7 great St. Louis Cardinals who never won a World Series with the team

1B Jack Clark

The bulk of Jack Clark's career was spent with the San Francisco Giants. He played with the Giants from 1975 through 1984 before being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in February of 1985. Primarily a left fielder up to this point, Clark switched to first base once he joined the Cardinals to limit his chances of getting injured.

Clark's fielding was nothing to write home about either; his throw to Todd Worrell at first base in the 1985 World Series — the same play that umpire Don Denkinger biffed — along with a dropped foul popup later in the game loom largest amongst his misplays. His subpar glove certainly didn't impact his superior bat, though.

Clark was an exceptional hitting first baseman for the Cardinals despite playing only three seasons in St. Louis. He attended two All-Star Games and won two Silver Sluggers in St. Louis. He slugged 66 home runs to go along with a .274/.413/.522 slash line. He led the league in walks with 136 in 1987, and his 1.055 OPS was the best in all of baseball that year.

Jack Clark was lucky enough to play in two World Series while with the Cardinals in 1985 and 1987. Clark had an excellent NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1985, but he didn't perform up to his usual standards in the World Series that year. He slashed just .240/.321/.320 against the Royals while striking out three times as often as he walked. He was limited to just one at-bat in the 1987 postseason due to an ankle injury; he never logged an at-bat in the World Series that year. The Cardinals lost both of those championship series, much to the chagrin of fans, players, coaches, and the organization.

Jack Clark, despite being an excellent Cardinal, missed his chance to win a ring with the Redbirds. He came too late for the 1982 World Series, and neither the 1985 nor the 1987 club was able to get the job done. Clark left the Cardinals following the 1987 season to sign with the New York Yankees.