MLB Top 5: St. Louis Cardinals Catchers and Managers

This is the first article in a series that looks at the five best players at each position for the St. Louis Cardinals. In this installment are catchers and managers.

Professional baseball in St. Louis began in the National Association, when the Brown Stockings and Red Stockings both played in the league’s final season in 1875. The Red Stockings used mostly area amateurs and folded after posting a 4-15 record while the Brown Stockings lasted through the first two years of the fledgling National League before folding. In early 1878, St. Louis signed several players from the recently folded Louisville squad who were later found to be part of a game-fixing scandal and suspended. The league and fans though owner and area banker, J. B. C. Lucas, knew about the fix and signing the players anyway, and he was so upset by the accusations that he shut down the team.

After four years without professional baseball, the “Gateway to the West” would soon have new ownership. A group of five men known as “The Association,” took over the Brown Stockings semipro team in 1881. The group’s leader, Chris Von der Ahe, was a saloon owner whose patrons came mainly from watching the area’s semipro teams, and he bought his partners before the team played its first professional game. Von der Ahe wanted them to play in the National League, but he did not like the rules of the time that banned Sunday games and alcohol sales and required at least a 50-cent admission, so instead, the team played in the newly formed American Association in 1882. Von der Ahe was a player’s owner, allowing his stars to stay on the roster despite quite a few off-field transgressions in the team’s first few years.

The team shortened its name to the Browns and won four straight American Association pennants from 1885-88. The A. A. and N. L held what was called a World’s Series at the time. The Browns tied with the Chicago White Stockings the first year, then won the rematch in six games in 1886. St. Louis lost the next two years to the Detroit Wolverines and New York Giants before dropping to second place in 1889. Three years later, the Browns, Baltimore Orioles, Louisville Colonels and Washington Statesmen (renamed the Senators) joined the National League after the disbanding of the American Association, bringing the Senior Circuit to 12 teams. The Browns quickly dropped down the ladder in their new league, failing to win even 60 games in the team’s first seven seasons. Von der Ahe was more concerned with making money than fielding a competitive team. Despite his penny-pinching, he racked up considerable debt and was facing multiple claims against both him and the stadium, which had also been damaged by two fires.

Following two failed sales, the team was sold at auction in 1899 to Edward Becker, a banker who changed his mind after purchasing the team the year before. A week later, he sold a 40 percent interest to Frank Robison, who owned streetcar and railroad companies as well as the Cleveland Spiders. He left the Cleveland club under the watch of his brother, Stanley, while running the St. Louis team, which was left without a name, but was dubbed the “Perfectos” by the local press. When the team began wearing dark red, they were given the Cardinals moniker, which was used officially beginning in 1900. Before the season, the National League contracted four clubs, including the Spiders, who set a record for futility with a 20-134 record and a .130 winning percentage in their final season after the Cardinals and other teams raided their best players.

The Robison brothers gained control and ran the St. Louis franchise for a decade, but the club only finished in the first division once during their tenure. Much like his predecessor, Frank Robison ran into financial issues, including a third fire in the stadium, a fight for players against the Browns of the new American League and a decade-long court case against his former broker, who stole $1 million from him in a railroad company merger. He eventually sold his majority stake in the team to his brother, allowing him to pay off some of his debts and take care of his sick wife. Frank died of heart failure in 1908 and Stanley passed away after suffering a stroke three years later, with the team being left to Frank’s daughter, Helene Hathaway Robison Britton, and his wife, Sarah. Britton and her husband, Schuyler, had issues, with front office executives, managers and the stadium, as well as the upstart Federal League, and eventually agreed to sell the team, although the new owners would be part of a revolutionary idea.

James Jones, the former president of the team, proposed the “Cardinal Idea,” in which fans could become owners through the purchase of subscriptions, with each share of stock costing $50. The group agreed to raise the $350,000 asking price for the team, but with World War I causing drops in attendance and disposable income, the goal was nearly not met, despite several extensions from Britton. The team also suffered in the standings despite the hiring of former Browns business manager Branch Rickey as team president. Eventually, Jones’ group was able to drum up the money to purchase the team with no outstanding debt thanks to auto dealer Sam Breadon, who replaced Rickey as president (instead being named manager and vice president) and eventually bought up enough shares to become primary owner.

Breadon gave up a more prosperous job in New York City to move West, first as a mechanic and then earning enough money to open his own garage and eventually buy a dealership while becoming the treasurer of the St. Louis Auto Dealers Association. Under his leadership, the team leased Sportsman’s Park from the crosstown Browns and began investing in quality players to complement superstar second baseman Rogers Hornsby. The Cardinals played competitive ball throughout the early 1920s until winning their first National League pennant in 1926. The Cardinals upset the Yankees in the World Series, with future Hall of Famer Pete Alexander getting a seven-out save in Game 7 despite the rumor of him being either drunk or hungover when he entered the contest.

The pennant was the first of nine St. Louis won during Breadon’s tenure as owner. The Yankees got their revenge with a sweep two years later, and the Cardinals and Philadelphia Athletics split a pair of meetings in 1930-31. Three years later, the “Gas House Gang” defeated the Tigers behind the Dean brothers, who won all four games in the series. St. Louis stayed in contention with four second-place finishes over the next seven years before winning four pennants and three titles in a five-year span. Behind the hitting of future Hall of Famer Stan Musial, the Cardinals and Yankees split a pair of World Series in 1942-43 (winning a franchise-record 106 games that first year and 105 the next), and the Cardinals won 105 more games and bested the Browns in the Battle of St. Louis the following year. The run ended in 1946 with a win over the Red Sox for the team’s sixth title overall.

St. Louis would have to wait nearly two decades for its next baseball championship, and the Cardinals would go through a pair of ownership changes during that time. Breadon sold the team for a little more than $4 million following the 1947 season to attorney and real estate broker Fred Saigh and Robert Hannegan, the recently retired Postmaster General of the United States, who became team president. Hannegan faced medical issues and stepped down from his post and sold his shares after one year. Saigh held on for a little more than five years until he was forced to sell the team after pleading guilty to charges of fraud and negligence and no contest to tax evasion charges. In early 1953, the Cardinals were rumored to be moved before being sold to August A. “Gussie” Busch Jr., the owner of Anheuser-Busch Brewery. Busch used the company to sponsor the Cardinals and created a symbiotic relationship between the brewery and the team. He also bought the stadium from the Browns, who moved to Baltimore after one season as a tenant.

St. Louis fans endured inconsistent play on the field until winning three pennants in five years during the 1960s. Led by future Hall of Famers Lou Brock and Bob Gibson, the Cardinals beat the Yankees in 1964. Two years later, the new Busch Stadium opened, and the team responded with back-to-back pennants, with “El Birdos” beating the Red Sox for another championship in 1967 and falling to the Tigers in a classic World Series in the next season. However, the team went more than a decade before their next playoff appearance, which encompassed free agency and change on and off the field. Busch’s son, August III, took over the brewery and, after deciding against buying the team for himself, Gussie turned over operational control to Whitey Herzog, who became manager and general manager.

Herzog began to remake the roster, focusing on speed and defense and earning the nickname the “Runnin’ Redbirds.” The Cardinals won three pennants during his decade, beating the Brewers in 1982 for their ninth title and losing to the Royals in 1985 (thanks to a bad call by an umpire) and the Twins two years later. Gussie Busch passed away due to pneumonia in 1989 and the brewery and August III took over control of the team. The Cardinals played winning baseball but chased after another pennant for a decade until they were under new management. In late 1995, the club was purchased by Bill Dewitt Jr., whose father owned the St. Louis Browns and later, the Reds and White Sox. When his father owned the Browns, Bill Jr. was the team’s batboy and was so small, that he had to use the uniform worn by Eddie Gaedel, a dwarf who was brought in by the as a publicity stunt in 1951.

Dewitt Jr. was part of a group that bought the Reds from his father, was part of a Cincinnati investment firm, and also held shares in the Orioles, NFL’s Bengals and the Cincinnati Stingers of the World Hockey Association through the years. The team returned to prominence on the field thanks to the leadership of Athletics field boss Tony La Russa, who became manager in 1996, and a new superstar in first baseman Albert Pujols. Beginning with his first season, the Cardinals went to the playoff nine times during his 16-year tenure, reaching the NLCS on seven occasions and winning three pennants and two more championships, bringing their total to 11, the second most behind the Yankees. Since La Russa’s departure following the 2011 “Rally Birds” title season, the team has had two stretches of four straight playoff appearances (2012-15 and 2019-22) and won a pennant in 2013, which ended with a loss to the Red Sox.

The Best Catchers and Managers in St. Louis Cardinals History

Catchers

Honorable Mentions – Nicknamed “Pancho” for his Mexican descent on his mother’s side, Frank Snyder enjoyed a 16-year major league career, with nine seasons spent with St. Louis (1912-19 and ’27). Like many catchers of his day, he was known for his defense, but he had a stellar year at the plate in 1915, batting .298 with 55 RBIs and a career-high 141 hits while leading the league in putouts, assists and runners caught stealing. The 1914 fielding champion totaled 507 hits and 208 RBIs in 661 games with the Cardinals. After a trade to the Giants, Snyder was a part of four pennant-winners and two championship teams. He finished his career with the Cardinals in 1927, worked as a coach and minor league manager with the Giants and passed away in 1962 at age 67.

Bob O’Farrell came to the Cardinals in a 1925 trade after spending a decade with the Cubs. He took to his new home quite nicely, winning the MVP Award the following season after batting .293 with 68 RBIs, tying a career-high with 144 hits and leading the league in putouts. Although he was overshadowed by other players, O’Farrell had the final great moment of the World Series when he threw out Babe Ruth trying to steal second base to clinch the title. He spent six years with the Cardinals in three stints (1925-28, ’33 and ’35), batting .271 with 329 hits and 142 RBIs in 387 games. O’Farrell spent time with the Giants and Reds and had another stint with the Cubs before ending his career with St. Louis. After two seasons in the minor leagues, he retired and operated a recreation center in his native Illinois. O’Farrell passed away in 1988 at age 91.

Jimmie “Ace” Wilson was the son of Scottish immigrants and a Philadelphia native who began his career with his hometown team before being traded to St. Louis in 1928. After being part of a losing effort against the Yankees in the World Series, he had his finest season at the plate the following year, batting .325 and setting career highs with 128 hits and 71 runs batted in. Wilson was a better hitter than many catchers of his day, and he was selected to play in the first All-Star Game in 1933. He was also solid defensively, leading the league in putouts and double plays three times apiece and assists and runners caught stealing twice each. Wilson returned to the Phillies as a player-manager in 1934, ending his six-year run with the Cardinals (1928-33) with a .281 average, 273 runs, 616 hits and 303 RBIs in 667 games. He also played in three World Series with St. Louis, totaling 10 hits and five RBIs in 14 game and winning a title in 1931. Wilson spent 11 seasons overall with Philadelphia and his final two as a player with Cincinnati. In addition to five seasons managing the Phillies, he spent four more with the Cubs, ending his career with a 493-735 record. Wilson coached the Reds for two seasons, but he passed away at age 46 after suffering a heart attack in May 1947.

Walker Cooper was originally a pitcher but switched positions with his older brother, Mort, after he got hit in the elbow with a foul ball and wanted to stop playing. Mort was in the Cardinals organization and convinced the team to sign Walker in 1935. After five minor league seasons, he got a brief callup and turned that into an 18-year career. Cooper spent another year in a platoon, then was the starter on the greatest team in Cardinals history, the 1942 squad that won a franchise record 106 games and beat the Yankees in the World Series. The following season, he earned the second of three straight All-Star selections and finished as the MVP runner-up thanks to a career-best.318 average and 81 runs batted in. St. Louis won pennants in each of the next two years as well, with the Yankees winning the rematch in 1943 after Walker and Mort lost their father to a heart attack before Game 2. Cooper missed most of the 1945 season while playing baseball as part of his Navy service and was sold to the Giants while he still was on active duty. He went on to earn five more All-Star selections with New York and Cincinnati and had three other stops before spending his final two years as a player-coach with the Cardinals, ending his eight-year tenure with the team (1940-45 and 56-57) with a .296 average, 203 runs, 493 hits, 107 doubles, 45 home runs and 265 RBIs in 525 games. Cooper was a coach and manager for professional and amateur teams and worked for a truck rental company. He passed away due to respiratory illness in 1991 at age 76.

Hal Smith was the son of a store owner and mayor in Arkansas who considered leaving baseball to take care of his young family. He stuck it out, reached the big leagues in 1956 and earned three All-Star selections in his six seasons with the Cardinals (1956-61). Smith’s best season was 1959, when he batted .270 and set career highs with 13 home runs and 50 RBIs. During a June game two years later, he felt a stabbing pain around his heart while putting on his catching gear. The condition was diagnosed as angina (reduced blood flow to the heart) and his playing days in St. Louis were over. Smith finished with 437 hits and 172 RBIs in 566 games, and he also led the league in runners caught stealing twice. He turned to coaching and served as a minor league manager and catching instructor for the Cardinals for five years. He joined the Pirates in 1965 and after an extensive physical, was cleared to throw batting practice and even got into four games, including one as a starter. Smith coached in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, St. Louis and the Dominican Republic and spent 20 years as a scout for the Cardinals before retiring in 1997. He passed away in 2014 at age 82.

Tom Pagnozzi played at the University of Arkansas and in Puerto Rico after being drafted by the Cardinals in 1983. He joined the Cardinals in 1987 and, after four years as a backup, developed into a three-time gold glove winner. The two-time fielding champion and 1991 leader in runners caught stealing earned his only All-Star selection the following year. His best offensive campaign came in 1996, when he batted .270 with 55 RBIs and a career-high 13 home runs. Pagnozzi spent his entire 12-year career with St. Louis (1987-98), totaling 247 runs, 733 hits, 153 doubles, 44 homers, 320 RBIs and 1,040 total bases in 927 games. He also appeared in 13 postseason contests, amassing seven hits and three RBIs while going 1-for-4 against the Twins in the 1987 World Series. Following his playing career, Pagnozzi coached at his alma mater and worked with underprivileged youth in sports in Arkansas.

5. Del Rice – He was a typical catcher in the post-World War II era, serviceable at the plate and solid defensively. After Cooper was sent to the Giants, Rice was part of a catcher-by-committee group, batting .273 during the regular season and playing in three World Series games against the Red Sox. He eventually became the full-time starter, posting his best offensive season in 1952, batting .259 with 11 home runs and career-best totals of 128 hits and 65 runs batted in. Rice earned his only All-Star selection the following year, thanks to his defense and handling of pitchers. Injuries limited him in 1954 and he was traded to the Milwaukee Braves the next season.

Rice played one game with the Cardinals in 1960, finishing his 12-year run (1945-55 and ’60) with 281 runs, 756 hits, 153 doubles, 60 home runs, 373 RBIs and 1,123 total bases in 1,038 games. The 1948 fielding champion retired in 1961 and had a successful run as a minor league manager for a decade. He managed the Angels for one season in 1972 and spent the next decade as a scout for the Angels, Yankees and Giants. Rice passed away due to cancer in 1983 at age 60.

4. Darrell Porter – He overcame addiction throughout his life and was a key piece of three pennant-winning clubs during his 17-year career, including two in St. Louis. Porter was drafted fourth overall by the Brewers in 1970 and had brief callups the next to years before reaching the major leagues for good. Off-field issues, especially his cocaine use, led to a trade to the Royals after the 1976 season. He was selected to the All-Star team three straight years and played in a World Series loss to the Phillies in 1980. Porter finally sought help for his lifestyle choices of drugs, alcohol and cigarettes, then signed with the Cardinals before the 1981 season, which would be interrupted by a players’ strike.

Porter posted solid numbers for the middle three seasons of a five-year run in St. Louis (1981-85), amassing 211 runs, 392 hits, 54 home runs and 249 RBIs in 537 games. However, the postseason is where he really excelled. Porter became just the second player in major league history to win MVP Awards in the League Championship Series and World Series in the same season (now he is one of nine). He had five hits and scored three runs in a sweep of the Braves in the NLCS and smacked eight hits, including a home run and five RBIs to help the Cardinals beat his former team, the Brewers. Three years later, Porter faced his other former team, the Royals, with Kansas City coming out on top in the seven-game World Series. He played his last two seasons with the Rangers, retiring in 1988. Porter spoke about his battles with addiction after his playing career, but the struggle continued. He died in 2002 at age 50 after a car accident. An examination revealed cocaine in his system from recreational use which created unusual behavior and stopped his heart.

3. Tim McCarver – The son of a Memphis police officer was signed by the Cardinals right out of his school and got his first taste of the major leagues as a 17-year-old in 1959. After two more brief call-ups and a full season in the minor leagues, McCarver reached St. Louis for good in 1963. He boasted rare speed for a catcher and his exploits included an inside-the-park grand slam in his first full season and 13 triples in 1966, which led the league and tied a modern-era record for catchers. In 1964, the Cardinals took over after the Phillies had their late-season collapse and claimed the pennant. Against the Yankees in the World Series, McCarver batted .478 with four runs, 11 hits and five RBIs including a game-winning three-run home run in the 10th inning of Game 5. He earned his first All-Star selection in 1966 and scored the winning run in the 10th inning.

The following year, McCarver was again an All-Star and finished as the runner-up in the MVP voting after batting .295 and setting career highs with 14 homers and 69 runs batted in. His World Series was not as successful this time around, but the Cardinals defeated the Red Sox to win the championship. St. Louis won a third pennant in five years the following season but fell to Detroit in the World Series. McCarver was part of a historic trade after the 1969 season, being traded along with outfielder Curt Flood to the Phillies. Flood refused to report to Philadelphia, instead fighting the reserve clause and taking his case all the way to the U. S. Supreme Court. McCarver returned to St. Louis in 1973 as a first baseman and was sold to Boston the following year, finishing his 12-year Cardinals career (1959-61, 63-69 and 73-74) with a .272 average, 393 runs, 1,029 hits, 154 doubles, 66 home runs, 453 RBIs and 1,467 total bases in 1,181 games.

The two-time fielding champion had one more stint with the Phillies, finishing up his 21-year playing career in 1980 as the first modern-era catcher to play in four decades. McCarver immediately moved into the broadcast booth, bringing his witty and opinionated nature to his role as an analyst for the Phillies and later the Mets, Yankees and Giants. He also covered World Series games for ABC and Fox, won three sports analyst Emmy Awards and finished his 36-year broadcasting career as a part-time analyst for the Cardinals in 2015. McCarver passed away in 2023 at age 81.

2. Ted Simmons – His father was a trainer of harness-racing horses, and he became one of the best athletes in the Detroit area. Simmons was selected 10th overall by the Cardinals in 1967 and had brief call-ups in each of the next two years. When McCarver was traded, he came up to the big leagues for good, but his first season was shortened thanks to a six-month tour in the Army Reserves. Simmons worked on both his hitting and defense, eventually becoming one of the best two-way players in the game. He was selected to six All-Star games with St. Louis and led the league in putouts, assists and runners caught stealing twice each. Beginning in 1971, Simmons rattled off seven straight seasons with at least 150 hits, and he drove in more than 90 runs and hit better than .300 six times apiece. The league faced a labor battle in the early 1970s and the Cardinals were at the center, including their catcher, who played the 1972 season without a contract.

Nicknamed “Simba” for his long brown hair, Simmons never appeared in the postseason for St. Louis, despite being the club’s hitting star. He was a late-season callup during the 1968 pennant-winning season and the team hovered around the .500 mark for most of his 13-year tenure (1968-80). With the team looking to focus on speed and defense in the 1980s, St. Louis signed Porter and sent the switch-hitting Simmons to the Brewers in a blockbuster trade that improved both franchises. Milwaukee became a fun-loving team that won its only pennant in franchise history in 1982 and fell to St. Louis in the World Series. Simmons appeared in 17 games during that postseason, totaling six runs, 11 hits, three home runs and eight RBIs. The catcher finished his time with the Cardinals ranked eighth in franchise history in RBIs (929) and tenth in home runs (172) and total bases (2,626) to go with a .298 average, 736 runs, 1,704 hits and 332 doubles in 1,564 games.

Simmons transitioned to a first baseman and designated hitter later in his career and finished his career with three seasons as a backup with the Braves, ending his 21-year career in 1988. He became an executive, first as the Cardinals’ director of player personnel and later as general manager of the Pirates before a brief retirement due to a heart attack. Simmons returned as a scout for the Indians and then served as vice president of scouting and player development with the Padres for a decade. He returned to the field as a bench coach in Milwaukee and San Diego, was a senior advisor in Seattle and is now a scout with Atlanta. Despite dropping off the writers’ ballot on the first try in 1997, Simmons eventually was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 2020 (but was not officially enshrined until the COVID-19 pandemic). In addition to scouting, he and his wife are accomplished artists.

1. Yadier Molina – He is the youngest of three Puerto Rican-born brothers who went on to have long major league careers as catchers. Although he was much better behind the plate than he was as a hitter while in high school, Molina was selected by the Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2000 draft. Four years later, he made this big-league debut, batting .267 in 51 games and impressing with his defense. Molina’s stats dropped over his first three seasons, and he hit just .215 in 2006. However, he had one of his greatest moments during that postseason, hitting a go-ahead two-run home run in Game 7 of the NLCS to help the Cardinals beat the Mets. Molina missed the end of the following season after suffering a concussion and having surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right knee. He won his first gold glove in 2008 and batted over .300 for the first of five times in his career.

Molina continued to improve both his offense and defense, finishing with 10 All-Star selections (seven straight from 2009-15) and nine gold gloves (eight consecutive from 2008-15). In 2011, “Yadi” was a sparkplug in the middle of the St. Louis order, helping come back from a 10½-game deficit to Atlanta in late August to claim the Wild Card spot. The Cardinals caught fire in the playoffs, beating the Phillies and Brewers in the National League then edging the Rangers in seven games in for their 11th World Series title, with Molina amassing eight hits and driving in nine runs. The following year, he finished fourth in the MVP voting after batting .315 with 76 RBIs and career-best totals of 22 home runs and 12 stolen bases, which led all National League catchers and set a franchise single-season record at the position. In 2013, Molina moved up one spot to third in the MVP race, finishing with 161 hits, 12 homers and career highs with a .319 average, 80 RBIs, 68 runs and 44 doubles. He had 17 hits in the postseason, including seven in the World Series, but the Cardinals fell to the Red Sox.

Although they didn’t win another championship, the Cardinals and their catcher continued to go strong for the next decade, earning six playoff appearances and two trips to the NLCS. Molina overcame surgery on his groin after he was struck with a foul ball and a bout with COVID-19 in 2020 to play in his 2,000th game the following year. He retired following the 2022 season, playing 19 seasons, all with St. Louis (2004-22) and 17 with starter Adam Wainwright, with whom he shared a record for a battery by making 325 starts together. Molina is the all-time franchise leader with 75 sacrifice flies, ranks third in games (2,224) and hits (2,168), fourth in doubles (408), sixth in RBIs (1,022), total bases (3,118) and strikeouts (922) and ninth in home runs (176) to go with a .277 average and 777 runs scored. He also played in 25 postseason series, appearing in 104 games and totaling 29 runs, 102 hits, 19 doubles, four homers and 36 runs batted in.

Molina was also one of the most highly decorated players at his position in major league history. In addition to his All-Star selections and gold gloves, he was named a silver slugger in 2013, went to four World Series and won two titles, earned four platinum glove awards, two Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Awards, won four fielding titles, led the league in double plays and runners caught stealing four times apiece, topped the N. L. in putouts and assists three times each, is the all-time leader in putouts by a catcher (15,122) and was named the Roberto Clemente Award winner in 2018 for his efforts to bring relief to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico the year before. Molina also played in four World Baseball Classics, starting on two silver medal teams (2013 and ’17). He also managed Puerto Rico’s Under-23 team in the World Baseball Cup in 2018, was a skipper in Venezuela in 2022 and led his national team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Managers

Honorable Mentions – Rogers Hornsby spent more than half of his 23-year Hall of Fame playing career as a player-manager, including his final two seasons with the Cardinals. He took over for Branch Rickey early in the 1925 season and led the team to a winning record and a fourth-place finish. The following year, he remained one of the offensive leaders as a second baseman while helping his team win its first World Series in the Modern Era by beating the Yankees in seven games. Hornsby was sent to the Giants in a blockbuster trade, but he also managed the Braves, Cubs and Browns. He also managed in the minor leagues and in Mexico and was a coach with the White Sox and Indians. “Rajah” returned to the Browns in for one season with the Browns and two with the Reds, holding his last managerial job in 1953 and finishing a 14-year career in the dugout with a 701-812 record. The crass, crabby Hornsby was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1942 and had his last job as scout and coach for the expansion Mets. He suffered a stroke while having cataract surgery and later had a heart attack and passed away early in 1963 at age 66.

Charles “Gabby” Street had an eight-year career mostly as a reserve catcher in the early part of the 20th century. Following his major league career, he played five seasons in the minor leagues before fighting in World War I as part of the Chemical Warfare Division, earning a Purple Heart after taking a bullet to the leg from a German airplane machine gun. Street coached in several minor leagues before joining the staff of the Cardinals in 1926. Three years later, he had a one-game stint as an interim in between managerial changes, then took over the squad on a full-time basis in 1930. Street and the Cardinals won 92 games and fell to the Athletics that season but amassed 101 victories and avenged their loss with a victory over Philadelphia for their second title. Most of this success came while he consulted veteran players to set a strategy. When he decided to stop that practice, the team fell in the standings and he was fired in 1933, finishing with a 312-242 record in five seasons (1929 and 30-33). Street managed in the minor leagues and had a stint with the Browns in 1938. He was a broadcaster for the Cardinals and Browns for more than a decade before passing away from pancreatic cancer in 1951 at age 67.

Frankie Frisch has ties to both previous names on this list. He was traded from the Giants to the Cardinals for Hornsby following the 1926 season and took over as manager after Street was fired in 1933. Frisch was a Hall of Fame second baseman who spent his final eight seasons as a player, including five as a player-manager, plus one more solely as a skipper. Included in his tenure was a World Series title with the 1934 “Gas House Gang” team followed by a pair of second-place finishes. However, the team slid in the standings and Frisch was let go during the 1938 season, finishing with a 458-354 record. After a year as a broadcaster with the Boston Bees (later Braves), Frisch returned to the bench, managing the Pirates and Cubs, with a two-year stint as a Giants play-by-play announcer in between. The “Fordham Flash” was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1947 and later served on the Hall’s Veterans Committee. He was on the way home from a meeting in March 1973 when he was in an automobile accident and passed away at age 75.

Eddie Dyer was a pitcher for the Cardinals during the 1920s, compiling a 15-15 record in six seasons. Afterward, he became a manager throughout the massive St. Louis farm system while also coaching football at Rice University and officiating games in the Southwestern Football Conference. Dyer eventually was the supervisor for teams in the Southwest in the Cardinals’ system. He continued managing in the minors and was named to run the team’s top farm clubs after Branch Rickey let to take over the Dodgers. Dyer also ran an insurance agency and worked with his brother in the oil business before he was hired to manage the Cardinals in 1946. He led the team to a 98-58 mark in his first year, and they came from behind to edge the Dodgers by two games in the standings, then defeated the Red Sox in a seven-game World Series. Dyer had his team over .500 in each of his five seasons with St. Louis (1946-50), but when the team sat in fifth place in 1950, he resigned, finishing with a 446-325 record. In his retirement, he ran the oil and insurance businesses, ran a baseball camp in Texas and was a vice president of Canada Dry. Dyer passed away in 1964 at age 64.

A decade after Dyer, the Cardinals came under the management of Johnny Keane, who spent 15 years as a minor-league infielder. Thanks to a skull fracture suffered after being hit by a pitching in 1935, he was unable to serve in the military during World War II, so he was a supervisor at a shipbuilding company instead. Keane began his managerial career after the war and after a decade running teams in the minor leagues, he joined the St. Louis staff in 1959. The Cardinals were struggling when he took over as manager in 1961 but finished above .500 in each of his four seasons at the helm (1961-64). The club went 93-69 and won the World Series over the Yankees. Despite a 317-249 record in his St. Louis tenure, Keane, who had faced job uncertainty for the past two years, resigned his post one day after the Game 7 victory. Four days later, he was hired to manage the Yankees, but last a little more than a year and was fired after a 4-16 start in 1966. After the season, he was hired to be a scout for the Angels but suffered a fatal heart attack in January 1967, passing away at age 55.

Mike Matheny earned four gold gloves during a 13-year career as a catcher with four teams, including a five-year stint with the Cardinals. He retired in 2007, citing post-concussion syndrome and worked as an instructor at a sports clinic in Arizona and as a Little League. The following year, he was hired as an adviser for the Cardinals and was named the team’s manager after Tony La Russa retired following the 2011 season. Matheny’s best season was 2013, when he led St. Louis to a 97-65 record and the first of three straight division titles under his watch. After knocking off the Pirates and Dodgers on the National League side of the playoffs, the Cardinals fell to the Red Sox in the World Series. Matheny led his team to 100 victories in 2015 and finished second in the Manager of the Year voting, but the Cardinals fell to the Cubs in the Division Series. Although St. Louis finished with a winning record every year during his tenure, and he was the first manager in major league history to lead his team to the playoffs in his first four seasons, the Cardinals started 47-46 in 2018 and Matheny was fired in July, finishing with a 591-474 record in seven seasons (2012-18). He also managed the Royals from 2020-22.

5. Charles Comiskey – While he is mostly known for his penny-pinching ways as owner of the Chicago White Stockings that led to the “Black Sox” scandal during the 1919 World Series, his career in baseball got started more than three decades before that terrible time. Comiskey was a first baseman on the original Browns club that began play in 1882, spending nine of his first 10 seasons with the club (with the other spent with the Chicago White Stockings of the Players League). He was a player-manager for eight of those years (1883-89 and ’91) and was at the helm for the team’s four straight pennants and 1886 championship, amassing a 562-272 record.

Despite his success, the “Old Roman” ruffled feathers with management after jumping ship for a year in 1890, and two years later, he signed on with the Reds. After three seasons with Cincinnati, he bought a Western League team in Iowa, moving them to Chicago in 1899 and christening them the White Sox. Although he cared more about the stadium and his relationship with the press, Comiskey presided over three pennant-winners and two championship teams. He ran the White Sox until his death from heart complications in 1931, and he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939. His family kept control until selling the club in 1959.

4. Billy Southworth – Sometimes baseball can provide you with such interesting stories. Such is the case with Southworth, whose childhood included family friends William “Wild Bill” Cody, a Wild West showman, and Eddie Rickenbacker, who would go on to become a celebrated World War I pilot and race car driver. Southworth enjoyed a 13-year playing career as an outfielder split among five teams. His last season at bat was also his first as a coach, going 43-45 as the first of three managers for the Cardinals. Southworth also endured a personal tragedy that year, as his wife lost twins in childbirth and his 12-year-old son was accident shot while hunting. After two successful seasons managing in the minors, he was fired after the team struggled in 1932, and his wife died from a cerebral hemorrhage in the fall.

Southworth was rehired three years later and worked his way through the minors, taking over the Cardinals once again in 1940. He had much more success the second time around, winning 97 games in his first full season at the helm, then winning three straight pennants and 316 games over the next three years. In 1942, St. Louis posted a franchise-record 106 victories and beat the Yankees in the World Series. Southworth led the Cardinals to 105 wins in each of the next two seasons and won another title in 1944. However, the manager once again faced tragedy in his personal life, with his son dying in a plane crash before the 1945 season, leading Southworth back to his alcohol addiction. The team “only” won 95 games the following year. After amassing a 620-346 record in seven seasons (1929 and 40-45), he joined the Boston Braves, turning the perennial cellar dwellers into a pennant-winner in 1948. The aging roster resented the strict disciplinarian, and Southworth resigned during the 1951 season, finishing his career with a 1,044-704 overall record. He spent five seasons as a scout with the Braves, and passed away due to emphysema in 1969 at age 76. Southworth was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 2008.

3. Albert “Red” Schoendienst – He earned 10 All-Star selections and was a member of two championship teams (including 1946 with the Cardinals) during a 19-year Hall of Fame playing career as a second baseman, primarily in St. Louis. Schoendienst began his career as a coach with the Cardinals in 1964 and became the team’s manager the following season. After two years hovering near the .500 mark, St. Louis won two straight pennants, winning 101 games and beating the Red Sox in the 1967 World Series but falling to the Tigers the following year.

Schoendienst kept his team in contention for most of the next decade but was fired after a fifth-place finish in 1976. He spent two seasons as a coach with the Athletics before returning to the Cardinals as hitting coach in 1979. While the next manager on this list got used to multiple roles within the organization, Schoendienst managed the last 37 games the following year. He continued working for the team as a coach and special assistant for the next 37 years, which included one final stint as a manager in 1990, ending his career with a 1,041-955 record. Schoendienst was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1989 and passed away in 2018 at age 95.

2. Dorrel “Whitey” Herzog – He worked a variety of odd jobs as a youth, including delivery boy and grave digger. Herzog played eight major league seasons as a reserve outfielder, retiring in 1963. He worked as a scout, coach and minor league manager for the Athletics and later the Mets, who won two pennants with players he watched come through the system. Herzog spent one year each managing the Rangers and Angels before joining the Royals at the end of 1975. He led Kansas City to winning records in each of his four full seasons, including three straight division titles, although the Royals lost to the Yankees each time in the ALCS.

The “White Rat” moved across the state of Missouri to manage the Cardinals, but he gave up his post at first when he was named general manager later in the season. He decided to assume both roles in 1981, and Schoendienst was demoted to coach. Herzog spent the next decade as the skipper in St. Louis, leading the team to six winning seasons, three pennants and a title against the Brewers in 1982. Despite winning 101 games in 1985, the Cardinals lost the title to Herzog’s former team, the Royals. Two years later, St. Louis fell to Minnesota in the World Series. Herzog gave up his general manager spot in 1982 and resigned his manager post in 1990, finishing his Cardinals’ tenure with an 822-728 in 11 seasons (1980 and 81-90). He finished his 18-year managerial career with a 1,281-1,125 record. Herzog was the general manager of the Angels for two years, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 2010 and passed away in April 2024 at age 92.

1. Tony La Russa – He had a six-year major league playing career as a reserve infielder and was pursuing a law career when he decided to try coaching. La Russa managed the Double-A affiliate of the White Sox in 1978 and finished the following season as Chicago’s skipper. He spent six full seasons with the White Sox, leading the team to a division title and a trip to the ALCS in 1983. La Russa was fired after a slow start in 1986 but was unemployed for just two weeks before he was hired by Oakland. Following a .500 record in his first season, he led the Athletics to three straight pennants and four division titles in his first five years, including a sweep of the Bay Area-rival Giants in the 1989 World Series that was best known for an earthquake before Game 3.

Oakland sank to the bottom of the A. L. West in 1995 and La Russa went to St. Louis after the season, turning around a team that hadn’t been to the playoffs in nearly a decade. During his 16-year run with the franchise (1996-2011), he led the Cardinals to nine postseason appearances, eight division titles, seven trips to the NLCS, three pennants and two World Series titles. From 2000-05, the club won 90 or more games five times, including 105 in 2004, which is the second-most in franchise history. Unfortunately, that team ran into destiny as the Red Sox beat the Yankees to become the first team to come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series, then ended an 86-year title drought with a sweep of the Cardinals.

Two years later, the Cardinals edged the Mets in a thrilling seven-game NLCS then won the championship in five games over the Tigers. In 2011, La Russa led St. Louis to a regular season comeback to earn the Wild Card spot, then ran through the playoffs before ending his Cardinals career on a high note with a win over the Rangers in the World Series. Three days later, La Russa announced his retirement, finishing his career in St. Louis with a 1,408-1,182 record. Despite his accomplishments, including four Manager of the Year Awards, his record was not totally clean and included a 2007 DUI arrest. He held several executive roles throughout baseball and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Expansion Era Committee in 2014. However, the urge to manage was rekindled nearly a decade after his last game with the Cardinals, and La Russa was hired to lead the White Sox in 2021 at age 76. His run lasted fewer than three years before heart issues forced him to retire for good after the 2022 season. La Russa ended his career with six pennants, three World Series titles and a 2,884-2,499 record that ranks second on the all-time manager wins list.

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