Cardinals mourn late slugger behind one of franchise’s biggest what-ifs

Bob Horner is known for many things in baseball: being the No. 1 draft pick in 1978, hitting four home runs in a single game, and hitting a home run in his MLB debut after skipping the minor leagues. Horner's time in St. Louis, though is not as fondly remembered.

Bob Horner, a Rookie of the Year recipient and an All-Star, passed away on Tuesday. Horner was drafted first overall by the Atlanta Braves in 1978 after an impressive career at Arizona State University. Horner was inducted into the inaugural class of the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006 due to his incredible success at ASU.

He spent the first nine years of his career with Atlanta. He won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 1978, and he was an All-Star in 1982 thanks to a .851 OPS and 32 home runs. The power-hitting corner infielder was a key part of many successful Braves teams along with Dale Murphy.

After spending nine years with Atlanta, Horner was caught up in the owners' collusion scandal during free agency and was not offered a satisfactory contract prior to the 1987 season. He decided to take his talents overseas to Japan and play for one year in the Japan Central League.

Horner hit .327 with 31 home runs and a 1.106 OPS in just 93 games. That was enough for Horner to snag a contract with the St. Louis Cardinals prior to the 1988 season.

Slugging corner infielder Bob Horner, who played one injury-plagued season with the St. Louis Cardinals, passes away at 68.

The Cardinals were searching for a replacement for first baseman Jack Clark after the 1987 season, and Horner seemed to fit the bill. A lineup that was built on speed and small ball was about to add a power bat to the heart of the lineup.

“It’s been a dream of mine to play for the Cardinals,” Horner told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch at the time of his signing. “What an absolutely perfect fit.”

Whitey Herzog, the Cardinals' manager at the time, wasn't overly excited about the signing of Horner, though. “Horner is more of a contact hitter (than Clark)," said Herzog after the signing. "You can put almost anyone in that fourth spot and he'll get 100 RBIs if those other guys are getting on base as frequently as possible.

"I guarantee that if Horner hits .279 and stays healthy, he'll drive in 100 runs, whether he hits two home runs or 20. I mean, the only real difference between Jack Clark and Bob Horner is about a thousand miles."

Well, he hit more than two home runs in 1988, but only barely.

Horner injured his left shoulder in June and underwent arthroscopic surgery. He would miss the rest of the 1988 season as a result of the surgery. Horner played only 60 games for the Cardinals that year, hitting just three home runs and driving in 33 runners with a .257 batting average and a .703 OPS.

Horner attempted a comeback in spring training of 1989 with the Orioles, but he had very little cartilage left in his left arm and retired as a result.

“I felt in my heart it was over,” Horner told the Post-Dispatch. “I wanted to go home, wanted to relax. Sure, I miss it from time to time. But I’m not bitter. I’ve had my day in the sun.”

Bob Horner's time with the Cardinals was very brief, but he played in an era of baseball that many fans remember fondly in St. Louis. Whiteyball was fading at this point in St. Louis, and the Cardinals were coming off a World Series loss in 1987, but Horner represented a different type of hitter for the Cardinals. Unfortunately, injuries got in his way.

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