St. Louis Cardinals 10 best individual seasons of the quarter century

3. 2004 Scott Rolen

Smack in the middle of his career at the ripe age of 29, Scott Rolen had one of the best single seasons for a third baseman on this side of the year 2000. He finished the year with a .314/.409/.598 slash line, 34 home runs, 124 runs batted in, and a 158 OPS+. His 9.2 bWAR was among the best marks in the 21st century for a Cardinals position player, and his 9.0 fWAR finishes second behind Albert Pujols's 2003 season.

Rolen went to the 2004 All-Star Game and won a Gold Glove. He finished fourth in MVP voting that year behind teammate Albert Pujols, Adrian Beltre, and Barry Bonds. While he didn't lead the league in any major statistics, his stout defense — he committed only 10 errors and led MLB with 325 assists — paired with plus offense made his 2004 season one for the record books.

2. 2008 Albert Pujols

At this point, we're really splitting hairs. Albert Pujols's 2008 season is one of the best seasons by any right-handed hitter in the history of baseball. Me placing it in the second spot shouldn't discount the amazing performance he put on that year.

In 2008, Pujols slashed .357/.462/.653 for a 1.114 OPS. He hit 37 home runs and drove in 116 runners in 148 games for a 192 OPS+. Pujols went to the All-Star Game, won a Silver Slugger, and won the National League MVP that year. Pujols's only struggle that year came on the defensive side where he committed 13 errors at first base, the second most in his career at any position. Though he didn't win a Gold Glove in 2008, Albert still recorded 18 Defensive Runs Saved.

Pujols won his MVP that year to go along with an All-Star appearance and a Silver Slugger Award. It was truly a superb season, but it's beat by one other season in his career.

1. 2009 Albert Pujols

Honestly, throw Albert Pujols's 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, and 2009 seasons into a hat and draw one. You're bound to find a dozen things to like about each season of his.

The primary reason why I'm placing Albert Pujols's 2009 season at the top of this list is his utterly insane offensive output that year. His slash line is comparable to his 2008 season if not slightly lesser when it comes to batting average, but his counting numbers production is unmatched. Pujols slashed .327/.443/.658 in 2009. Where he truly shines is in the rest of his statistics that year.

Pujols hit a career-best 47 home runs, drove in a career-high 135 runners, and posted a 189 OPS+. Most notably, Pujols logged 374 total bases that year in 160 games. I'm not here to say The Machine was a burner on the base paths, but he also swiped a career-high 16 bases in 2009 compared to only seven in 2008. When looking at bWAR, Albert's 9.7 total edges out his 9.2 total in 2008.

When looking at Win Probability Added, Pujols's 2009 season (8.04 WPA) far outpaces his 2008 season (6.49 WPA). He was also reliable with the glove at first base, accumulating 17 Defensive Runs Saved across 1,376.2 innings. Pujols's durability shouldn't go unrecognized either, as he played in 160 games in 2009.

Albert Pujols was the best player of the 2000s era of baseball. Him being on this list four times since that year is proof of his utter dominance in the sport.