When was the last time the St. Louis Cardinals had a team captain?

A moniker that carries much weight within the game. A title that raises the stakes for the franchise. Being named Captain should be taken seriously within baseball. The captain is someone the organization has trust in to elevate the entire team to another level. Expectations increase, the drama increases, and the stature of the player and his legacy increases. Many greats have donned the captain title for their organizations and many are legacy icons within baseball.

Notable players have fully embraced being a captain. Derek Jeter is remembered as being "The Captain". He led the charge for the Core Four in the Bronx and led the Yankees to five World Series championships. His captain successor in New York would not take place until almost a decade later with Aaron Judge. How big of a deal is being named Captain? It was announced alongside his new contract with the Yankees after his historic 2022 MVP campaign. Another notable New York captain was Mets third baseman David Wright, who was also "Captain America" of the United States World Baseball Classic team.

Given the notable history of star players being named captain, who was the last captain for the St. Louis Cardinals? Many would think the answer is Yadier Molina, who was the notable leader for this franchise spanning over two decades. Molina called all the shots and was highly respected within the organization and within the game. But Molina was never named team captain of the Cardinals. The next guess would be superstar Albert Pujols. Before he left for LA in 2011, Pujols was THE guy within Major League Baseball. A giant within the game's history with the prolific stature of names like Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, and Willie Mays. But Pujols was never named team captain. So who was the last captain and how long ago was it?

The answer will surprise many fans. The last team captain for the St. Louis Cardinals was Hall of Fame catcher Ted Simmons in 1976. What makes this surprising is that Simmons was a co-captain with Reggie Smith. Both were great players within the organization but the 1970s were a notable down period in the organization's history.

In what is close to half a century ago, the Cardinals have had many great players and many great teams who could have been granted the honors of captain. The 1980s with Ozzie Smith, the 1990s with Mark McGwire, the 2000s with Albert Pujols, or the 2010s with Yadier Molina. Given the Cardinals have not participated in this recognition in so long, will the Cardinals name a team captain any time soon? If so, is that captain on the current roster? Or will fans be waiting longer for the next great captain of the St. Louis Cardinals?