Cardinals History: Top 5 individual seasons by a Cardinals player by position

Top 5 catching seasons in Cardinals history

1. Yadier Molina - 2012

.315/.373/.501 with 22 homers and 76 RBIs; 7.2 WAR

Nothing too shocking here at the top of the list again! A fantastic offensive season for arguably the greatest defensive catcher of all time. The 29-year-old Molina was at the peak of his powers.

2. Tim McCarver - 1967

.295/.369/.452 with 14 homers and 69 RBIs; 6 WAR

Finished second in the MVP race to teammate Orlando Cepeda. McCarver was one of the top-ranked defensive catchers in 1967 according to defensive metrics (Total Zone) and had an uncharacteristically solid offensive season, although he performed better offensively in the postseason in 1964 and 1968 than this season. He was known perhaps as much for his broadcast work as his playing days.

3. Ted Simmons - 1975

.332/.396/.491 with 18 homers and 100 RBIs; 4.9 WAR

There are a lot of Ted Simmons seasons to choose from — he had 8 All-Star seasons, 6 with the Cards. Some years he had better power numbers, but 1975 had Ted finishing second for the batting title to Bill Madlock. While he wasn't great with the glove, Simmons had some passable years defensively. The Hall of Famer played on many average Cardinals teams, never sniffing the postseason with the Redbirds.

4. Bob O’Farrell - 1926

.293/.371/.433 with 7 homes and 68 RBIs; 3.9 WAR

The entire Cardinals 1926 season was pretty magical, but especially so for Bob O'Farrell. That season, the former Cubs backstop won the MVP. Were there more qualified candidates? Probably. But it was still a great season when hitting catchers were rare! And he ended Game 7 of the Cardinals' first World Series victory by throwing out Babe Ruth at second base!

5. Walker Cooper - 1944

.317/.352/.504 with 13 homers and 72 RBIs; 3.4 WAR

Walker Cooper finished second to teammate Stan Musial for the MVP this season and played admirably in the postseason as well. He was the younger brother of pitcher Mort Cooper (#3 on the best individual pitching seasons list). The powerful catcher was known as a tough guy and really didn't like getting his picture taken! Cooper hit .318 in the Cardinals' 1944 World Series win against the St. Louis Browns.