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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3. Albert Pujols (2009)

Recent Cardinals fans can look fondly upon the years of the 2000s thanks to one man in particular: Albert Pujols. Perhaps the best right-handed batter in baseball history, Pujols was dominant from the moment he made his MLB debut. In his 11 seasons in St. Louis, Pujols received MVP votes in 10 of them, winning three times and finishing second in 4 other seasons. 2009 was the best of them all, however.

In 2009, Albert slashed .327/.443/.658 for an OPS+ of 189 across 701 plate appearances. He hit a league-leading 47 home runs and also drove in a whopping 135 runners. He walked at nearly double the rate that he struck out; Pujols also stole 16 bases that year, a career-high. Despite Pujols's struggles in the postseason that year, his regular season was stellar on the field on both sides of the ball.

Pujols led the league in WAR, slugging percentage, home runs, runs scored, and total bases. He was also top-3 in batting average, on-base percentage, and runs batted in.

In addition to his MVP trophy that year, Pujols also walked away with the Hank Aaron Award, Fielding Bible Award for first basemen, and a Silver Slugger trophy. Not only was Albert able to perform offensively, but he also provided a stout glove at first and a personality to boot. Albert Pujols graced Cardinals fans with some amazing seasons, but his 2009 season stands above the rest.