Cardinals: The best Silver Slugger performances at each position.

First Base: Mark McGwire – 1998

This one was a tough one to pick. The St. Louis Cardinals have 6 players who have won 10 Silver Slugger Awards. The names include, Keith Hernandez, George Hendrick, Jack Clark, Mark McGwire, Albert Pujols, and Paul Goldschmidt.

What a group.

Hernandez won the award in 1980, which isn’t even his best season in St. Louis. He hit a slash line of .321/.408/.494 with a 147 OPS+. He slugged 16 HR and had 99 RBI. His left handed bat led the NL in OBP and in runs scored(111).

George Hendrick took over first base after Hernandez was traded, and won the award in 1983 by hitting a slash line of .318/.373/.493 with an OPS+ 138. He also hit 18 HR and knocked in 97 RBI.

Jack Clark won the award twice, in ’85 and ’87. Clark’s year in 1987 was outstanding. He had 1.055 OPS and an OPS+ of 176. The right hander also slugged 35 HR and had 106 RBI. He led the NL in 1987 in BB (136), OBP (.459), SLG (.597), along with OPS and OPS+.

Albert Pujols won the award four times in 2004, 2008, 2009, and 2010  Picking his best year of the four is challenging, but I would say, overall, it was 2008. The Cardinal legend hit a slash line of .357/.462/.653 with an OPS+ of 192. He also added 37 HR and 116 RBI. He also led the NL in SLG, OPS (1.114), OPS+, total bases (342), and intentional walks (34).

We all had the opportunity to watch Paul Goldschmidt win the Silver Slugger Award in 2022. It was his fifth overall, but first wearing the Birds on the Bat. Goldy hit a slash line of .317/.404/.578 with a 180 OPS+. He also sent 35 pitches out of park and added 115 RBIs to the Cardinals explosive offense in 2022. Goldschmidt also led the league in SLG, OPS (.981). and (OPS+).

Nonetheless, I have to go with Mark McGwire’s 1998 monster season as the best Silver Slugger performance for a Cardinal first baseman. The right handed McGwire not only it 70 HR and 147 RBI during that historic season, he also led the NL in OBP (.470). (.752), OPS (1.222), OPS+(216), and BB (162).

More on my McGwire pick at the end of this piece.

Second Base: Matt Carpenter – 2013

This one wasn’t hard at all. Matt Carpenter is the only Cardinal to ever win a Silver Slugger Award at second base. This was a somewhat surprising to me, especially considering Tommy Herr’s 1985 season. But more on Herr later.

What some may have forgotten, is what a good offensive player Matt Carpenter was for the Cardinals for a period of seven years. The Cardinals NL Championship in 2013 illustrates it perfectly.

Carpenter had a slash line of .318/.392/..481 with a 140 OPS+. His left handed bat contributed 11 HR and 78 RBIs while primarily leading off. But his most impressive stats were that in 2013 he led the NL in runs (126), hits (199), and doubles (55).

Back to Herr, The switch hitter had an remarkable season in 1985. He hit a slash line of .302/.379/.415 with a 123 OPS+. He contributed only 9 HR, but had 110 RBIs. Quite an accomplishment considering so few home runs. Certainly, you would think worthy of the Silver Slugger Award.

So, who won the 1985 NL Sliver Slugger Award? The Chicago Cubs’ Ryan Sandberg.

Third Base: Albert Pujols – 2001

The Cardinals have three players who have won the Silver Slugger award. Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen, and Nolan Arenado.

What was surprising to me, is Rolen only won one Silver Slugger Award while in St. Louis. In fact, it was the only one in his career. In 2002, Rolen hit a slash line of .266/..357/.503 with a with an OPS+ of 129. He slugged 31 HR and had 110 RBIs between Philadelphia and St. Louis. After he was traded to the Cardinals on July 29th, he had a OPS of .915 and an OPS+ of 139 in 55 games.

We’ve  just finished watching Arenado’s incredible 2022 and winning his 5th Silver Slugger Award.  His right handed bat hit a slash line of .293/.358/.533 with a 154 OPS+. Arenado also smashed 30 HR and knocked in 103 RBIs, in winning his first Silver Slugger Award as a Cardinal.

Still, the best Silver Slugger Award performance at third for a Cardinal was Pujols’ 2001 season. This surprised me, because some of us forget Albert did play third base early in his career. His right handed bat hit a slash line of .329/.403/.610 with a 157 OPS+.  He slugged 37 HR and brought in 130 RBIs, which also contributed to him being named the NL Rookie of the Year.

We should keep in mind, in his early years with the Cardinals, Pujols played several positions. But in 2001, third base was considered his primary position.

Shortstop: Edgar Renteria – 2003

The St. Louis Cardinals have won three Silver Slugger Awards between two players. Ozzie Smith won one in 1987, and Edgar Renteria won two in 2002 and 2003..

Ozzie first came to the Cardinals as a defense first type of player. But by 1987, he was a pretty good offensive weapon for Whitey Herzog’s Cardinals. Ozzie hit a slash line of .303/.392/.383 with an OPS+ of 105. The switch hitter managed to drive in 75 runs without an home run. But one of assets Ozzie brought to the 80s Cardinals offense was his speed. In 1987 he stole 43 bases.

Ozzie is a Cardinal institution and legend, but Edgar Renteria’s 2002 and 2003 seasons were better. Especially 2003. In 2003, the right handed Renteria had a career year. He hit a slash line of .330/.394/.480 with an OPS+ of 130. Although he only hit 13 HR, he knocked in 100 runs.

Outfield: Albert Pujols – 2003

The St. Louis Cardinals have won six Silver Slugger Awards between six players. They are George Hendrick, Willie McGee, Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds, Ryan Ludwick, and Matt Holiday.

George Hendrick and his right handed bat was a steady fixture at clean-up in the Cardinals lineup during the late 70s to the mid-80s. In 1980, he hit a slash line .302/..342/.498 with a 129 OPS+. He also contributed  25 HR and 109 RBIs to the Cardinals offense.

Willie McGee added the Silver Slugger Award in 1985 to his trophy case along with his NL MVP Award. The switch hitter had a slash line of .353/.384/.503 with an OPS+ of 147. McGee also led the NL in hits (216) and triples (18). Stolen bases was always an important ingredient to the Cardinal offense in the 80s. McGee stole 56 in 1985.

Jim Edmonds had a career year in 2004 as part of the MV3. His left handed bat hit a slash line of .301/..418/.643 with an OPS+ of 171. Additionally, Edmonds slugged 42 HR and 111 RBIs during the Cardinals 2004 World Series run.

Ryan Ludwick is sometimes the player we forget. In 2008. Ludwick’s right handed bat hit a slash line of .299/..375/..591 with a 151 OPS +. He also hit 37 HR and knocked in 113 runs for the Cardinals during his first and only All Star year.

Matt Holiday’s first full year as Cardinal earned him a Silver Slugger Award in 2010. The right hander hit a slash line of .312/.390/.532 with an OPS+ of 149. Holiday also put 28 balls over the fence and contributed 103 RBIs to the Cardinal offense.

But once again, I turn to Albert Pujols, who was hitting his prime in 2003. Pujols was still playing in the outfield, his last, when he hit a slash line of .359/.439/.667 with an OPS+ 187. He also slugged 43 HR and 124 RBIs. Albert led the NL in runs (137), hits (212), doubles (51), total bases (394), and won the batting title. Somehow he finished second in MVP voting.

Finals thoughts.

Some of my selections, even surprised me. For third base and the outfield, I went into this piece forgetting about Albert playing those positions. But for the years he won the Silver Slugger Award at third and the outfield, he was clearly the best. At least in my  opinion.

As far as first base, I didn’t expect myself to pick Mark McGwire. But after reviewing his 1998 season, I just couldn’t ignore it. PEDs or not, McGwire’s stats still stand. His season in 1998 is still the best.

Let me say, my opinion is clearly subjective. I understand there is room for disagreement in my selections. Nevertheless, these are my picks, and I stand by them.