In spite of recent struggles, the St. Louis Cardinals are one of the oldest and most successful franchises in MLB history. The Cardinals are the fifth-oldest MLB team and the second-most decorated, with 11 championships. Naturally, with such a historical team, there have been many great all-time players who’ve donned the Birds on the Bat. As the Silver Slugger awards will be announced exclusively on FanSided this year on November 6th at 6pm, it’s only right that we take a look at all the Cardinals who have won the award since it was introduced by Louisville Slugger in 1980.
1980’s-1990’s
1980: Keith Hernandez, Gary Templeton, George Hendrick, Ted Simmons and Bob Forsch
1983: George Hendrick
1985: Jack Clark and Willie McGee
1987: Ozzie Smith, Jack Clark and Bob Forsch
1998: Mark McGwire
The Cardinals have never had more Silver Slugger awards in one season than they did with five winners in 1980. George Hendrick, Jack Clark and Bob Forsch all took home multiple awards in the decade. Willie McGee’s 1985 MVP season stands out, as well as plenty of great seasons from Ozzie Smith. It’s shocking to think the St. Louis went on an 11-year drought from 1987-98 without a winner. Mark McGwire’s snub in 1999 was also surprising, despite clubbing a league-high 65 home runs and 147 RBIs.
2000's
2000: Edgar Renteria
2001: Albert Pujols
2002: Edgar Renteria and Scott Rolen
2003: Albert Pujols and Edgar Renteria
2004: Albert Pujols and Jim Edmonds
2005: Jason Marquis
2008: Albert Pujols and Ryan Ludwick
2009: Albert Pujols
Renteria and Pujols dominated this decade, with eight Silver Slugger awards combined between the two of them. From his rookie season in 2001 to 2006, Pujols finished top four in MVP voting each of those seasons, including a title in 2005. Pujols would go on to win back-to-back MVPs in 2008 and 2009. Jim Edmonds also finished top-5 in MVP voting twice throughout the decade, including his Silver Slugger season in 2004.
2010's
2010: Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday
2013: Matt Carpenter and Yadier Molina
2017: Adam Wainwright
Pujols and Holliday won Silver Sluggers in 2010 before Prince Fielder broke Albert’s streak of three straight years in 2011. Matt Carpenter turned in an impressive 2013 season, while Yadier Molina had a career year from the plate batting .319. Adam Wainwright makes a cameo on this list as another Cardinals pitcher to win the award, hitting two home runs and driving in 11 in 2017.
2020's
2022: Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt
It’s no surprise that Goldschmidt and Arenado took home Silver Slugger awards as the two finished top-3 in MVP voting that year, with Goldschmidt ultimately winning the award. Each of them had their best season in St. Louis in 2022 by far, with 2021 coming in as a close second. Both Tommy Edman and Albert Pujols were nominated in 2022 as well, but did not take home the award. Brandon Drury was selected over Tommy Edman at the utility position and Josh Bell was selected at DH over Pujols despite finishing with seven fewer home runs as well as a much lower OPS and slugging percentage.
This totals 31 Silver Slugger awards won by 21 different players. Of these 31, five players won multiple awards, including Albert Pujols who won the most with six. Due to the implementation of the award, other Cardinals greats like Rogers Hornsby, Stan Musial, Lou Brock and etc. weren’t qualified. With no Cardinals expected to win in 2025, hopefully 2026 will see the first Cardinals Silver Slugger award in four seasons.