# 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.

*By YPB Team · Published November 5, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-49-greatest-st-louis-cardinals-players-of-all-time*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Rogers Hornsby** — score 1000/1000
   Hit .424 in 1924 and won Triple Crowns in 1922 and 1925 as a Cardinal, then managed the club to the 1926 championship.
2. **Stan Musial** — score 858/1000
   Spent his entire 22-season career (1941–1963) with the Cardinals, winning three NL MVP awards and seven batting titles.
3. **Jack Clark** — score 831/1000
   Slugger who hit the pennant-clinching three-run homer off Tom Niedenfuer in Game 6 of the 1985 NLCS.
4. **Bob Forsch** — score 744/1000
   Right-hander who threw no-hitters in 1978 and 1983 and won 163 games for St. Louis.
5. **Jesse Haines** — score 674/1000
   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.
6. **Paul Goldschmidt** — score 674/1000
   First baseman who won the 2022 NL MVP award in his fourth season with St. Louis.
7. **Willie McGee** — score 651/1000
   Center fielder who won the 1985 NL MVP award and NL batting titles in 1985 and 1990.
8. **Yadier Molina** — score 588/1000
   Catcher who spent his entire career (2004–2022) with St. Louis, winning nine Gold Gloves and two World Series.
9. **Joe Medwick** — score 588/1000
   Won the 1937 NL Triple Crown and MVP award, the last National Leaguer to win a batting Triple Crown.
10. **Bob Gibson** — score 588/1000
   Posted a 1.12 ERA in 1968 and was named World Series MVP in 1964 and 1967 during a 17-season Cardinals career.
11. **Tim McCarver** — score 588/1000
   Catcher who batted .478 in the 1964 World Series and hit the 10th-inning home run that won Game 5.
12. **Dizzy Dean** — score 588/1000
   Won 30 games and the NL MVP award in 1934, the last National League pitcher to reach 30 wins in a season.
13. **Jim Bottomley** — score 538/1000
   First baseman who drove in a record 12 runs in one game in 1924 and won the 1928 NL MVP award.
14. **Ted Simmons** — score 538/1000
   Switch-hitting catcher who made six All-Star teams with St. Louis between 1968 and 1980.
15. **Jesse Burkett** — score 538/1000
   Hall of Fame outfielder who won the 1901 NL batting title while playing for St. Louis.
16. **Bruce Sutter** — score 538/1000
   Split-finger closer who saved 45 games in 1984 and recorded the final out of the 1982 World Series.
17. **Marty Marion** — score 538/1000
   Shortstop who won the 1944 NL MVP award and played on four Cardinals pennant winners in the 1940s.
18. **Pepper Martin** — score 538/1000
   Gashouse Gang third baseman and outfielder who batted .500 in the 1931 World Series.
19. **Matt Holliday** — score 538/1000
   Left fielder acquired in 2009 who played eight seasons in St. Louis and won the 2011 World Series.
20. **Keith Hernandez** — score 481/1000
   First baseman who shared the 1979 NL MVP award with Willie Stargell and won the 1982 World Series with St. Louis.
21. **Scott Rolen** — score 481/1000
   Third baseman on the 2006 World Series champions who was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2023.
22. **Frankie Frisch** — score 481/1000
   Second baseman acquired in the 1926 Hornsby trade who won the 1931 NL MVP and managed the 1934 "Gashouse Gang" champions.
23. **Jason Isringhausen** — score 417/1000
   Closer who holds the Cardinals' franchise record with 217 saves, set between 2002 and 2008.
24. **Enos Slaughter** — score 417/1000
   Scored the winning run of Game 7 of the 1946 World Series with his "Mad Dash" from first base.
25. **Curt Flood** — score 417/1000
   Center fielder who won seven straight Gold Gloves (1963–1969) and challenged baseball's reserve clause after St. Louis traded him in 1969.
26. **Johnny Mize** — score 417/1000
   First baseman who won the 1939 NL batting title and led the league in home runs in 1939 and 1940 for St. Louis.
27. **Todd Worrell** — score 417/1000
   Reliever who won the 1986 NL Rookie of the Year award after saving 36 games.
28. **Steve Carlton** — score 344/1000
   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.
29. **Chris Carpenter** — score 344/1000
   Won the 2005 NL Cy Young Award and beat Roy Halladay 1–0 in Game 5 of the 2011 NLDS.
30. **Ken Boyer** — score 344/1000
   Third baseman who won the 1964 NL MVP and hit a grand slam in Game 4 of that year's World Series.
31. **David Freese** — score 344/1000
   Third baseman named MVP of both the 2011 NLCS and World Series after his game-tying triple and walk-off homer in Game 6.
32. **Terry Moore** — score 344/1000
   Center fielder who served as team captain and played on the 1942 and 1946 World Series champions.
33. **John Tudor** — score 344/1000
   Left-hander who went 21–8 with 10 shutouts and a 1.93 ERA for the 1985 pennant winners.
34. **Mort Cooper** — score 344/1000
   Pitcher who won the 1942 NL MVP award after going 22–7 with a 1.78 ERA.
35. **Joaquín Andújar** — score 344/1000
   Right-hander who won Games 3 and 7 of the 1982 World Series and won 20 or more games in 1984 and 1985.
36. **Ozzie Smith** — score 344/1000
   Shortstop who won 11 of his 13 consecutive Gold Gloves with St. Louis after a 1982 trade from San Diego.
37. **Mark McGwire** — score 344/1000
   Hit 70 home runs in 1998, then the single-season record, after joining St. Louis in a 1997 trade.
38. **Adam Wainwright** — score 344/1000
   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.
39. **Grover Cleveland Alexander** — score 344/1000
   Veteran pitcher who struck out Tony Lazzeri with the bases loaded in Game 7 of the 1926 World Series.
40. **Howie Pollet** — score 259/1000
   Left-hander who led the NL with 21 wins and a 2.10 ERA in 1946.
41. **Lou Brock** — score 259/1000
   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.
42. **Orlando Cepeda** — score 259/1000
   First baseman who was the unanimous 1967 NL MVP in his first full season with St. Louis.
43. **Lee Smith** — score 259/1000
   Closer who led the NL in saves in 1991 and 1992 while pitching for St. Louis.
44. **Matt Carpenter** — score 259/1000
   Infielder who led the NL in hits, runs and doubles in 2013 and made three All-Star teams with St. Louis.
45. **Joe Torre** — score 160/1000
   Won the 1971 NL MVP award and batting title (.363) as the Cardinals' third baseman.
46. **Nolan Arenado** — score 160/1000
   Third baseman acquired from Colorado in 2021 who finished third in the 2022 NL MVP voting.
47. **Jim Edmonds** — score 160/1000
   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.
48. **Albert Pujols** — score 160/1000
   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.
49. **Red Schoendienst** — score 0/1000
   Hall of Fame second baseman who later managed the Cardinals to the 1967 World Series title.

Tags: sports, baseball, players, mlb, st louis cardinals