Top 10 Best St. Louis Cardinals Players of All Time

The St. Louis Cardinals are one of the most historically great franchises in Major League Baseball. Since their first season in 1882, the Cardinals have appeared in the World Series on 19 occasions and won it all 11 times. In order to win those titles, great players are required, and the Cardinals have had plenty of them. Keep reading to learn about the greatest Cardinals players in greater detail.

Who Are the Best St. Louis Cardinals Baseball Players of All Time?

1. Stan Musial
2. Bob Gibson
3. Albert Pujols
4. Lou Brock
5. Ozzie Smith
6. Adam Wainwright
7. Rogers Hornsby
8. Ken Boyer
9. Yadier Molina
10. Enos Slaughter

1. Stan Musial

• Three-Time World Series Champion
• 24-Time All-Star
• Three-Time NL MVP
• Seven-Time NL Batting Champion
• Most Hits in Cardinals History (3,630)
• Most Runs Scored in Cardinals History (1,949)
• Most Home Runs in Cardinals History (475)
• St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Inductee

While there have been plenty of talented players over the years for the Cardinals, Stan Musial stands out amongst them all as the greatest ever. Musial played all 22 of his MLB seasons in St. Louis from 1941 to 1963. One of the greatest players in baseball history, “Stan the Man” is the Cardinals’ all-time leader in several offensive categories. Those categories include hits (3,630), home runs (475), doubles (725), triples (177), and RBIs (1,951).

Additionally, Musial earned three National League MVP awards (1943, 1946, and 1948), made the All-Star team 20 times (1943, 1944, 1946-1963), and won seven batting titles (1943, 1946, 1948, 1950 to 1952, and 1957). Six years after his 1963 retirement, Musial was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, in 1969. Clearly, Musial was an incredibly talented baseball player, and he deserved all of the recognition that came his way. Along with his baseball career, like a lot of the other great baseball players of his generation, Musial served in the military during World War II.

2. Bob Gibson

• Two-Time World Series Champion
• Nine-Time All-Star
• 1969 NL MVP
• Nine-Time Gold Glove Award Winner
• Most Strikeouts in Cardinals History (3,117)
• Most Wins in Cardinals History (251)
• Most Innings Pitched in Cardinals History (3,884 ⅓)
• St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Inductee

While Stan Musial is clearly the greatest player in Cardinals’ history, when it comes to pitchers, no one quite compares to Bob Gibson. Gibson played his entire career for the Cardinals from 1959 to 1975. Just as Musial was the Cardinals’ leader in several offensive categories, Gibson is above all other Cardinals pitchers on lots of pitching leaderboards. That includes strikeouts (3,117), wins (251), innings pitched (3,884 ⅓), pitchers WAR (81.7), games started (482), and complete games (255).

Throughout his career, Gibson won two Cy Young Awards (1968 and 1970), two World Series MVPs (1964 and 1967), and was the National League's MVP in 1968. Over the course of his 17 big league seasons, Gibson made the All-Star team nine times. A 1981 Hall of Fame inductee, Gibson is perhaps most famous for his 1968 MVP season, during which he was so dominant that it led to MLB changing some of its rules to make offense a little easier to come by.

3. Albert Pujols

• Two-Time World Series Champion
• Three-Time MVP
• 11-Time All-Star
• Two-Time Gold Glove Winner

Recently retired following the 2022 season, Albert Pujols is one of the greatest hitters of his generation and one of the best Cardinals of all time. Pujols began his career in St. Louis, and he played there from 2001 to 2011. After over a decade away, Pujols came back to the Cardinals for his final season in 2022, hitting his 700th career home run with them.

In terms of Cardinals rankings, he ranks second in RBIs with 1,397, second in home runs with 469, second in doubles with 469, third in runs scored with 1,333, and fourth in hits with 2,156. As for his awards won in St. Pujols won three MVP awards (2005, 2008, and 2009), made the All-Star team in ten of his 12 Cardinal seasons and led the team to two World Series titles in 2006 and 2011. Surely, once he is eligible, Pujols is on his way to Cooperstown for the Hall of Fame as well.

4. Lou Brock

• Most Stolen Bases in Cardinals History (888)
• Two-Time World Series Champion
• Six-Time All-Star

One of the fastest players to ever wear a Cardinal uniform, Lou Brock is a St. Louis great in his own right. After starting his career with the rivals Chicago Cubs, Brock played his final 16 seasons with the Cardinals from 1964 to 1979. In the Cardinal ranks, Brock is the franchise’s all-time leader in stolen bases (888), ranks second in hits with 2,713, second in runs scored with 1,427, fourth in triples with 121, and third in total bases with 3,776.

As for the awards and honors that he won, Brock was a six-time All-Star with the Cardinals (1967, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, and 1979), won two World Series titles (1964 and 1967), and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985. Always coming up clutch in the postseason, Brock was a career .391 hitter in the playoffs, hitting four home runs and driving in 13 runs.

5. Ozzie Smith

• MLB Hall of Famer
• 15-Time All-Star
• 1982 World Series Champion
• 13-Time Gold Glove Winner

Arguably the greatest defensive player in baseball history, “The Wizard” Ozzie Smith rounds out the first half of this list. After beginning his career across the country in San Diego with the Padres, Smith spent his final 15 seasons in St. Louis from 1982 to 1996.

Unsurprisingly, Smith ranks first in Defensive WAR with 35.2; he also was an offensive threat, registering the third most steals (433), the eighth most hits (1,944), seventh most runs scored (991), the fourth highest overall WAR (65.9) and the third most walks (876) in Cardinal history. Recognized for his great defense, Smith won 12 Gold Gloves as a Cardinal and was selected to 14 All-Star teams in his 15 seasons. He had his number retired by St. Louis upon his retirement in 1996, and six years later, in 2002, he was selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, a place he rightfully belongs.

6. Adam Wainwright

• 2006 World Series Champion
• Three-Time All-Star
• Two-Time Gold Glove Winner

The only other pitcher to crack this top ten list along with Bob Gibson, Adam Wainwright is also the only active player to make this list. Wainwright first came up with the Cardinals as a rookie in 2005, and he has been with the organization ever since. On the pitching ranks leaderboards, Wainwright is second in strikeouts with 2,147, second in pitcher WAR with 42.4, third in wins with 195, third in games started with 390, and fourth in innings pitched with 2,567 ⅓.

Throughout his career, Wainwright has made three All-Star teams, won two Gold Glove Awards, and was a part of the 2006 and 2011 World Series winning teams alongside his good friend Albert Pujols. The 2023 season could be Wainwright’s last, but he certainly has had a legendary career in St. Louis to this point. Like Pujols, he is likely bound for Cooperstown someday.

7. Rogers Hornsby

• MLB Hall of Famer
• Two-Time MVP
• One-Time World Series Champion

The oldest player on this list, Rogers Hornsby was a legend during his time in the 1920s. Hornsby played the first 12 years of his 23-year career with the Cardinals from 1915 to 1926, as well as one final season with them in 1933. On the all-time lists, Hornsby is fifth in hits (2,110), sixth in doubles (367), second in triples (143), second in WAR (91.8), and fourth in total bases (3,342).

With the Cardinals, Hornsby won six batting titles (1920 to 1925), two National League Triple Crowns (1922 and 1925), and won the 1925 NL MVP. The Triple Crown is when a player leads the league in home runs, RBIs, and batting average. There was not an All-Star game during Hornsby’s time, or he surely would have made plenty of them. Like many of his fellow list members, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame following his playing days, earning the honor in 1942.

8. Ken Boyer

• 1964 World Series Champion
• 11-Time All-Star
• 1964 NL MVP and RBI Leader
• Five-Time Gold Glove Award Winner
• St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Inductee

Another player who started his career with the Cardinals before heading elsewhere, Ken Boyer was a terrific third baseman and center fielder for the team. Boyer came up with St. Louis in 1955, and he spent eleven seasons there before heading to the New York Mets following the 1965 season. During those eleven seasons, Boyer made the All-Star team seven times (1956, 1958 to 1964), won five Gold Glove awards (1958 to 1961, 1963), and won the 1964 NL MVP.

On the Cardinals’ all-time lists, Boyer is eighth for runs scored (988), ninth in hits (1,855), third in home runs (255), fifth in WAR (58.1), and seventh in total bases (3,011). While his peak was Hall of Fame worthy, Boyer did not quite have the long-lasting success that some others listed here did, so he is not in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. He did, however, have his number 14 retired by the organization.

9. Yadier Molina

• Two-Time World Series Champion
• 10-Time All-Star
• Nine-Time Gold Glove Award Winner
• 2013 Silver Slugger Award Winner
• 2018 Roberto Clemente Award Winner

The third of three Cardinal greats from this most recent era, Yadier Molina also retired alongside his friend Albert Pujols following the 2022 season. Moline spent 19 seasons in the MLB, all with the Cardinals from 2004 to 2022. Arguably the greatest defensive catcher of all time, Molina won nine Gold Glove awards (2008 to 2015, 2018), made ten All-Star teams (2009 to 2015, 2017, 2018, 2021), and was a two-time World Series winner alongside Wainwright and Pujols in 2006 and 2011.

He ranks third on the Cardinals’ all-time hits list with 2,168, fourth on the doubles’ list (408), sixth on the RBI list (1,022), ninth on the home runs list (176), second in defensive WAR (28), and sixth in total bases (1,022). Like his fellow 21st-century legends on this list, Molina will surely have a plaque in Cooperstown alongside many of the other older legends on this list once his time comes.

10. Enos Slaughter

• Four-Time World Series Champion
• 10-Time All-Star
• 1946 NL RBI leader
• St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Inductee

The final player to make this Cardinals’ top ten list, Enos Slaughter is another one of the older St. Louis legends. Slaughter played 13 seasons with the Cardinals between 1938 and 1953, having his time with the team split up by his military service in World War II. Military service was common among baseball legends in this era, and we already saw another Cardinal legend who did so in Stan Musial.

As for his Cardinals’ all-time ranks, Slaughter has the fifth most runs (1,071), sixth most hits (2,064), third most triples (135), sixth most WAR (53), fourth most walks (838), and fifth most total bases obtained (3,138) in team history. Slaughter also was selected to ten All-Star teams (1941, 1942, 1946 to 1953) and won two World Series titles with the Club (1942 and 1946). Following his outstanding career, Slaughter was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985.

Honorable Mentions

While the ten players listed below did not quite make the top ten, they still deserve some recognition as honorable mentions. They are listed in alphabetical order by last name.

• Jim Bottomley
• Harry Brecheen
• Chris Carpenter
• Dizzy Dean
• Jim Edmonds
• Keith Hernandez
• Ray Lankford
• Joe Medwick
• Johnny Mize
• Ted Simmons

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