Cardinals 5 all-time best shortstops in franchise history

The #1 shortstop in team history will not be a surprise, but the names on the way there certainly are an interesting mix.

When you think of St. Louis Cardinals shortstops, it's easy to know where to start. But what about the second-best player at that position? How about continuing down the list? Well, let's dig into those rankings, beginning with the honorable mentions. These players are remembered fondly by the fanbase, but for different reasons and lengths of service.

Dal Maxvill patrolled the shortstop position for St. Louis during the bulk of the 1960s, participating in three World Series and capturing two titles, in 1964 and '67. The reason he isn't ranked higher is because Maxvill was a pretty poor hitter. Over a decade-long, 1100-game career with the Cardinals, he batted .220 with five home runs, 208 RBI, and 252 runs. Sure, shortstops weren't expected to do much with the bat back then, and that was a low-scoring period overall, but those numbers are quite anemic. Maxvill does hold a World Series record, however, going 0-for-22 in the 1968 Fall Classic. He did receive a Gold Glove that season, as well as a 20th-place finish in National League Most Valuable Player award voting.

Jhonny Peralta finished his 15-year career with a four-season run in St. Louis that started out well but petered out due to injury. He received MVP consideration (finishing 14th) in 2014 and was an All-Star the next season. Peralta played in 312 of the team's 324 games during those two years, but then things fell apart. He made it into just 103 contests during his last two seasons, being released in June of 2017, attempted to continue his career with the Red Sox for another month, and then faded into the sunset of retirement.

David Eckstein wasn't a Redbird for very long, but he did well while he was with the team during the 2005-'07 seasons. A 21st-place MVP finish during his first season with the team, a World Series championship the next year, and two All-Start appearances during that time are the key highlights of Eckstein's tenure with St. Louis. He brought a high batting average, some speed, and an energy that teammates and fans all appreciated.

The best season of Dick Groat's career was his MVP-winning 1960 campaign with the Pittsburgh Pirates. However, he came close to capturing another award as a Cardinal, finishing second in 1963, his first of three years with St. Louis. He repeated as an All-Star in '64, with the Redbirds finishing as World Series champions that season. Groat's bat continued its decline his last year with the team, and in October of 1965, he was dealt to the San Francisco Giants along with Bob Uecker and Bill White. Still, a runner-up MVP finish is enough to earn an honorable mention among all-time St. Louis shortstops.

While it may be difficult to recall given how poorly he's performed the last couple of seasons, Paul DeJong had a terrific start to his career. He bopped 25 homers in his inaugural season and played terrific defense, leading to a second-place finish in Rookie of the Year voting in 2017. A power surge two years later got DeJong to 30 long balls and earned him an All-Star nod. Despite being the only Cardinals shortstop ever to hit over 100 home runs in his career, the future is cloudy for DeJong, whose OPS+ has declined every season of his career.

With those preliminaries out of the way, let's get to the top five.

This is a part of a running series on Redbird Rants ranking the top 5 Cardinals at each position. You can find the other position groups we have ranked so far below.

Top 5 Catchers

Top 5 First Basemen

Top 5 Second Basemen

Top 5 Third Baseman

4. Solly Hemus

If your first reaction is, "Who is that?", that's understandable. Solly Hemus was a Cardinal during a relatively fallow period when St. Louis tapered off from being an also-ran to a sub-.500 team. However, the team slipping in the standings was not due to Hemus' performance.

After cups of coffee in the big leagues in 1949 and '50, Hemus established himself as a regular in '51, hitting .281/.395/.381 over 507 plate appearances in 120 games. He hit his peak over the next two seasons, batting a combined .274/.387/.434 with 29 home runs, 113 RBI, and 215 runs scored. In the earlier of those two seasons, Hemus lead the majors with 105 runs scored, as well as the always-popular hit-by pitch with 20, and snagged a smattering of MVP support.

Overall as a Cardinal, Hemus recorded a .275 batting average, .391 on-base percentage, and .415 slugging percentage. He hit 38 homers, drove in 195 runs, and crossed the plate 371 times. Walks obviously were a big part of his game, as received 1.91 free passes for every time he struck out (348 BB: 182 K). That strike zone judgment is what nudges him ahead of Templeton, who whiffed 379 times and walked just 94, a 0.25 ratio that reveals very poor plate discipline.

3. Edgar Renteria

Edgar Renteria was a well-rounded player, contributing in all aspects of the game during a six-season run with the Redbirds. He was solid but unspectacular in his first three years in St. Louis (1999-2001), though his second campaign in the Gateway City earned him All-Star and Silver Slugger recognition.

It was during the 2002-'03 stretch that Renteria peaked, his age-25 and -26 seasons. He batted .318/.380/.461 during that run, with 24 home runs, 183 RBI, 173 runs scored, and 56 stolen bases at an 80% success rate. Renteria won Silver Slugger awards both years, as well as Gold Gloves which demonstrated his skills on both sides of the ball. He captured his only MVP votes those two years and was an All-Star the second of those seasons.

Another All-Star selection followed in 2004 as the Cardinals reached the World Series for the first time since 1987, though they were swept by the Boston Red Sox, the team that overcame an 0-3 American League Championship Series deficit to the New York Yankees as part of an 8-0 run to the title. A free agent that winter, Renteria moved from the runner-up Cardinals to the champion Red Sox, thus wrapping up his time in St. Louis.

During his time as a Redbird, Renteria posted a .290 batting average with 71 homers, 451 RBI, 497 runs scored, and 148 stolen bases, a diverse combination of performance that results in him being designated as the franchise's third-best shortstop in over 120 seasons.

2. Marty Marion

Length of service certainly is a factor in these rankings, as a long, steady career can be as valuable and meaningful as - or even more so than - a shorter burst of strong performance. It's that extended tenure, in addition to numerous contributions - some more tangible than others - that vault Marty Marion this high up the charts.

Second all-time in games played among Cardinals shortstops, Marion received more acclaim for his glove than for his bat, a common occurrence for middle infielders throughout baseball history, though the last quarter century has seen the hitting standard at shortstop spike considerably. During his run with the Redbirds from 1940 through 1950, Marion achieved plenty of laurels for his on-field performance.

His second season in the majors was the first of seven straight, and eight overall, in which Marion received MVP votes, finishing 24th. The 1942 campaign saw him jump to seventh in the voting. Then, after a bit of a drop-off (to just 13th) the following year, the 1944 season saw Marion capture the NL MVP award.

While his bat was possibly the most potent in any season, he only recorded six home runs, 63 RBI, 50 runs scored, and a 1-for-4 showing in stolen bases while batting .267/.324/.362. The fact that many major leaguers were fighting in World War II thinned out the competition, but serving as the defensive anchor on a team that won 105 games (15 more than second-place Pittsburgh) and won the World Series was enough for voters to tab Marion with this illustrious honor.

Though he earned MVP votes in just three additional seasons, Marion was an eight-time All-Star, participating in the Midsummer Classic every year from 1943 through 1950, his final campaign as the Cardinals' shortstop. Knee and back injuries cost him the 1951 season on the field, though Marion did spend that year as the Cardinals' manager, leading them to a third-place finish. He wrapped up his career with an abbreviated 1952 campaign and a very brief 1953 showing with St. Louis' other franchise, the Browns.

His numbers may not exactly scream superstar when compared to modern players. Marion batted .264/.323/.346 in 1502 games with the Cardinals, bopping 34 homers, driving in 605 runs, and scoring 586 times. However, the team won three World Series in four appearances with Marion as their starting shortstop, and championships are what every player strives for. The personal and team achievements of the Cardinals during his time with the franchise earn Marion the honor of second place on this list.

1. Ozzie Smith

Identifying the greatest shortstop in team history was very easy. No one comes close to the impact The Wizard had on the Cardinals franchise - and the entire sport, from a defensive perspective - at this position. The 11-time Gold Glove winner for St. Louis (and a 13-time winner overall) redefined what a shortstop could do with his glove and body.

Ozzie Smith certainly is mostly known for his defense, with that mountain of golden hardware helping him earn 14 All-Star nominations as a Cardinal (plus one more as a Padre). But while Ozzie started out swinging a pretty weak bat, he developed that part of the game to the point that he achieved a nearly-league-average 99 OPS+ during the 1985-'92 period, batting .280/.361/.349 during that stretch.

It was the first of those seasons when Smith produced his highest home run total, swatting a half-dozen regular-season long balls, double the total he would reach in any other campaign. Of course, there was a certain game-winning postseason home run, the first as a left-handed hitter in the Wizard's career. That unexpected shot was a miracle moment for a certain writer who had celebrated his 14th birthday just the day before.

Taking a look at his overall numbers, in 1990 games and over 8242 plate appearances as a Cardinal, Smith hit .272/.350/.344 with 27 homers, 664 RBI, 991 runs scored, and 433 stolen bases. But it's not like numbers can fully capture the magnificence of Ozzie's wizardry, from the spectacular defensive plays, to the backflips, to the stunning postseason heroics.

Smith's excellence during his 15-year stint with St. Louis is unlikely to be surpassed. Fans of the Cardinals and every other team recognized and acknowledged his greatness through their outpourings of adoration throughout his career, and especially as it was coming to a close.

No, there will never be another Ozzie Smith, another defender to dazzle fans quite like the Wizard did. The best defensive shortstop ever? Almost undoubtedly. The greatest shortstop in St. Louis Cardinals history. Absolutely.