The Rise and Fall of Garry Templeton with the St. Louis Cardinals

With this week’s 40th anniversary of the Garry Templeton trade to San Diego, let’s look at Templeton’s tumultuous career in St. Louis.

In February 1982, St. Louis Cardinals general manager and field manager Whitey Herzog completed one of the most significant trades in the franchise’s storied history. The trade sent shortstop Garry Templeton and outfielder Sixto Lezcano to San Diego for shortstop Ozzie Smith and pitcher Steve Mura.

Unlike Herzog’s earlier trade in 1980. which sent the popular Ted Simmons to Milwaukee, this trade was embraced by Cardinals fans. Garry Templeton had worn out his welcome in St. Louis after an incident on August 26th, 1981 during a “Ladies Day” game at Busch Stadium.

The “incident” completed the collapse of Garry Templeton’s career in St. Louis, which had actually started a few years earlier. Templeton’s refusal to participate in the 1979 All Star Game began a downward spiral with fans and the franchise which ultimately led to the 1982 trade.

But before I spend too much time on the negatives of Garry Templeton, let’s look at the fact that he was one heck of a fine baseball player. In fact Herzog called Templeton, “the most talented” player he ever saw.

The Fall of Garry Templeton

Garry Templeton’s demise in St. Louis probably started in 1979, when he refused to play in the All Star game because he wasn’t voted in by fans as the starting shortstop. His refusal to participate in the All Star classic didn’t sit well with fans or many in the Cardinal organization. The details of the controversy are best described by Mark Tomasik at his RetroSimba site.

The build up of frustration with Templeton had grown since the All Star game controversy. Templeton had demanded to hit lead off, asked to be traded to a California team, and expressed his dissatisfaction with his salary. According to Herzog, Templeton didn’t want to play on artificial surface anymore or day games after a night game.

Additionally, many in the franchise thought Templeton had developed a drug problem. As many fans who followed the Cardinals in the early ’80s know, this was a problem, not only for Garry Templeton, but for many other players.

Nevertheless, when Templeton made two obscene gestures aimed at the fans during the game on Aug. 26, 1981 that effectively ended his tenure with the Cardinals. At the age of 25, Garry Templeton had worn out his welcome in St. Louis.

Final thoughts on Garry Templeton

I saw Garry Templeton play while he was in St. Louis. He had great speed, range, a good arm and more raw talent than Ozzie. It’s too bad the way it ended for Templeton.

Nevertheless, I’ve always thought a good trade is when both teams benefit from it. The trade made by the Cardinals and Padres work well for both teams, and both of the key players involved.

Ozzie Smith became a legend in St. Louis and was part of three NL Pennant teams and a World Series Championship team. The Cardinals got one of the best shortstops who ever played the game and fit perfectly in St. Louis.

The Padres wanted more offense from their shortstop position and they got it with Garry Templeton. He won another Silver Slugger Award and made an All Star Appearance in his ten years in San Diego. Templeton was a key part of the 1984 Padre team that won the NL Pennant and advanced to the World Series.

Garry Templeton also got redemption in San Diego. By all accounts, he was one of the leaders on those Padres teams and is now a member of the Padres Hall of Fame.

Finally, Templeton has made a post playing career for himself in baseball by coaching in the minor leagues and scouting for several teams. He’s taken several teams to the postseason and in 2014, he was named the Pacific Association Manager of the Year.

In the end, it was a good trade for all involved.