4. Steve Carlton
It was in Philadelphia that Steve Carlton won three Cy Young Awards and became a baseball legend. Before his infamous trade to the Phillies on February 26, 1972, he was a pretty good doggone pitcher for the Cardinals.
The Cardinals signed the lefty in 1963 and he quickly advanced through their minor-league system. Carlton made his major-league debut in 1965, but he really started to come on his own during the 1967 World Championship season when he went 14-9 with a 2.98 ERA in 193 innings. While he didn’t win his one start in the 1967 World Series, he pitched 6 strong innings and gave up one unearned run.
In 1968, Carlton pitched 232 innings, posting a 13-11 record, a 2.99 ERA and made his first All-Star appearance. In 1969, he went 17-11 with a 2.19 ERA, pitched 236 innings and made his second All-Star appearance.
However, Carlton’s best year in St. Louis turned out to be his last. In 1971, he went 20-9 in 273 innings with a 3.56 ERA and made a third All-Star appearance.
In his seven seasons with the Cardinals, Carlton had a 77-62 record with a 3.10 ERA and a 114 ERA+. During his tenure in St. Louis, he also had 66 complete games and 16 shutouts.
Oh, what could’ve been.