Cardinals 5 all-time best shortstops in franchise history

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.