St. Louis Cardinals Five All-Time Best Center Fielders

Honorable Mention: Stan Musial

It is unusual, and quite frankly awkward, to place the greatest St. Louis Cardinal in history in an honorable mention category. While Stan Musial was not playing first base, he was in the outfield. In 22 seasons, Musial played a total of 331 games in center field. 

Musial’s batting stats speak for themselves: 3630 hits, 475 HRs, and a .331 batting average. And of course, there is the 128.6 WAR that is #1 all-time in Cardinals history according to Baseball-Reference. So why is Musial not ranked in the top five, let alone #1 among center fielders?

While Musial did play some center field, it was not his primary position in the outfield. He spent many more games in the corner outfield spots than in center. Even the Baseball Hall of Fame recognizes Stan Musial’s primary position as a left fielder. If this was a list of the greatest outfielders in Cardinals history, Stan Musial would be at the top.

Unfortunately, this is a list for primarily center fielders, so I have Musial on the outside looking in.