Joaquin Andujar and the Cardinals Forgotten Ace from the 1980s
Andujar’s rocky road to St. Louis
Joaquin Andujar signed with the Cincinnati Reds in 1969 when he was still just 16 years old. He was 33-41 with a 4.33 ERA in six seasons with the Reds’ farm system. In December 1975, he was dealt to the Houston Astros.
During his seven years with the Astros organization, Andujar split time between the bullpen and the rotation. He went 44-53 with a 3.67 ERA., pitched 23 complete games, 5 shutouts, but also had seven saves. In addition, he was named to two All-Star teams.
Nevertheless, despite his durability and flexibility, the Astros never seemed to know what do with Andujar. After a 2-3 start with a 4.94 ERA in 1981, he was dealt to the Cardinals for outfielder Tony Scott.
Mark Tomasik of RetroSimba gives more details on why the Cardinals brought Andujar to St. Louis.