5 St. Louis Cardinals players whom fans never embraced

As fans pile into Busch Stadium before every St. Louis Cardinals game, the public address announcer booms the phrase “Welcome to baseball heaven!” And for countless Cardinals throughout history, that sentence is 100% true.

The supporters of the Cardinals have a reputation as the best fans in baseball, a moniker christened upon them by some players who were grateful to wear the birds on the bat. Opposing fans like to jump at the chance to criticize Cardinals supporters because of the supposed holier-than-thou attitude among them, but many players have said the same thing: St. Louis isn’t like other places. Fans live and breathe baseball here. It's not just a sport; it's a way of life and a key point of camaraderie among locals.

St. Louis (and most places, really) loves players who display hard work and grit, especially those who emerge from obscurity to make a contribution to the Cardinals. Think of the wildly popular Bo Hart and, to a lesser extent, Jeremy Hazelbaker. But on the flip side, Cardinals fans can be finicky and critical when it comes to players who don't meet lofty expectations thrust upon them.

As much as Cardinals fans carry their team and their devotion as a badge of honor, not all players have had great experiences when playing in St. Louis. Whether it's because they failed to meet contract expectations or didn't seem to give the effort fans wanted, some Cardinals have had a rough go of it when it comes to how fans have responded to them.

These five Cardinals received the cold shoulder from many fans.

Dexter Fowler

Expectations were high for Dexter Fowler when he signed a five-year, $82.5 million contract with the Cardinals in 2017. Fowler had a respectable first season in St. Louis, where he hit .264, but his average cratered in 2018 to .180. Not only was he poor offensively, Fowler also heavily regressed in the outfield, leading some fans to believe that he no longer cared and was just playing for the contract. Fans weren't happy with the high-priced acquisition's poor play, and the issues were exacerbated when John Mozeliak criticized Fowler for a lack of effort.

This wasn't the first controversy that Fowler found himself mired in during his Cardinals tenure. In 2017, Fowler spoke of then-President Donald Trump's ban on travel to his wife's home country of Iran, saying "It's hard. Especially anytime you're not able to see family, it's unfortunate." Many fans online did not take kindly to Fowler's comment, with some saying he should not bring up politics and would not be a good fit in St. Louis.

Fowler's inability to live up to his hefty contract undoubtedly played a large role in his lukewarm reception from Cardinals fans and from Mozeliak, and his icy relationship with Mike Matheny, the manager at the time, didn't help matters. The Cardinals eventually ate the last year of Fowler's contract after trading him to the Los Angeles Angels in 2021.

Colby Rasmus

Unlike the players who had previous success and couldn't reach it in St. Louis, Cardinals 2005 first-round pick Colby Rasmus had a skill set to dream on, but inconsistent production and a bizarre controversy involving his dad subjected him to the wrath of Cardinals fans.

Rasmus hit .251 as a rookie in 2009 and .276 in his second year, but his 148 strikeouts led the team. Rumors of a rift between Rasmus and then-manager Tony La Russa came to a head when Rasmus asked to be traded in 2010. The next year, their relationship soured further when it was discovered that Rasmus was seeking hitting advice from his father, a former minor leaguer, rather than from the Cardinals' hitting coaches.

Fans were not pleased that Rasmus was prioritizing his father's instructions over those of his coaches, and with his numbers plummeting and his dad taking shots at the organization, Rasmus was clearly unhappy in St. Louis, a development that had been noted since Albert Pujols criticized Rasmus in 2010 for saying he wasn't always happy while playing for the team.

The Cardinals put Rasmus out of his misery when they made a blockbuster trade with the Toronto Blue Jays at the 2011 trade deadline. Rasmus continued to jab at the Cardinals after his time with them was over, and the disdain from Cardinals fans toward a player many saw as immature never abated.

Jack Flaherty

The Cardinals' second pick in the 2014 draft and one of their top prospects for a few years, Jack Flaherty had an astonishing second half of 2019, where he pitched to a 0.91 ERA in 15 starts. Unfortunately, injuries in 2020 and beyond kept him from reaching those heights again.

Cardinals fans were often irritated that Flaherty couldn't stay healthy enough to flash that 2019 production, and off the field, Flaherty's willingness to speak out publicly about the Black Lives Matter movement and his support of kneeling during national anthems led to a backlash among fans. He also had some brushes with the media, once noting that a reporter "doesn't understand pitching" when Flaherty was asked about his reduced velocity.

Flaherty, born and raised in Los Angeles, was frequently accused by fans of wanting to play for his hometown Dodgers. Many believed he would bolt for Los Angeles as soon as he could, which wasn't helped by Flaherty's arbitration case, an often nasty dispute between players and teams, after Flaherty and the Cardinals couldn't agree on a salary.

The Cardinals traded Flaherty to the Baltimore Orioles at the 2023 deadline, after which Flaherty aired some thinly veiled criticism at Cardinals fans, saying he "hasn't had to turn his PitchCom up while pitching at home in a while" after his first start in Baltimore.

J.D. Drew

The name J.D. Drew is still a sore spot for many fans of the Philadelphia Phillies, and while the dislike doesn't burn quite as hot among fans of the other teams Drew played for, including the Cardinals, his unique emergence onto the major league scene dogged him throughout his career.

Drew was one of the best players to ever come out of college, and his agent, Scott Boras, demanded an unprecedented salary when the 1997 draft came around: no less than $10 million. The Phillies took him second overall and offered just over $3 million. Drew declined the offer and played in independent ball for a year until the Cardinals took him fifth in 1998. Phillies fans never forgave him, even pelting him with batteries when he returned to Philadelphia for the first time.

Drew was a good player in his six years in St. Louis, but he was often injured and chided for being "soft" and not giving full effort, only playing for financial purposes. His kerfuffle with the Phillies followed him around in an era where players weren't looked upon favorably for going after the money.

Drew was ahead of his time not only monetarily, but also in his style of play. He was excellent at getting on base, with a career .384 on-base percentage, and he was exceptional defensively, two stats that weren't as en vogue in the 1990s and early 2000s as they are now.

The Cardinals dealt Drew and Eli Marrero to the Atlanta Braves after the 2003 season for Jason Marquis, Ray King and a prospect named Adam Wainwright. Even after he left St. Louis, Drew was reviled by fans of several teams he played for because of his perception as a mercenary obsessed with money and little else.

A common theme among players whom fans aren't crazy about is a failure to perform at an expected level, and sometimes the personality just isn't a culture fit. Although many fans would love to insist otherwise, playing in St. Louis isn't always the paradise many make it out to be.