The 49 Greatest St. Louis Cardinals Players of All Time

Gashouse Gang grit, Gold Glove defense and modern MVP seasons share one roster here, alongside a few October heroes who earned their place in a single week.

1. 1
   Rogers Hornsby

   Hit .424 in 1924 and won Triple Crowns in 1922 and 1925 as a Cardinal, then managed the club to the 1926 championship.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Stan Musial

   Spent his entire 22-season career (1941–1963) with the Cardinals, winning three NL MVP awards and seven batting titles.
   858pts
3. 3
   Jack Clark

   Slugger who hit the pennant-clinching three-run homer off Tom Niedenfuer in Game 6 of the 1985 NLCS.
   831pts
4. 4
   Bob Forsch

   Right-hander who threw no-hitters in 1978 and 1983 and won 163 games for St. Louis.
   744pts
5. 5
   Jesse Haines

   Knuckleballer who won 210 games over 18 seasons with St. Louis (1920–1937) and was the winning pitcher in Game 7 of the 1926 World Series.
   674pts
6. 6
   Paul Goldschmidt

   First baseman who won the 2022 NL MVP award in his fourth season with St. Louis.
   674pts
7. 7
   Willie McGee

   Center fielder who won the 1985 NL MVP award and NL batting titles in 1985 and 1990.
   651pts
8. 8
   Yadier Molina

   Catcher who spent his entire career (2004–2022) with St. Louis, winning nine Gold Gloves and two World Series.
   588pts
9. 9
   Joe Medwick

   Won the 1937 NL Triple Crown and MVP award, the last National Leaguer to win a batting Triple Crown.
   588pts
10. 10
    Bob Gibson

    Posted a 1.12 ERA in 1968 and was named World Series MVP in 1964 and 1967 during a 17-season Cardinals career.
    588pts
11. 11
    Tim McCarver

    Catcher who batted .478 in the 1964 World Series and hit the 10th-inning home run that won Game 5.
    588pts
12. 12
    Dizzy Dean

    Won 30 games and the NL MVP award in 1934, the last National League pitcher to reach 30 wins in a season.
    588pts
13. 13
    Jim Bottomley

    First baseman who drove in a record 12 runs in one game in 1924 and won the 1928 NL MVP award.
    538pts
14. 14
    Ted Simmons

    Switch-hitting catcher who made six All-Star teams with St. Louis between 1968 and 1980.
    538pts
15. 15
    Jesse Burkett

    Hall of Fame outfielder who won the 1901 NL batting title while playing for St. Louis.
    538pts
16. 16
    Bruce Sutter

    Split-finger closer who saved 45 games in 1984 and recorded the final out of the 1982 World Series.
    538pts
17. 17
    Marty Marion

    Shortstop who won the 1944 NL MVP award and played on four Cardinals pennant winners in the 1940s.
    538pts
18. 18
    Pepper Martin

    Gashouse Gang third baseman and outfielder who batted .500 in the 1931 World Series.
    538pts
19. 19
    Matt Holliday

    Left fielder acquired in 2009 who played eight seasons in St. Louis and won the 2011 World Series.
    538pts
20. 20
    Keith Hernandez

    First baseman who shared the 1979 NL MVP award with Willie Stargell and won the 1982 World Series with St. Louis.
    481pts
21. 21
    Scott Rolen

    Third baseman on the 2006 World Series champions who was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2023.
    481pts
22. 22
    Frankie Frisch

    Second baseman acquired in the 1926 Hornsby trade who won the 1931 NL MVP and managed the 1934 "Gashouse Gang" champions.
    481pts
23. 23
    Jason Isringhausen

    Closer who holds the Cardinals' franchise record with 217 saves, set between 2002 and 2008.
    417pts
24. 24
    Enos Slaughter

    Scored the winning run of Game 7 of the 1946 World Series with his "Mad Dash" from first base.
    417pts
25. 25
    Curt Flood

    Center fielder who won seven straight Gold Gloves (1963–1969) and challenged baseball's reserve clause after St. Louis traded him in 1969.
    417pts
26. 26
    Johnny Mize

    First baseman who won the 1939 NL batting title and led the league in home runs in 1939 and 1940 for St. Louis.
    417pts
27. 27
    Todd Worrell

    Reliever who won the 1986 NL Rookie of the Year award after saving 36 games.
    417pts
28. 28
    Steve Carlton

    Left-hander who struck out 19 Mets in a 1969 game and won 20 games for St. Louis in 1971 before his trade to Philadelphia.
    344pts
29. 29
    Chris Carpenter

    Won the 2005 NL Cy Young Award and beat Roy Halladay 1–0 in Game 5 of the 2011 NLDS.
    344pts
30. 30
    Ken Boyer

    Third baseman who won the 1964 NL MVP and hit a grand slam in Game 4 of that year's World Series.
    344pts
31. 31
    David Freese

    Third baseman named MVP of both the 2011 NLCS and World Series after his game-tying triple and walk-off homer in Game 6.
    344pts
32. 32
    Terry Moore

    Center fielder who served as team captain and played on the 1942 and 1946 World Series champions.
    344pts
33. 33
    John Tudor

    Left-hander who went 21–8 with 10 shutouts and a 1.93 ERA for the 1985 pennant winners.
    344pts
34. 34
    Mort Cooper

    Pitcher who won the 1942 NL MVP award after going 22–7 with a 1.78 ERA.
    344pts
35. 35
    Joaquín Andújar

    Right-hander who won Games 3 and 7 of the 1982 World Series and won 20 or more games in 1984 and 1985.
    344pts
36. 36
    Ozzie Smith

    Shortstop who won 11 of his 13 consecutive Gold Gloves with St. Louis after a 1982 trade from San Diego.
    344pts
37. 37
    Mark McGwire

    Hit 70 home runs in 1998, then the single-season record, after joining St. Louis in a 1997 trade.
    344pts
38. 38
    Adam Wainwright

    Pitcher who won 200 games over a career spent entirely with St. Louis (2005–2023) and got the final out of the 2006 World Series.
    344pts
39. 39
    Grover Cleveland Alexander

    Veteran pitcher who struck out Tony Lazzeri with the bases loaded in Game 7 of the 1926 World Series.
    344pts
40. 40
    Howie Pollet

    Left-hander who led the NL with 21 wins and a 2.10 ERA in 1946.
    259pts
41. 41
    Lou Brock

    Acquired from the Cubs in 1964, he stole a then-record 118 bases in 1974 and collected his 3,000th hit as a Cardinal in 1979.
    259pts
42. 42
    Orlando Cepeda

    First baseman who was the unanimous 1967 NL MVP in his first full season with St. Louis.
    259pts
43. 43
    Lee Smith

    Closer who led the NL in saves in 1991 and 1992 while pitching for St. Louis.
    259pts
44. 44
    Matt Carpenter

    Infielder who led the NL in hits, runs and doubles in 2013 and made three All-Star teams with St. Louis.
    259pts
45. 45
    Joe Torre

    Won the 1971 NL MVP award and batting title (.363) as the Cardinals' third baseman.
    160pts
46. 46
    Nolan Arenado

    Third baseman acquired from Colorado in 2021 who finished third in the 2022 NL MVP voting.
    160pts
47. 47
    Jim Edmonds

    Center fielder who won six Gold Gloves with St. Louis and hit a 12th-inning walk-off homer in Game 6 of the 2004 NLCS.
    160pts
48. 48
    Albert Pujols

    Won three NL MVP awards (2005, 2008, 2009) and two World Series with St. Louis, and returned in 2022 to reach 700 career home runs.
    160pts
49. 49
    Red Schoendienst

    Hall of Fame second baseman who later managed the Cardinals to the 1967 World Series title.
    0pts

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