St. Louis Cardinals Five All-Time Best Left Fielders

Here are the top 5 left fielders in Cardinals history

Although left field does not get as much notoriety as center field, the St. Louis Cardinals have produced many great players in this position. These include MVP winners, World Series champions, and even one of the great base-stealers of all time *hint, hint*

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

Top 5 Shortstops

Here are a list of the top five Left-Fielders in Cardinals History. But first, Honorable Mentions:

Honorable Mention

Bernard Gilkey (1990-1995)

After signing as an undrafted free agent in 1984 from University City High School near St. Louis, Bernard Gilkey spent six years in the minor leagues before getting the callup in 1990. Gilkey became the everyday LF starter in 1991 until he was traded to the New York Mets in January 1996.

As a St. Louis Cardinals, Gilkey hit .282 with 250 RBIs and had three season (1992-93, 1995) of an OPS+ greater than 100. He was elected to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.

Ray Blades (1922-1928, 1930-1932)

Ray Blades spend his entire 10-year career with the St. Louis Cardinals and was a member of two World Series championship teams. A great batsman, Blades finished his career slash line of .301/.392/.460 and an OPS+ of 123.

After his career, Blades went into managing in the minor leagues and gained a reputation as a fiery competitor. In 1938, he would be named manager of the St. Louis Cardinals. He held that position until being replaced by Billy Southworth during the 1941 season.

No. 5 Vince Coleman (1985-1990)

Vince Coleman was not supposed to a part of the 1985 Cardinals. Cardinals GM Dal Maxville told Coleman he was only be with the team for a handful of games until Willie McGee came back from injury. When asked if he understood, Coleman responded, “Yes, I understand that, but I’m going to be here the whole year.”

Coleman would stay for the whole year and ran away with the 1985 Rookie of the Year vote…literally, with a Major League-leading 110 stolen bases. In his entire Cardinals career, Coleman led the National League each year in stolen bases and would make two All-Star teams in 1988 and 1989. He was elected to the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2018.

No. 3 Joe Medwick (1932-1940, 1947-1948)

The 1937 National League MVP and Triple Crown winner, Joe Medwick, comes in at No. 3 in our list of greatest left fielders in Cardinals history. Few hitters in the 1930s were as dominant as Joe Medwick. A member of the famous 1934 Gas House Gang, Joe Medwick followed up the World Series championship with three straight seasons of 200+ hits with the Cardinals.

Medwick gained notoriety for his hard slide into Detroit Tigers' third baseman Marv Owen in Game Seven of the 1934 World Series. Owen, believing the slide was intentional, threw a punch at Medwick, causing a confrontation. When Medwick took the field the next half inning, the infuriated Detroit fans threw food and debris at the left field. The scene was so riotous that commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis forced Medwick from the game.

As of 2023, Joe Medwick is 14th in career WAR with the Cardinals at 39.7. Medwick remains the last National League player to win the triple crown.

No. 2 Lou Brock (1964-1979)

It’s crazy to think back in 1964 that the Chicago Cubs were considered the trade winners when Ernie Broglio was sent over for a fast, but relatively unproven young baseball player from Louisiana named Lou Brock.

That trade would go on to be one of, if not, the most lopsided trade in MLB history. Not only did Lou Brock become the all-time stolen base leader, he would also become a member of the illustrious 3,000-hit member club. Brock was also a member of three National League Pennant-winning teams, and a member of the 1964 and 1967 World Champions.

No left fielder started more seasons (16) and played in more games (2289) than Lou Brock. An argument can be made that Brock is the greatest left fielder in Cardinals history. Brock is second all time in career hits with the Cardinals, behind only one man.

No. 1 Stan Musial (1941-1944, 1946-1963)

While Stan Musial may be the second-best first baseman in Cardinals history, he is the best left-fielder in Cardinals history.

In 22 years with the Birds on the Bat, Stan Musial played both outfielder and first baseman. Musial's numbers speak for themselves. Musial had 3630 hits, 475 home runs, 1951 RBIs. All of which remain franchise bests. From my colleague Miranda Remaklus:

He (Musial) was named the NL MVP in 1943, 1946, and 1948. He helped the Cardinals to World Series championships in 1942, 1944, and 1946. He was selected as an All-Star for the National League 24 times. He earned the batting title for the National League seven times.

Musial's dominance with the bat, far and away, earns him the distinction of being the greatest left-fielder in Cardinals history.