 717 PA, .318/.392/.481, 55 doubles, 11 HR, 199 hits, 126 runs, 140 OPS+

Matt Carpenter has almost a two-part section here. His progression as a hitter from when he first came up to the present day paints a picture of a drastically different hitter.

As some say, “doubles Carp” broke out the season prior in limited at bats, but 2013 he really showed what he was capable of. He led the league in doubles, hits, and runs, cementing himself as one of the elite hitters in baseball. The key cog to the lineup on the 2013 pennant-winning team, he helped fill the void left by a certain superstar, who (probably) will come up later.

Matt Carpenter, 3B, 2018 – 677 PA, .257/.374/.523, 42 doubles, 36 HR, 15.1 BB%, 143 OPS+

As a beneficiary to the “launch angle revolution”, Carpenter turned some of that doubles power into long balls. For some odd reason, many fans remember his brutal stretches in April and September, and not the good times. He was one of, if not the, best hitter in baseball from May 1st until August 31st, posting an MVP-like 1.051 OPS over that stretch, while also hitting 33 of his 36 homers that year in that time.

Tommy Pham, LF, 2017 – 530 PA, .306/.411/.520, 23 HR, 25 SB, 144 OPS+

Pham started the 2017 season in AAA (much to his dismay) and didn’t get his first plate appearance until May, but he still makes the list. Joining the 20/20 club in his first season as a starter, Pham became an important figure in the lineup, but just as polarizing off the field for his outspoken nature.

I, personally, found his personality to be refreshing, speaking his mind when he felt necessary. But he struck a nerve with a lot of other fans. After struggling to start the 2018 season, he was shipped to Tampa Bay for a (so far) underwhelming return, as he continues to tear it up in Florida.

Matt Holliday, LF, 2010, – 675 PA, .312/.390/.532, 45 doubles, 28 HR, 149 OPS+

Holliday was traded to St. Louis during the 2009 season and signed a club-record contract (until Paul Goldschmidt in 2019) for seven years following that season. He was worth every penny.

Holliday was remarkably consistent during his tenure in St. Louis, with his peak coming in his first full season with the team in 2010. He topped 40 doubles and was the Robin to Pujols’ Batman that season, but took over the lineup anchor after 2011 when Pujols left.

Lance Berkman, RF, 2011 – 587 PA, .301/.412/.547, 31 HR, 92/93 BB/K, 164 OPS+

Berkman played just two seasons in St. Louis towards the very tail end of his career, but boy were they fantastic. Coming off the worst season of his 12-year career, he signed in St. Louis on just a one year, $8 million deal. This ended up being one of the best signings of the John Mozeliak era.

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Judging solely by OPS+, Berkman actually had the best statistical season of his career at age 35 in St. Louis in 2011. He posted a very solid 31 long balls, walked almost exactly as much as he struck out, and added a third deadly bat with Pujols and Holliday.

To top it all off, his postseason performance that year was incredible. Hitting .423 in the World Series, if it weren’t for David Freese morphing into Babe Ruth all postseason, the memory would be of Berkman’s legendary performances, not Freese.

He set the stage for a number of Freese’s heroic moments, including this game-tying,10th inning RBI single down to the last strike of the season, which Freese promptly ended next inning with his home run.

Albert Pujols, 1B, 2010 – 700 PA, .312/.414/.596, 39 doubles, 42 HR, 115 runs, 103/76 BB/K, 14 SB, 173 OPS+

Pujols easily posted the best offensive season of the decade in St. Louis, not much deliberation was needed. His entire career is too pretty to put into words and 2010 was his last truly elite season. He was still an incredible hitter in 2011, but he wasn’t what he was for the prior ten years.

Pujols showed every trait you could possibly want in a hitter.

Pujols hit over .300, had an OBP over .400, and tallied 81 extra-base hits. Walked more than he struck out. Heck, he even stole 14 bases and led the entire MLB in runs scored. His 1.011 OPS on the year netted him a second-place MVP finish only behind Joey Votto and his .424 OBP and .600 slugging percentage.

“The Machine” truly was built in a factory designed to hit a baseball.

In all, the St. Louis Cardinals were one of the few teams to have winning seasons for the entirety of the 2010s. There were amazing moments, heroes that won’t be forgotten, and one ring. As we move into the 2020s, there is plenty more fun to be had.