17. Jim Bottomley
Jim Bottomley would debut for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1922 season and in his first full season (1923) he would set career highs in Batting Average (.371) and On Base Percentage (.425). This is not to imply that the First Baseman peaked early as he still had seven more .300 seasons in him (all with St. Louis) and he would slowly develop a power and clutch hitting game.
9. Adam Wainwright
Adam Wainwright played his entire MLB career with the St. Louis Cardinals after arriving from the Atlanta Braves system via a trade. We bet Atlanta wish they could get that one back!
13. Johnny Mize
You could argue that Johnny Mize had three distinct periods of Johnny Mize’s Hall of Fame career that was spent with three different teams.
The first third was where he was an elite performer for with the St. Louis Cardinals, the second with the New York Giants where he was still good, but missed three years due to World War II, and the final where he was a role player with the New York Yankees but won five World Series Championships.
11. Joe Medwick
Debuting with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1932, Joe “Ducky” Medwick (thus nicknamed because he apparently walked like that aforementioned bird) would become a major star through the 1930s. Before he was traded midway through the 1940 season he would have seven full seasons where he batted over .300 with four 200 Hit campaigns. While in relative terms, Medwick was not known as an elite power hitter he did blast 152 dingers for St. Louis including a league-leading 31 in 1937. We will get back to that year later. In addition to decent power, he was a doubles leader three times (1936-38) and had seven straight years with 40 Doubles, and was also a Triples champion in 1934.
7. Ken Boyer
Signed as a Pitcher, Ken Boyer would be converted to a Third Baseman in his second season in the minors and that worked out well both for Boyer and the St. Louis Cardinals.
6. Enos Slaughter
If you are a regular reader of Notinhalloffame.com, you know that we are a sucker for what we consider great sports names.
Enos Slaughter is a pretty good one on its own, but when you throw in the nickname and you have; Enos “Country” Slaughter, a name that we think is so awesome that we were tempted to jump it up the rankings for that reason alone!
8. Dizzy Dean
We meant it when we said that Bob Gibson was the greatest St. Louis Cardinal Pitcher of all time, however that does not necessarily mean that he had the most dominant run as a Cardinals hurler.
We will give that one to Dizzy Dean.
3. Rogers Hornsby
As we mentioned in our selection of Albert Pujols at #2, it was a hard decision as the accomplishments of Rogers Hornsby were incredible and we felt the need the give the edge to Pujols due to the integrated era he played in and the overall higher level of competition.
We understand however if you don’t agree.
5. Ozzie Smith
We bet the San Diego Padres would like to have this one back.
At the time of being traded from San Diego, Ozzie Smith was regarded as only a defensive gem that was never going to give you much in terms of offense. While he was never going to be confused with a Cal Ripken with his bat, he did raise his Batting Average and OBP as a St. Louis Cardinal and he would slap 1,944 of his 2,460 Hits with the Redbirds. Smith was not known for extra base hits, but once aboard the base paths he was solid with 13 straight 20 Stolen Base Seasons, with 433 in total for the team. Smith became a good enough hitter that in 1987 he was awarded the Silver Slugger. It is also worth noting that he didn’t Strikeout much as he would twice finish atop the National League leader board in AB per SO, was the runner up three times and finished in the top five another seven times as a Cardinal.
4. Bob Gibson
We don’t think there is much of a stretch to say that Bob Gibson is the greatest St. Louis Cardinals Pitcher of all time.
How can he not be?
2. Albert Pujols
This was a little difficult for us.
While Albert Pujols was a certified offensive juggernaut throughout the first decade of the 2000s, we are talking about a baseball organization that has had Stan Musial, Rogers Hornsby, and Bob Gibson, so ranking Pujols #2 means that we are taking a bit of a risk.
1. Stan Musial
When you talk about the greatest hitter in history Stan “The Man” Musial is often discussed, and why wouldn’t he be? Musial played his entire career with the St. Louis Cardinals where he smacked 3,630 Hits (amazingly with an even amount Home and Away), which is still enough for fourth all-time and is the most for any single team. Musial was incredibly consistent for years and he was a six-time National League Hits leader with three second-place finishes and two third-place finishes and with that kind of production you can imagine there would be multiple Batting Titles. That was in fact the case as he won that accolade in 1943, 1946, 1948, 1950, 1951, 1952 & 1957 and it took until his 18th season to see him bat under .300.
Mort Cooper, Jason Isringhausen and Scott Rolen named to the St. Louis Cardinals HOF
We here at Notinhalloffame.com have been (slowly) working on the Top 50 of every major franchise in the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB. As such it is significant news to us that the St. Louis Cardinals have announced their franchise Hall of Fame Class of 2019.
The new inductees are:
Jason Isringhausen: Isringhausen joined St. Louis in 2001 after being named an All-Star in Oakland. He would remain a closer with the Redbirds and in 2004 would lead the National League in Saves in 2004. The following year he would be named to his second All-Star Game (his second as a Cardinal) and he played there until the end of the 2008 season.
Scott Rolen: The Third Baseman was a four-time All-Star as a St. Louis Cardinal where he was a three-time Gold Glove recipient. Rolen was an integral part of the Cardinals’ 2006 World Series Championship and the fringe Baseball Hall of Famer had 111 Home Runs with a Slash Line of .286/.370/.510 as a Cardinal.
Mort Cooper: Cooper was chosen by the special Red Ribbon Committee and he was with the Cardinals from 1938 to 1945 where he was a two-time All Star and led the National League in Wins in both of those campaigns. Cooper also won the ERA Title in 1942 and was named the league MVP. He helped St. Louis win the 1942 and 1944 World Series.
The other nominees in the fan ballot included Keith Hernandez, Matt Morris, Edgar Renteria and John Tudor.
The St. Louis Cardinals began their Hall of Fame in 2014 and it has quickly become one of the most important franchise halls in the “Big 4” sports.
The induction will take place on August 24.
We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the latest members of the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Class of 2019.
The St. Louis Cardinals announce their Finalists for their HOF
The St. Louis Cardinals have announced that their franchise Hall of Fame will have six nominees that can be voted on by the public beginning on March 1, which will commence on April 12. You can vote for those candidates here and they are:
Keith Hernandez 1974-83: The co-MVP in 1979, Keith Hernandez would win the National League Batting Title that year and was the top finished in On Base Percentage the season after. Hernandez was a six time Gold Glove winner with St. Louis and he batted .299 with 1,217 Hits and 81 Home Runs for the team. He would help them win the World Series in 1982.
Jason Isringhausen 2002-08: Isringhausen is the all-time franchise leader (217) in Saves for the St. Louis Cardinals and he was the league leader in that category in 2004. He would represent St. Louis in the 2005 All Star Game.
Matt Morris 1997-2005: Morris would lead the NL in Wins with 22 in 2001where he was an All Star and second runner-up for the Cy Young. He would be named an All Star again in 2002 and he had a record of 101-62 for the Cards.
Edgar Renteria 1999-2004: A three time All Star with the Cardinals, Edgar Renteria also was chosen for three Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers while he played there. He would bat .290 with 973 Hits with 71 Home Runs and 148 Stolen Bases.
Scott Rolen 2002-07: Rolen would help the Redbirds win the 2006 World Series and he was a four time All Star and three time Gold Glove winner for the team. Rolen finished fourth in National League MVP voting in 2004 and he collected 678 Hits with 111 Home Runs and a .286 Batting Average.
John Tudor 1985-88: Tudor had a stellar 62-26 record with the Cardinals with a 2.52 ERA and 1.080 WHIP. In 1985, his first season with St. Louis he was the runner-up for the Cy Young and would lead the NL in WHIP.
The announcement of the two winners will be made on April 26 and they will be joined from a player chosen from the Veterans Committee. The induction of the new class will take place on August 24.
The St. Louis Cardinals officially induct their 2018 HOF Class
As most of the regular visitors to Notinhalloffame.com are aware we are (very) slowly putting together our top 50 players of every franchise in the “Big 4” of North American sports. After that is completed we will take a look at how each organization honors their past players and executives.
As such, it is important to us that yesterday the St. Louis Cardinals officially inducted Ray Lankford, Vince Coleman and Harry Brecheen to their Hall of Fame.
Lankford debuted in the Majors for the Cardinals in 1990 and in his first full season he would finish third in Rookie of the Year voting while leading the NL in Triples. The Centerfielder would have three 30 Stolen Base seasons and was an All Star in 1997 where he would have career highs in the Slash Line (.295/.411/.585) while finishing 16th in MVP voting. Lankford also put up decent power numbers with six 20 Home Run seasons. He would be traded to the Padres in the 2001 season but would return to finish his career in St. Louis for one final campaign in 2004. In his overall career with the Cardinals Ray Lankford had 1,479 Hits with 228 Home Runs and 250 Stolen Bases.
Vince Coleman played his first six seasons in baseball with the St. Louis Cardinals where he proved to he the best base stealer in the National League. In all six of his seasons he would finish first in the NL in Stolen Bases, the first three of which would see him exceed 100 swipes. Named the Rookie of the Year in 1985, he was also an All Star twice in 1988 and 1989. Coleman had 937 Hits and 549 Stolen Bases for St. Louis.
Harry Brecheen will be inducted posthumously. The southpaw played for the Cardinals from 1943 to 1952 and was a six time 15 Game winner. Brecheen was a two time All Star (1947 & 1948) was the National League Leader in ERA, FIP, WHIP, SO/9 and SO/BB in the 1948 season where he finished fifth in MVP voting. His son in the represented him in the ceremony.
We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the latest members of the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame.
The St. Louis Cardinals announce their Hall of Fame Class of 2018
The St. Louis Cardinals have announced the three new members who have been chosen to be their Hall of Fame Class of 2018. Two former Cardinals were chosen via an online vote (Vince Coleman and Ray Lankford) and one former player (Harry Breechen) via the team’s “Red Ribbon Committee”, which is comprised of baseball writers, historians, officials and Hall of Famers.
Vince Coleman patrolled Leftfield for St. Louis in the first six seasons of his MLB career (1985-90). Coleman was the best base stealer in the National League during that time frame leading the league thefts every single season as a Redbird. Named the Rookie of the Year in 1985, Coleman was a two time All Star (1988 & 1989).
Ray Lankford played 13 of his 15 seasons for St. Louis. An All Star in 1997, Lankford had 238 Home Runs with 258 Stolen Bases with a 37.7 bWAR over his Cardinals tenure.
Coleman and Lankford beat out Scott Rolen, Lee Smith, John Tudor, Keith Hernandez and Jason Isringhausen.
Harry Beechen pitched for the Cardinals in 1940 and from 1943 to 1952. Fro, ’44 to ’49 Beechen would record 14 Wins and he was an All Star in both 1947 and 1948. His ’48 campaign saw him win 20 Games and the ERA, FIP, WHIP and SO/BB title with a fifth place finish in MVP voting. Beechen also helped St. Louis win two World Series (1944 & 1946) and his overall record with the Cardinals was 128 and 79 with a 39.9 bWAR.
The class will be officially inducted on August 18.
We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the new St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Class.
The St. Louis Cardinals Announce their 2017 HOF Class
Today they added to it as three former St. Louis Cardinals, Mark McGwire, Pepper Martin and Tim McCarver have been chosen.
Traded from the Oakland Athletics midway through 1997, Mark McGwire brought an even bigger bat to the Midwest. In 1998, McGwire would set the new single season Home Run Record with 70, and followed it up with 65 the year after. In his four and a half seasons with St. Louis, he tallied 220 Home Runs with a 1.111 OPS.
Achieving more fame as a broadcaster, Tim McCarver was a Cardinal for twelve seasons. An All Star twice, McCarver helped St. Louis win the World Series in 1964 an d 1967 and would accumulate 1,029 Hits over his career with the Red Birds.
Like McCarver, Pepper Martin also helped St. Louis win two World Series Championships (1931 & 1934). A member of the famed “Gashouse Gang”, Martin was an All Star four times and led the National League in Stolen Bases three times.
We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the newest members of the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame.
The St. Louis Cardinals announce the 2017 Finalists for their HOF
Regular visitors to Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly (or glacier like) working on our top 50 players for each major North American Franchise. After that is done, our intention is to look at how each one of those teams honor their past players and executives.
As such, it is news to us that the St. Louis Cardinals have announced seven finalists for their franchise Hall of Fame Class of 2017.
To become eligible for the Cardinals HOF, a player must have at least played for the team for three seasons and have been retired for three years.
Here are this year’s nominees:
Steve Carlton, Pitcher.
Carlton is far better known for winning the Cy Young Award four times with the Philadelphia Phillies it was in St. Louis where “Lefty” first became a star. Carlton rose to prominence in 1967, joining a rotation that would take the Cards to back-to-back World Series appearances in ’67 and ’68. As a Cardinal, Carlton would post a 77 and 62 record with a 3.10 ERA and 951 Strikeouts. The Hall of Fame Pitcher would be traded from St. Louis following a salary dispute, which was a deal that did not exactly fall in the Cardinals favor.
Keith Hernandez, First Base.
Hernandez would with the National League co-MVP in 1979 in a season where he also won the NL Batting Title. Hernandez was thought of us as the best defensive First Baseman in his era and overall would have 1,217 Hits with a Slash Line of .299/.385/.448 over 1,165 games as a Cardinal. Hernandez would be traded to the New York Mets in 1983 after falling out of favor with St. Louis Manager, Whitey Herzog. Still, Hernandez did help the Cards win the 1982 World Series.
Jason Isringhausen, Pitcher.
The Cardinals closer from 2002 to 2008, Isringhausen recorded 217 Saves with a 2.98 ERA. The Cards closer was an All Star in 2005 and led the NL in Saves in 2004. He would help St. Louis win the World Series in 2006.
Tim McCarver, Catcher.
Playing 1,181 Games for St. Louis, the Catcher turned broadcaster was a two time All Star for the Cardinals. McCarver would finish 2nd in MVP voting in 1967, the same season he helped St. Louis win the World Series. He would smack 1,029 Hits as a Cardinal.
Mark McGwire, First Base.
McGwire famously chased (and took) the single season home run record as a Cardinal. He was only with the Cardinals for four and a half seasons but he belted 220 Home Runs with a .420 On Base Percentage while he played there. He was also named to three All Star Games, earned a Silver Slugger and had two top five finishes in National League MVP voting while he was a Cardinal.
Edgar Renteria, Shortstop.
A member of the St. Louis Cardinals from 1999 to 2004, Renteria was skilled with his bat (973 Hits with a .290 Batting Average) and with his glove (two Gold Gloves). The fleet footed infielder would also swipe 148 bases and earn two Silver Sluggers in St. Louis.
Scott Rolen, Third Base.
Rolen was traded to the Cardinals during the 200 season and from 2003 to 2006 was named a National League All Star. Rolen dominated third base, winning three Gold Gloves and also producing good power numbers, belting 111 Home Runs as a Cardinal. He would help St. Louis win the 2006 World Series.
Voting is available online at cardinals.com/HOF. The top two vote getters (voting concludes on April, 14) will be officially inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame this August.
We would like to congratulate the St. Louis Cardinals who in a short time has made their franchise’s Hall of Fame one of the most respected in team sports.
Other teams, take note!
The St.Louis Cardinals HOF Announces Their 2016 Class
For many, the headliner is one of the two men voted in by the fans, Chris Carpenter. Arriving in St. Louis following a release from the Toronto Blue Jays, Carpenter would finally live up to his potential, recovering from elbow issues and would become a fixture in the Cardinals rotation. The following year, Carpenter would have his best individual season winning the Cy Young Award going 21 and 5 with 213 Strikeouts. The year after, Carpenter would finish third in Cy Young Voting and would ace the Cardinals to a World Series Championship.
The injury bug would strike again and his problem elbow would force the Pitcher to miss almost all of 2007 and 2008 but he would be back in ’09, finishing second in Cy Young voting and winning the ERA title. Appropriately, Carpenter would win the National League Comeback Player of the Year Award. Two years later, Carpenter would assist St. Louis in winning the World Series in 2011.
Overall as a St. Louis Cardinal, Chris Carpenter was a three time All Star with a 95 - 44 Record with 1,085 Strikeouts and an ERA of 3.07.
The second fan inductee is Joe Torre, who entered the Baseball Hall of Fame for his managerial prowess two years ago.
As a St. Louis Cardinal, Joe Torre was the team’s Catcher for six seasons and was named an All Star four times. He was named the National League MVP in 1971 in a season where he led the league in Hits, Runs Batted In and Batting Average. Overall as a Cardinal, Torre had 1,062 Hits, 98 Home Runs and a Slash Line of .308/.382/.458.
Carpenter and Torre won in the fan vote over Keith Hernandez, Jason Isringhausen, Mark McGwire, Matt Morris, Edgar Renteria and Scott Rolen.
As selected by a special committee, Terry Moore and Sam Breadon were also chosen for the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame.
Moore was a Cardinal for his entire MLB career earning All Star honors four times. He was a member of two World Series Championship Teams, and had 1,318 Hits over his career.
Breadon was the President and Majority Owner of the Cardinals from 1920 to 1947 and during his tenure St. Louis won the World Series six times and the National League Pennant nine times.
We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the latest Cardinals Hall of Fame Class.
25. Ken Boyer
The position of third base holds the least amount Hall of Famers in Baseball. There however have been many great ballplayers at the “Hot Corner” and some even won the MVP award. Ken Boyer was one such man as he won that coveted trophy in 1964.