Cardinals' 5 all-time best first basemen in franchise history

#3 Jim Bottomley

Known as "Sunny Jim" for his cheerful disposition, Jim Bottomley was the Cardinals' first basemen from 1923-1932.

According to an incredible story about Bottomley from SABR.org, "On a mid-September afternoon in Brooklyn in 1924, Cardinals third–year first baseman Jim Bottomley came to bat six times and delivered six hits, including two home runs, a double, and three singles off the Robins’ pitchers. Bottomley drove in 12 runs that day, and set a major league record for most Runs Batted In (RBIs) in a single game that still stands (shared with the Cardinals’ Mark Whiten in 1993).'

Bottomley is an absolute legend, and rightly one of the Cardinals' organization's top first basemen.

He helped the Cardinals win the World Series championship in 1926 and 1931. In the 1928 season, Bottomley won the NL MVP after being one of the first players ever to go 20-20-20 in a season as he led the league with 42 doubles, 20 triples, 31 home runs, 123 runs scored, and 136 RBI. He had a 35.8 career WAR. He had a career of .310/.369/.500 and an OPS of .869. He had 219 home runs and 1,422 RBI.

He led the league in double plays turned by a first baseman with 133 in 1925 and 149 in 1927. He reportedly had eight unassisted double plays in one season.

Bottomley was traded from the Cardinals to the Reds in 1933 and then to the Browns in 1936.

The veteran's committee elected Bottomley to the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 2014, it was announced he would be entered into the Cardinals Hall of Fame. Bottomley died of a heart attack in December 1959.