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

#2 Stan Musial

Stan Musial was known as The Man. He did a little bit of everything for the St. Louis Cardinals, the game of baseball, and the city of St. Louis. For many, with his jovial spirit and love for the game, the Cardinals, and St. Louis, Stan is the face of St. Louis Cardinals baseball.

Musial played first base for the Cardinals in 1946-47 and 1955-59. He was named the NL MVP in 1943, 1946, and 1948. He helped the Cardinals to World Series championships in 1942, 1944, and 1946. He was selected as an All-Star for the National League 24 times. He earned the batting title for the National League seven times.

He had a .992 fielding percentage at first base. He took part in 935 double plays. For his fantastic career, Musial hit .331/.417/.559 with an OPS of .976. He hit 475 home runs while getting 1,951 RBI.

After his retirement in September 1963, he became vice president of the St. Louis Cardinals through 1966. In 1967, he became the team's general manager and oversaw a World Series championship that season.

In 1968, the iconic statue of Musial was erected in August. On the statue is a quote attributed to former baseball commissioner Ford Frick, "Here stands baseball's perfect warrior. Here stands baseball's perfect knight." This statute has become a meeting spot for fans, friends, and family. In addition to honors from the city and state, Musial was also the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011 from President Barack Obama.

Musial is a legend and synonymous with Cardinals baseball. He is an icon and, without a doubt, one of the top first basemen in the organization's history.

Musial was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969. He was named to the Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2014. He passed away in January 2013. He last appeared at Busch Stadium in his golf card, doing a lap around the stadium before Game 4 of the 2012 NLCS against the Giants.