Cardinals named to top franchise list of past 25 years

In a cross-sport list of dynasties, the Cardinals find themselves among great company.

World Series Game 5: Detroit Tigers v St. Louis Cardinals
World Series Game 5: Detroit Tigers v St. Louis Cardinals | Jonathan Daniel/GettyImages

Despite the past couple seasons of disappointment, the St. Louis Cardinals have been and remain one of the all-time great major league teams. To celebrate the last 25 years, Bleacher Report created a top-25 list counting down the greatest franchises of the millennia.

Where did the Cardinals rank?

To make the list at all, which includes 25 franchises from the four major North American sports is something to brag about. While it is to be expected to fall behind recent dynasties like the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Lakers, Cardinals fans will most likely want to see where the team fell in comparison to other MLB teams.

In the list that counts up from 25, the Redbirds saw themselves check in at #24, which is good enough to be the first baseball team to crack the countdown. From the 2000 season through last year, the Cardinals winning percentage comes in at a stellar .552 with 16 playoff appearances in the last 25 seasons. Hidden among those seasons were the Cardinals at least having a share of the best record in the MLB four times and winning the NL Central 11 times. Within the 16 playoff appearances came four World Series appearances with two titles, coming in 2006 and 2011. Over the past 25 seasons, the Cardinals have the third-highest winning percentage and second-most playoff appearances among the other baseball organizations included in the count. Despite being the second-winningest team in terms of World Series titles in Major League Baseball behind the Yankees, the overall lack of extended postseason runs since 2000 brought the Cardinals down the list.

In comparison to the rest of the list, there were five additional MLB teams mentioned. Teams like the Astros and Giants were also in the top 20 after having more recent success than the Cardinals. Continuing on the baseball side, the list features the Dodgers and Yankees before rounding out the MLB teams with the Boston Red Sox.

Ownership has to be thrilled with their inclusion on this list as many of the other teams featured come from much larger markets. The ability to keep trotting out winning teams is one that the front office prides themselves on, despite the geographic and financial limitations that come with the area. This continued success was built on traditions like "The Cardinal Way" that many other teams have tried to emulate during the past. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, their last appearance in the World Series came in 2013 with fans now growing restless at the team's underperforming expectations and seemingly being unwilling to spend.

While ownership and fans alike would definitely like to see more ring ceremonies and banners hanging from Busch Stadium, consistent winning is something that all organizations strive for. The next step for the Cardinals franchise is to take another leap and catch up to the progress that other teams around the league have made. The goal for the 2025 Cardinals is to revamp their player development system in hopes of creating another 25 years of success around the league.

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