Ranking the 5 best St. Louis Cardinals MVP winners in team history

The Cardinals have had players win the National League Most Valuable Player 21 times. Which players had the best of the best seasons in franchise history?

Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies
Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies / Ezra Shaw/GettyImages
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The St. Louis Cardinals have a storied franchise. Among the many awards, pennants, and championships that have been won in its long history, its 21 National League Most Valuable Players stand alone. That number is the most in the National League and is second to only the New York Yankees (22) in all of Major League Baseball.

17 different Cardinals across 8 different decades have won the NL MVP. Most recently, Paul Goldschmidt (2022) brought home the award. Before him, Albert Pujols (2005, 2008, 2009), Willie McGee (1985), Keith Hernandez (1979), Joe Torre (1971), Bob Gibson (1968), Orlando Cepeda (1967), Ken Boyer (1964), Stan Musial (1948, 1946, 1943), Marty Marion (1944), Mort Cooper (1942), Joe Medwick (1937), Dizzy Dean (1934), Frank Frisch (1931), Jim Bottomley (1928), Bob O'Farrell (1926), and Rogers Hornsby (1925) have all won the award since its inception in 1922. George Sisler did win the award in 1922 for the St. Louis Browns, who were in the American League (only league) at that time. There have only been two decades, the 1950s and 2010s, in which a Cardinal hasn't won the prestigious award.

Suffice it to say, there have been some remarkable individual seasons throughout the Cardinals' history in the National League. However, which season of those 21 individual seasons has been the most impressive? While it is tough to compare pitchers to hitters, truly dominant seasons will stand out nonetheless. It is also challenging to compare the eras of players. Therefore, the recipients will be measured against their contemporaries at that time. The gap between the winners and their opponents will be imperative to see how dominant a season truly was.

Let's take a look at the five most phenomenal MVP seasons in Cardinals' history.