MLB Top 5: St. Louis Cardinals Corner Infielders

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

The St. Louis Cardinals have fantastic depth at first base, so much so that, even with a few extra players in the top five, the club could still put together a formidable list among their honorable mentions. Both corner infield spots include some of the best fielders in baseball history, but many of the first basemen have the added power dimension that could put the Cardinals over the top in any series.

The Best First and Third Basemen in St. Louis Cardinals History

First Basemen

Honorable Mentions –Perry “Moose” Werden was better known for his minor league exploits than his seven-year major league career. The talkative first baseman was known as a colorful character and a master of the hidden ball trick. Werden went from driving a pie cart to playing for the St. Louis team in the short-lived Union Association in 1884. After stints in Washington and Baltimore, he joined the Cardinals in 1892, the team’s first season in the National League. He was a productive player, driving in 178 runs in his two seasons with St. Louis, and he set a club record with 29 triples in 1893. After he was released, Werden joined the Western League’s Minneapolis Millers and became the most prolific hitter in baseball, batting .417 with 216 hits and 43 home runs in 1894 and .428 with 179 runs, 241 hits and 45 homers the following year (the Western League did not keep RBIs at the time), records that would not be eclipsed until Babe Ruth came along a quarter century later. He had one more major league stint with Louisville in 1897 and played for another decade in the minors before becoming a minor league umpire, coach and manager. Werden suffered a heart attack and passed away in 1934 at age 72.

Ed Konetchy was a Wisconsin native who became a star in St. Louis in the early part of the 1900s. He was a productive player on offense, contributing at least 80 runs, 150 hits and 25 stolen bases four times in seven seasons (1907-13) and driving in 80 or more runs on three occasions. Konetchy led the league with 38 doubles in 1911 and reached double digits in triples six times, finishing with 94, which ranks sixth in franchise history. He was one of the top first basemen in the league when he was traded to Pittsburgh before the 1914 season, finishing his career in St. Louis with a .283 average, 501 runs, 1,013 hits, 158 doubles, 36 home runs, 476 RBIs, 151 stolen bases and 1,467 total bases in 982 games. “Big Ed” was also stellar defensively, winning three fielding titles and leading the league in putouts and assists three times each as a member of the Cardinals. In addition to the Pirates, he spent one season in the ill-fated Federal League and played with the Braves, Robins (later Dodgers), Phillies and six minor league seasons before retiring for good in 1927. Konetchy was also a minor league manager, worked at an aircraft manufacturing plant, owned a restaurant and a chicken farm and worked as a scout for the Cardinals. He passed away from heart disease in 1947 at age 61.

James “Ripper” Collins joined his father working in the Pennsylvania mines and playing on the company baseball team. He earned his nickname when he hit a ball so hard it ripped the covering off the outfield wall. Collins married at 17 and played professionally during strikes at the mine. After tearing through the minor leagues, he was promoted to the Cardinals in 1931 and, three years later, he batted .333 with 200 hits, 128 RBIs and a league-leading 35 home runs to help his team win the title. Collins was equally great in the World Series, smacking 11 hits and driving in three runs against the Tigers. The two-time All-Star and noted prankster was traded to the Cubs before the 1937 season, finishing his six-year Cardinals tenure (1931-36) with a .307 average, 455 runs, 852 hits, 165 doubles, 106 homers, 516 RBIs, 1,435 total bases and a .517 slugging percentage (tenth in franchise history) in 777 games. Although he earned an All-Star selection in his first season in Chicago, he suffered a broken ankle, which affected him the rest of his career. Collins spent two seasons in the minor leagues and ended his major league career with the Pirates in 1941. After his playing days, he managed in the minor leagues, ran a bowling alley and worked in the public relations office for the Cubs. Collins passed away after a heart attack in 1970 at age 66.

While he is best known for his time with the Giants, Orlando Cepeda had a solid three-year run with the Cardinals (1966-68) in the middle of his career. The native of Puerto Rico was named Rookie of the Year in 1958, earned 10 All-Star selections and hit 226 home runs in nine seasons with San Francisco, but he attained one elusive goal during his brief time in St. Louis. In 1967, “Cha Cha” batted .325 with 25 home runs and a league-high 111 RBIs, earning an All-Star selection, his only MVP Award and helping the Cardinals to a World Series victory over the Red Sox. After a down year, he was traded to the Braves in 1969 (for the next player on this list). The “Baby Bull” also played for the Athletics, Red Sox and Royals, ending his 17-year career in 1974 with 379 home runs. However, his personal life was in shambles. He was arrested for receiving a shipment of 170 pounds of marijuana and was sentenced to five years in prison for that, as well as missed child support payments. Cepeda turned his life around after finding Buddhism and worked as a Giants ambassador for more than 25 years. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999 and passed away in June 2024 at age 86.

Joe Torre came to the Cardinals after nearly a decade with the Braves that included a runner-up finish in the Rookie of the Year voting in 1961, five All-Star selections and a gold glove. The Brooklyn-born star began his time in St. Louis with three straight seasons with 100 or more RBIs (each at a different position), culminating in an MVP Award as a third baseman in 1971. While his time at catcher was ending, Torre was solid at the corner infield spots, earning four All-Star selections and winning the 1971 Hutch Award for honor, courage and dedication. He was traded to the Mets, where he both finished his playing career and began his time as a manager in 1977. Torre went on to become one of the most decorated skippers in major league history, winning six pennants and four championships with the Yankees, posting a 2,326-1,997 record in 29 seasons with five clubs and winning two Manager of the Year Awards. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Expansion Era Committee in 2014.

Jack Clark shares a nickname with one player on this list (“Ripper”) and he began his career with a long stint in San Francisco just like another (Cepeda). He was a two-time All-Star as an outfielder during his days with the Giants before converting to first base after being traded to the Cardinals before the 1985 season. Clark earned All-Star and Silver Slugger honors in his first year with St. Louis but was also part of one of the most infamous plays in baseball history. In the ninth inning of Game 6 of the 1985 World Series against the interstate rival Royals, Clark fielded a ground ball and tossed the ball to the pitcher, only first base umpire Don Denkinger ruled the runner safe. “The Call,” as it came to be known, led to Kansas City scoring twice to win 2-1, and the Royals won 11-0 the next night to take home the title. Clark came back from a torn thumb ligament to post his best offensive season in 1987, batting .286 and setting career highs with 35 home runs and 106 RBIs to finish third in the MVP voting. He moved on, playing one season with the Yankees and two each with the Padres and Red Sox before back and knee injuries took their toll and he retired in 1992. Following his playing career, he coached independent teams, was a hitting coach and instructor with the Dodgers, survived a near-fatal motorcycle accident in 2003 and worked as a pre- and postgame show analyst for the Cardinals.

Paul Goldschmidt was selected in the eighth round by the Diamondbacks in 2009 and joined Arizona two years later, hitting a grand slam in Game 3 of the NLDS against the Brewers. In 2013, he finished second in the MVP voting after batting .302 with 182 hits and league-leading totals of 36 home runs, 125 RBIs, a .551 slugging percentage and 332 total bases. Goldschmidt was runner-up again two years later, and during his eight-year tenure in Arizona, he earned six All-Star selections, four silver sluggers, three gold gloves and finished in the top 10 of the MVP voting four times. He was traded to the Cardinals before the 2019 season and has at least 80 runs, 150 hits, 25 home runs and 80 RBIs in each of his four full seasons. “Goldy” earned his only MVP Award to date after posting a .317-35-115 stat line and a league-best .578 slugging percentage in 2022. Through the 2023 season, he has a .284 average, 425 runs, 727 hits, 146 doubles, 131 home runs, 412 RBIs and 1,272 total bases in 682 games. The Cardinals went to the playoffs in Goldschmidt’s first four seasons in St. Louis, and “America’s First Baseman” had seven runs, 14 hits, five doubles, four homers and five RBIs in 15 contests. The Hank Aaron and Lou Gehrig Award winner won three fielding titles, led the league in double plays turned by a first baseman and is the active leader both categories at the position.

5D Charles Comiskey – He is an original member of the franchise, having started with the Brown Stockings during their inaugural season in the American Association in 1882. Comiskey was a solid player-manager, driving in 100 or more runs twice and guiding the club to four straight pennants and a win over the National League’s Chicago White Stockings in the 1886 World’s Series. His best season was the next one, which saw him hit four home runs and set career highs with a .335 average, 139 runs (in 125 games), 180 hits, 103 RBIs and 117 stolen bases, which is third in team history. The “Old Roman” played nine years with St. Louis (1882-89 and ’91), ranking fifth in franchise history with 333 steals to go with a .273 average, 814 runs, 1,194 hits, 161 doubles, 25 homers, 689 RBIs and 1,546 total bases in 1,034 games. Comiskey also was one of the first players at his position to play off the base, leading to changes in defensive strategies in the infield. He led the league in putouts three times and amassed 562-272 record as a manager.

Following a stint with the Reds, Comiskey joined the Western League and owned the Chicago team when the circuit became the American League in 1901. He turned the White Sox into a winner, with the team taking home three pennants and two championships in the first two decades of the 20th century. However, Comiskey was a cheap owner who cared more about the stadium and his relationship with the press than he did his own players. Several incidents over contracts turned the “Black Sox” scandal, in which eight Chicago players took bribes to lose the 1919 World Series to the Reds on purpose. The players were acquitted in a court of law but banned from organized baseball, and the White Sox didn’t finish in the top half of the American League during their owner’s lifetime. Comiskey passed away in 1931 at age 72 and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in the Pioneer/Executive category by the Old Timer Committee in 1939. His family ran the team until early 1959, but the White Sox did not win another pennant until later that year after the team was sold.

5C Keith Hernandez – He was a low draft pick by the Cardinals (42nd round), but turned into a star thanks to his production, ability to make good contact and defense. Hernandez joined St. Louis full-time in 1976, and his game quickly improved. Two years later, he won his first of six straight gold gloves with the Cardinals and 11 overall. In 1979, he won the batting title with a .344 average, led the league with 116 runs and 48 doubles, pounded out 210 hits and drove in 110 runs to earn a share of the MVP Award with Pirates slugger Willie Stargell. “Mex” continued his solid play, driving in 94 runs in the 1982 regular season and eight more in the World Series victory over the Brewers. However, he was plagued by a bad attitude and an addiction to cocaine that led to his trade to the Mets the following year.

Hernandez finished his decade in St. Louis (1974-83) with a .299 average, 662 runs, 1,217 hits, 265 doubles, 81 home runs, 595 RBIs and 1,825 total bases in 1,165 games. In his first full season with New York, he earned All-Star, Gold Glove, and Silver Slugger honors and was the MVP runner-up. Hernandez also helped the Mets win a pair of division titles, including 1986, when the team won 106 games and an iconic World Series over the Red Sox. He faced knee and back injuries later in his career and played his last season with the Indians in 1990. Following his playing career, Hernandez was a guest star on the TV comedy Seinfeld, was in several hair dye commercials and has served as a color commentator for the Mets on SNY since 2006.

5B Bill White – Born in a small town in the Florida Panhandle, he hit a home run in his first at-bat with the Giants in 1956. White spent the following year playing baseball in the Army and working in the supply room at Fort Knox in Kentucky. He quit the team after he was refused service at a restaurant and his teammates refused to stand up for him. When White came back to the Giants in 1958, they had moved from New York to San Francisco. He spent one season on the West Coast before being traded to St. Louis. After one season in the outfield, White moved back to first base and earned his first of seven straight gold gloves. He rapped 150 or more hits seven times, hit at least 20 home runs five times, batted .300 or better four times and drove in at least 100 runs on three occasions. White’s best offensive season was 1963, when he batted .304 and set career highs with 106 runs, 200 hits, 27 homers and 109 RBIs. The following year, he finished third in the MVP race with a .303-21-102 stat line to go with 92 runs and 191 hits.

White spent three years with the Phillies after a trade but returned for his final season in 1969, ending his Cardinals career with a .298 average, 627 runs, 1,241 hits, 209 doubles, 140 home runs, 631 RBIs and 1,966 total bases in 1,113 games over eight seasons (1959-65 and ’69). While still playing, White began working for radio stations in St. Louis and Philadelphia, and he became the first African American broadcaster for a major league team when he was hired by the Yankees in 1971. After spending 18 seasons calling games with Phil Rizzuto and announcing a few World Series games for the CBS Radio Network, he retired in 1989. Later that year, he became the first black league president when he was hired to lead the National League, a position he held for nearly six years.

5A Mark McGwire – He was drafted in the first round by the Athletics in 1984 and, after hitting 363 home runs and winning three pennants in 12 seasons in Oakland, he was sent to the Cardinals at the 1997 trade deadline. McGwire caught fire after the move, smacking 24 home runs in just 51 games, ending the season with a major league-leading 58, despite not leading either circuit. The following year, he and Cubs star Sammy Sosa chased down the single season home run record, with McGwire passing Roger Maris by hitting number 62 on September 8 and finishing with 70 (a club record) to Sosa’s 66 while also driving in 147 runs and leading the league with 162 walks (another team record), a .470 on-base percentage and a .752 slugging percentage. The Chicago star got the final reward by edging out “Big Mac” in the MVP voting.

McGwire followed that with league-leading totals of 65 homers (second in team history) and 147 RBIs (which tied the previous year’s mark for third-best). Not only did he edge out Sosa by two in the home run race, but he also became the first person in baseball history to have more RBIs than hits (145) in a season. McGwire hit 32 home runs in his third straight All-Star season in 2000, but injuries were starting to take their toll, and he retired after hitting 29 homers but batting just .187 the following year. “Big Mac” finished his five-year Cardinals tenure (1997-2001) as the all-time franchise leader in slugging percentage (.683), tied for second in on-base percentage (.427) and sixth in home runs (220) to go with a .270 average, 394 runs, 469 hits, 473 RBIs and 1,188 total bases in 545 games. Despite all of his accolades, McGwire may never get into the Baseball Hall of Fame thanks to his ties to steroids and the Mitchell Report. He refused to answer questions about his involvement at a congressional hearing in 2005 but admitted to using them for nearly a decade in a 2010 interview. McGwire spent three years each as a coach with the Cardinals, Dodgers and Padres from 2010-18.

4. Johnny Mize – He signed with the Cardinals at age 17 and was almost traded to the Reds before his big-league career began. Mize suffered a groin injury in a minor league game and developed spurs in the area that required surgery. He was called up to St. Louis in 1936 after six minor league seasons and made an immediate impact over his first six seasons in the majors, hitting better than .300 each year, driving in 100 or more runs five times and earning four All-Star selections. Mize set career highs with a .364 average and 204 hits in his second season and showed his versatility by smacking 27 home runs, driving in 102 runs and leading the league with 16 triples in 1938. He finished second in the MVP voting the following year after posting 197 hits, 108 RBIs and a career-high 44 doubles, winning the batting title with a .349 mark and leading the league with 28 homers, a .626 slugging percentage and 353 total bases. Mize equaled his MVP runner-up finish in 1940, totaling 111 runs and 182 hits and leading the league with 43 home runs, 137 RBIs, a .636 slugging percentage and a career-best 368 total bases, although his average fell to .314. Despite his continual improvements, general manager Branch Rickey refused to give him pay increases and even asked him to take a pay cut following his stellar 1940 season, which led to the “Big Cat” demanding a trade.

Mize had a “down” year in 1941, hitting 16 home runs, driving in 100 runs and leading the league with 39 doubles but was traded to the Giants in the offseason. He played the rest of his career in New York, five each with the Giants and Yankees (except for three prime years spent with the Navy during World War II). Mize had a unique season in 1947, leading the league with 137 runs, 138 RBIs and 51 home runs while striking out just 42 times, which is still the only time in major league history that a player has hit at least 50 homers without striking out at least 50 times in a season. Mize was part of a championship team in each of his five seasons with the Yankees (1949-53). He ended his six-year career in St. Louis (1936-41) ranked third in franchise history in slugging percentage (.600) and fourth in average (.336) and on-base percentage (.419) to go with 546 runs, 1,048 hits, 218 doubles, 66 triples, 158 home runs, 653 RBIs and 1,872 total bases in 854 games. Following his playing career, Mize held several coaching roles and ran a variety of businesses, including real estate developments and orange groves. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1981 and passed away in 1993 at age 80.

3. Jim Bottomley – Like many children and teenagers who were part of coal mining families around the turn of the 20th century, he dropped out of school and worked several jobs to help his family make ends meet. Bottomley signed with the Cardinals in 1919 and made his debut with St. Louis three years later, driving in 35 runs over the season’s final 37 games. He was a fixture in the lineup for the next decade, hitting over .300 nine times, smacking at least 160 hits seven times and driving in more than 100 runs on six occasions. “Sunny Jim” batted .371 in his first full season, led the league with 227 hits and 55 doubles in 1925 and topped the Senior Circuit with 40 two-baggers and 120 RBIs the following year. However, his best season was 1928, when he won the MVP Award after batting .325 with 187 hits and 42 doubles, a career-best 123 runs and league-leading totals of 20 triples, 31 home runs, 136 RBIs and 362 total bases.

Injuries limited Bottomley in his final two years with the Cardinals, and he finished his 11-year tenure (1922-32) ranked fourth in franchise history in RBIs (1,105), fifth in triples (119), eighth in home runs (181) and total bases (2,852), ninth in doubles (344) and slugging percentage (.537), tied for ninth in average (.325) and tenth in runs (921) to go with 1,727 hits in 1,392 games. He was a part of four pennant-winners and two championship teams, totaling eight runs, 18 hits, five doubles, one homer and 10 RBIs in 24 games. “Sunny Jim” was traded to Cincinnati, and his numbers continued to decline over his final five seasons with the Reds and Browns until he retired after the 1937 season, in which he finished 21-56 in a brief stint as player-manager with St. Louis. He ran a cattle farm and was a minor league manager until a heart suffered during a game led to his retirement. Bottomley suffered another heart attack and passed away in 1959 at age 59. He was posthumously elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1974.

2. Albert Pujols – The Dominican-born future star came to New York when he was in high school but moved to Missouri after he witnessed a shooting at a bodega. He was drafted by the Cardinals in the 13th round in 1999 and made the big-league team out of spring training two years later. Pujols started his career as a jack-of-all-trades, mostly at third base and in left field, winning the Rookie of the Year Award in 2001. During his 11-year first stint with the Cardinals (2001-11), his numbers were beyond anything most fans had ever seen before. Pujols finished in the top 10 of the MVP Award and had at least 175 hits and 30 home runs every year, batted .300 or better 10 times (falling short at .299 in 2011), driving in 100 runs 10 times (99 in 2011) and scoring 100 or more runs nine times (99 in 2007). He easily won the Rookie of the Year Award after posting a .320-37-130 stat line with 194 hits in 2001.

From there, “Prince Albert” finished in the top three of the MVP voting for three straight years, including 2003, when he was the runner-up after hitting 43 homers, driving in 124 runs and leading the league with a .359 average, 137 runs, 212 hits, 51 doubles and 394 total bases. He won his first MVP Award two years later, posting a .330-41-117 line to go with 195 hits and a league-best 129 runs. In between, he was the MVP of the 2004 NLCS victory over the Astros, posting 10 runs, 14 hits, four home runs and nine RBIs in seven games (although the Cardinals fell to the curse-breaking Red Sox in the World Series). Pujols hit a home run against Detroit to help St. Louis win the championship two years later. He won back-to-back MVP Awards, posting a .357-31-116 stat line in 2008 and batting .327 with 135 RBIs and league-leading totals of 125 runs, 47 homers, a .443 on-base percentage, a .658 slugging percentage and 374 total bases the following year.

Pujols continued his torrid hitting, leading the league with 115 runs, 42 home runs and 118 RBIs in 2010, and he hit three homers and drove in six runs to help the Cardinals beat the Rangers in the World Series the following year. He left St. Louis on top, signing a 10-year, $254 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels after the 2011 season. Many were skeptical of the lengthy deal and, while Pujols did not put up the numbers he had in St. Louis, he was still a solid run producer, although his average dropped well below what it was at his previous stop. A foot injury slowed him in 2013 and eventually, age began to catch up with him. After a decade with the Angels, he was released in 2021 and signed with the crosstown rival Dodgers.

“The Machine” returned to St. Louis the following year, finishing off his career by being named Comeback Player of the Year and earning his 10th All-Star selection as a member of the Cardinals. He retired after a loss in the Wild Card round, finishing his time in St. Louis ranked second in franchise history in doubles (469), home runs (469, including five of the team’s top 10 single season totals), RBIs (1,397), total bases (4,062), slugging percentage (.614) and walks (1,003), third in runs (1,333), fourth in hits (2,156), tied for fifth in on-base percentage (.417), sixth in games (1,814) and tied for seventh in average (.326). Pujols appeared in 74 playoff games, totaling 54 runs, 88 hits, 18 doubles, 18 home runs and 52 RBIs. Very few people can match his career, which includes two championships, six silver sluggers, three gold gloves, two Hank Aaron Awards, Clemente and Gehrig awards, a 2010 fielding title and leading the league four times in putouts. Pujols is now a special assistant for the Angels, runs a charity that helps people with Down syndrome and has worked as an analyst for MLB Network. He is a lock for Cooperstown when he is eligible in 2028.

1. Stan “The Man” Musial – Born in Western Pennsylvania, he signed a contract with the Cardinals as a pitcher in 1937 while still playing baseball and basketball in high school. Musial played in the outfield when he wasn’t on the mound, but his pitching career came to an end in 1940, when he hurt his shoulder after his spikes got caught in the turf while trying to make a catch. The change to a full-time outfielder allowed him to jump from Class C to the majors in a little more than a year and hit .426 during a 12-game call-up in St. Louis. Musial played all through outfield positions in his first few seasons, helping the Cardinals win a franchise record and 106 games and beat the Yankees in the World Series in 1942 and win the MVP Award the following year after leading the league with a .357 average, 220 hits, 48 doubles, 20 triples, a .425 on-base percentage, a .562 slugging percentage and 347 total bases. He batted .347 with league-high totals of 197 hits and 51 doubles in 1944 to help his team win its third straight pennant and second title in three years.

“The Man” missed the entire 1945 season while serving in the Navy and playing baseball in Hawaii and later, Philadelphia. He moved to first base upon his return and was named MVP for a second time after leading the league with a .365 average, 124 runs, 228 hits, 50 doubles, 20 triples, a .587 slugging percentage and 366 total bases while driving in 100 runs for the first time. Following a “down” year where he hit .312 and suffered from an inflamed appendix, Musial won a third MVP in 1948, leading the league and setting career highs with a .376 average, 131 RBIs, a .450 on-base percentage, a .702 slugging percentage, 429 total bases (second in team history) and 230 hits (fourth), while hitting a personal-best 39 home runs and topping the N.L. with 46 doubles and 18 triples. The following three seasons, he finished second in the MVP voting, and he was in the top 10 on 14 occasions, including 10 straight from 1948-57.

Musial’s statistical accomplishments stack up quite well in any era and in any comparison. He scored 100 or more runs 11 times (leading the league five times), rapped out at least 150 hits 15 times (leading the league and reaching 200 six times each), hit 20 or more home runs and drove in at least 100 runs 10 times each (leading the league in RBIs twice), batting better than .300 an astonishing 17 times and winning seven batting titles, leading the league in doubles seven times, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and total bases six times each and triples on five occasions. Musial was also a three-time fielding champion in right field, earned the honor in left field in 1953 and won the Lou Gehrig Award in 1957.

The team’s statistical lists are dominated by Musial, who earned 24 All-Star selections (including all four seasons in which there were two games) in his 22-year career (1941-44 and 46-63). He is the all-time franchise leader in games (3,026), runs (1,949), hits (3,630), doubles (725), triples (177), home runs (475), RBIs (1,951), total bases (6,134), walks (1,599). “The Man” ranks tied for fifth in on-base percentage (.417) and sixth in average (.331) and slugging percentage (559). He ranks third on the all-time Major League list in doubles and total bases, fourth in hits, eighth in RBIs and tenth in runs. Musial was a part of four pennant-winners and three championship teams in a five-year stretch, totaling nine runs, 22 hits, seven doubles, one home run and eight RBIs in 23 games.

Musial was named a Cardinals vice president during his final season, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot in 1969, served as a physical fitness adviser under U. S. President Lyndon Johnson, owned a popular St. Louis restaurant called “Stan and Biggie’s” among his many businesses and served on the Hall of Fame’s Veterans Committee before he passed away due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease in 2013 at age 92.

Third Basemen

Honorable Mentions – The emergence of Ken Reitz allowed the Cardinals to move Torre across the diamond to first base. He was a solid hitter who won a gold glove in 1975 and earned the nickname “Zamboni” for his ability to scoop up balls off the astroturf at Busch Stadium. Twice with St. Louis he played more than 150 games in a season and had fewer than 10 errors, including 1980, when he earned his only All-Star selection and made a record-low eight errors. He also played a key batting role in a 1974 contest against the Mets, hitting a game-tying home run in the ninth in a game that remained tied until the Cardinals won in 25 innings. After four seasons with the Cardinals, Reitz was traded to the Giants in 1976 only to be traded back after the campaign and spend another four years in St. Louis. He finished his eight-year Cardinals tenure (1972-75 and 77-80) with a .263 average with 316 runs, 1,033 hits, 213 doubles, 61 runs, 454 RBIs and 1,449 total bases in 1,100 games. The five-time fielding champion spent one season each with the Cubs and Pirates, but his production declined steadily, and he was released and retired in 1982. Reitz did promotional work for the Cardinals and passed away in 2021 at age 69.

Terry Pendleton was born in Los Angeles and was selected by St. Louis in 1982. Two years later, he joined the Cardinals and relied on his speed and defense early in his career. Pendleton won two gold gloves and led National League third basemen in assists three time. St. Louis won two pennants during his seven-year tenure (1984-90), and he totaled 10 runs, 18 hits and nine RBIs in 22 games, including a go-ahead two-run double in the ninth inning of Game 1 of the 1985 World Series against Kansas City. After his rookie campaign, Pendleton was an “every-other-year hitter,” putting together productive seasons in odd years (especially 1987, when he produced a .286-12-96 stat line) while slumping in even years. Fearing a nagging hamstring injury would limit his production, the Cardinals let him leave as a free agent and he signed with the Braves. Pendleton became a veteran leader on a good, young team and immediately showed his worth, winning the MVP Award in 1991 while also leading the league with a .319 average, 187 hits and 303 total bases. He was a member of three pennant-winning clubs, although Atlanta lost in the World Series each time. Pendleton spent time with the Marlins, Reds and Royals before retiring in 1998. He served with the Braves as hitting, first base and bench coach from 2001-17.

Matt Carpenter lost some draft stock after suffering a torn ligament in his elbow while in college at TCU that required Tommy John surgery. He turned his misfortune into success, reaching the big leagues in 2011 and becoming a starter at three infield positions in 12 seasons with St. Louis (2011-21 and ’24-present). Carpenter had his most productive season in 2013, finishing fourth in the MVP voting while earning his first of three All-Star selections and his only silver slugger. That year, he batted a career-best .318 with 11 home runs, 78 RBIs and league-leading totals of 126 runs, 199 hits and 55 doubles, which was a club record at the time and now is third in team history. Carpenter led the league with 44 doubles in 2014 and had his best power season three years later when he posted a .257-36-81 stat line. However, his average continued to decline, and he signed with the Yankees in 2022. After one season in New York and one in San Diego, Carpenter returned to the Cardinals in 2024.

Scott Rolen was an Indiana native who was selected in the second round by the Phillies in 1993. During his seven seasons in Philadelphia, he was the 1997 Rookie of the Year and earned an All-Star selection, a silver slugger and four gold gloves. Rolen was sent to the Cardinals at the 2002 trade deadline and continued his solid play for his first two full seasons. He had his best offensive campaign in 2004, finishing fourth in the MVP race after posting career highs with a .314 average, 34 home runs and 124 RBIs. Rolen missed most of the following season after undergoing shoulder surgery but returned to help St. Louis win a championship in 2006, hitting 22 home runs in the regular season and another against Detroit in the World Series. The shoulder injury returned the next year, and he was traded in the following two seasons, first to the Blue Jays and then the Reds. Rolen finished his Cardinals career batting .286 with 421 runs, 678 hits, 173 doubles 111 home runs, 453 RBIs and 1,210 total bases in 661 games, and he also earned All-Star selections and gold gloves in four straight seasons. He appeared in 32 postseason games with St. Louis, totaling 17 runs, 26 hits, seven doubles, five homers and 11 runs batted in. Rolen officially retired as a player in 2014 and now works as a director of player development for baseball at Indiana University. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his sixth year on the ballot in 2023.

Nolan Arenado has established himself as a talented and productive hitter and one of the greatest defensive players in major league history. A second-round pick of the Rockies, he appeared in two MLB All-Star Futures Games before joining Colorado in 2013. Two years later, he began a five-year run where he was an All-Star and had at least 175 hits, 35 home runs and 100 RBIs every season. After the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Arenado was traded to the Cardinals. His numbers declined outside of his former hitter-friendly home, but he drove in 100 runs in each of his first two seasons in St. Louis and has earned three All-Star selections, two gold gloves (giving him 10 overall), two platinum gloves (he now has six) and a silver slugger (five in total). Arenado finished third in the MVP voting in 2022 after posting a .293-30-103 stat line. He got his “Sandblaster” nickname from a translation mistake on one of his tweets, but he has earned it by his hardworking nature and ability to hit the long ball.

5. Joe Torre split his six-year Cardinals tenure (1969-74) between the corner infield spots, but he played 427 games at the “hot corner” to 425 at first base. He earned four All-Star selections overall and won the MVP Award in 1971 after hitting 27 home runs, setting a career-high with 97 runs and leading the league with a .363 average, 230 hits, 137 RBIs and 352 total bases. During his time in St. Louis, Torre batted .308 with 455 runs, 1,062 hits, 161 doubles, 98 homers, 558 RBIs and 1,581 total bases in 918 games. Following his Hall of Fame managerial career, he worked in the Commissioner’s office, first as Executive Vice President for Baseball Operations and Chief Baseball Officer, then a special assistant to the Commissioner. Torre was also a color commentator for six years, owns several thoroughbred racehorses, created the Safe at Home Foundation for domestic violence and managed Team USA in the 2013 World Baseball Classic.

4. Walter “Arlie” Latham – He was the son of a Union Army soldier and bugler during the Civil War, and he became one of the most colorful players in the game during the 1800s. Latham had a brief and unsuccessful trial with the National League team in Buffalo in 1880 but, after two minor league seasons, he latched on with the Brown Stockings. Known for his speed and ability to make contact, he led the American Association with 152 runs in 1886 and followed that up with an even better season, setting career highs with a .316 average, 163 runs (second in team history), 198 hits, 83 RBIs and 129 stolen bases, which is still a franchise record.

Although his stats declined over the next few seasons, Latham led the league with 109 steals in 1888. He joined the Player’s League in 1890 and spent six years with the Reds before coming back to the Cardinals (now in the National League) for eight games in 1896, finishing his eight-year run in St. Louis (1883-89 and ’96) with a .266 average, 832 runs, 982 hits, 134 doubles, 250 RBIs, 369 stolen bases (fourth in franchise history) and 1,245 total bases in 847 games. Latham also played in four straight World’s Series, totaling 31 runs, 38 hits, eight RBIs and 28 stolen bases in 38 games. He also led the league in putouts and assists twice each. Latham made several minor league stops and had brief major league stints with the N.L.’s Senators in 1899 and the Giants a decade later. He performed in a minstrel show and was a noted prankster, getting the nickname “The Freshest Man on Earth” (also the name of a popular song at the time), but also got in quite a few brawls during his career. Latham was also an umpire and a third base coach and ran down the line distracting pitchers until the coaching box was created. Following his playing career, he was an Administrator of Baseball in England, ran a deli in Manhattan and was a press box custodian at the Polo Grounds. Latham passed away in 1952 at age 92.

3. George “Whitey” Kurowski – He fell off a fence and landed on broken glass at age 7, an injury that turned into blood poisoning and a bone infection. Surgery saved his right arm but left it several inches shorter than his left one, leading to him being a dead pull hitter. After a brief call-up in 1941, Kurowski took over as a starter the following year, which ended with him driving in five runs and hitting a title-winning home run in Game 5 of the World Series against the Yankees. From 1943-47, he was selected to five straight All-Star teams, had at least 150 hits each season, batted .300 or better three times and drove in more than 100 runs twice. His best year was 1947, when he batted .310 and set career highs with 10 runs, 27 homers and 104 RBIs.

However, that was Kurowski’s last full season in the majors. Thanks to his childhood injury, he underwent 13 more surgeries but still endured pinched nerves and muscle damage throughout his career which affected his ability to throw. Kurowski played 10 games with the Cardinals in 1949, finishing his nine-year career (1941-49) with a .286 average, 518 runs, 925 hits, 162 doubles, 106 home runs, 529 RBIs and 1,469 total bases in 916 games, and the three-time champion also won two fielding titles and led the league in putouts three times. He made occasional minor league appearances throughout the next decade while working as a coach and manager in the St. Louis system, and he also held similar roles with the Mets and Indians. Kurowski worked for Berks County, Pennsylvania, as a sealer of weights and measures and passed away in 1999 at age 81.

2. Johnny “Pepper” Martin – The leap-year baby endured a tough upbringing in Oklahoma, with his parents picking cotton and he and his siblings tending livestock. In between odd jobs as a paperboy and shoe delivery, Martin played baseball, earning a pair of brief call-ups before making the Cardinals as a center fielder in 1931. He played throughout the outfield but played more games at third base than any other position during his 13-year career spent entirely with St. Louis (1928, 30-40 and ’44). In his first full season, Martin batted .300 with 75 RBIs, homered, drove in five runs, stole five bases and tied a record with 12 hits in a World Series victory over the two-time defending champion Philadelphia Athletics. After a sophomore slump, he moved to third base and earned three straight All-Star selections, led the league in steals three times in four seasons and topped the National League with 122 hits in 1933.

Martin became an integral part of the 1934 “Gas House Gang” championship team, both as a solid contributor on the field and a prankster afterward. Two years later, he batted .309, set a career-high with 76 RBIs and led the league with 23 stolen bases. A knee injury caused his production to decline and ultimately led to his retirement in 1940. Martin spent the next two decades as a minor league manager, except for a brief return as a player in 1944 when the Cardinals were depleted during World War II and stint as a coach with the Cubs in 1956. He was given a weeklong suspension at the end of the 1949 season for choking an umpire during a minor league game. Martin ranks ninth in franchise history with 75 triples to go with a .298 average, 756 runs, 1,227 hits, 270 doubles, 59 home runs, 501 RBIs, 146 stolen bases and 1,824 total bases in 1,189 games. The three-time champion nicknamed the “Wild Horse” played guitar, was a boxing manager and was the athletic director for the Oklahoma State Penitentiary until his death from a heart attack in 1965 at age 61.

1. Ken Boyer – The Missouri native was one of three brothers who played third base at the major league level, but he was originally signed by the Cardinals as a pitcher in 1949. After four years in the minor leagues (including two after he was moved to third base) and two more in the Army during the Korean War, Boyer overcame a concussion suffered during winter ball to finally earn a callup to his hometown team in 1955. The following year, he was selected to his first of 11 All-Star Games with the Cardinals (including all four years that two games were held). Boyer spent 1957 in center field but returned to the “hot corner” and won five gold gloves in six seasons while also leading the league in double plays five times. Although he was best known as a defender, he was a productive player at the plate, topping 150 hits, 20 home runs and 90 RBIs eight times in his 11-year tenure (1955-65).

Boyer was an incredibly consistent player during his time in St. Louis, hitting 32 home runs in 1960 and setting career highs with a .329 average, 109 runs and 194 hits the following year. However, his best season at the plate came in 1964, when he won the MVP Award after batting .295 with 100 runs, 185 hits, 24 home runs and a league-leading 119 runs batted in. He followed that with a two-homer, six-RBI performance in a seven-game win over the Yankees in the World Series which included a grand slam in Game 4 and a home run in the deciding contest. His older brother, Clete, was on the Yankees and also homered in Game 7, with that being the only time brothers have homered in the same game in the Fall Classic.

Back injuries began to trouble Boyer, who played his last year with St. Louis in 1965. He ranks third in franchise history in home runs (255), seventh in RBIs (1,001) and total bases (3,011), eighth in runs (988) and ninth in games (1,667) and hits (1,855) to go with a .287 average, 269 doubles and 61 triples. The 1964 Lou Gehrig Award winner played with the Mets, White Sox and Dodgers, retiring after the 1969 season. Boyer worked for the Cardinals and Orioles as a scout, coach and minor league manager, and he was the skipper in St. Louis from 1978-80, amassing a 166-190 record. The 11-time All-Star was getting set to manage for the Cardinals’ Triple-A team in Louisville when he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He passed away in 1982 at age 51.

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