St. Louis Cardinals Top Ten: All about Albert
By Tab Bamford
No other National League franchise can claim as many World Series titles as the St. Louis Cardinals. In operation since 1882, the Cardinals not only stand as one of MLB’s oldest franchise but can also claim a notable Latino first. A Cardinals catcher for eight of his 17 big league seasons, Miguel Angel “Mike” González was one of the first Cubans to enjoy a long MLB career. More significantly, González became the first Latino to manage in MLB, filling in as St. Louis manager during the 1938 and 1940 seasons when the Cardinals regular manager served suspensions.
Yet, while González made history from the dugout, Latinos making an impact on the Cardinals squad on the field took a long while. Indeed, the first Latino superstar to put on the uniform that featured two birds on a bat was Orlando Cepeda, acquired in a 1966 trade. That was still the days of pioneering integration. The real influx of Latino talent into the Cardinals organization would come later. Sure St. Louis fans in the 1980s got to cheer Dominican Joaquin Andujar as an ace pitcher who helped propel the Cards to the 1982 World Series title. But the Latino imprint on the Cardinals really became evident in the 2000s, with the ascent of “the Machine” Albert Pujols and the youngest of the three Molina brothers, Yadier.
A reminder of how we determined the list. We focused strictly on the time these players spent with the team, not their overall career. To make things simple, we used WAR (as calculated by Baseball-Reference.com) as our metric of choice. And while this is one measure of the impact of these players, you might have your own opinion as to who deserves to higher (or lower) on that team’s Top 10.
So let’s see where your guys landed on the Cardinals’ Latino Top 10.
St. Louis Cardinals
1. Albert Pujols
11 years with St. Louis, 86.6 WAR, 9-time All-Star, 3-time MVP, 2001 NL Rookie of the Year
Dominican Republic
Albert’s time in St. Louis was legendary. The WAR he put up as a member of the Cardinals would rank in the top-50 all-time; George Brett’s career WAR was 88.7 for perspective. He saw a little time at third base and in the outfield while the Cardinals patiently waited for first base to open up for him, but wherever they put him in the field or the batting order he produced. He ranks third in Cardinals history in WAR behind only Stan Musial and Rogers Hornsby.
2. Yadier Molina
15+ years with St. Louis, 37.1 WAR, 8-time All-Star, eight Gold Gloves
Puerto Rico
One of the finest defensive catchers to ever put on the gear, the best of the Molina brothers ranks 23rd all-time in defensive WAR among position players (23.9). Only two catchers have won more Gold Glove Awards than Yadi’s eight: Pudge Rodriguez (13) and Johnny Bench (10). He isn’t done winning awards, though.
3. Édgar Rentería
6 years with St. Louis, 16.6 WAR, 3-time All-Star, two Gold Gloves
Colombia
Renteria arrived in St. Louis as a 22-year-old World Series hero and stolen base threat in 1999 and developed into a run producer for the Cardinals. In 903 games with the Cardinals, Renteria stole 148 bases and drove in 451 runs – including 100 in 2003.
4. José Oquendo
10 years with St. Louis, 14.9 WAR
Puerto Rico
Maybe the Mets felt they owed the Cardinals something from the Hernandez trade so they sent Oquendo to St. Louis in April of 1985. Over the next decade was a reliable player at a number of positions for the Cardinals. He now back on the Cardinals coaching staff.
5. Julián Javier
12 years with St. Louis, 14.0 WAR, 2-time All-Star
Dominican Republic
Javier was the second baseman in St. Louis from 1960-71 and was a big part of the Cardinals’ World Series championship in 1967. He hit .360 in that seven-game series after finishing ninth in MVP voting that season.
6. Joaquín Andújar
5 years with St. Louis, 12.9 WAR, 2-time All-Star, one Gold Glove
Dominican Republic
The first pitcher to make the list, Andújar was acquired from Houston in 1981 and became a centerpiece of the Cardinals’ rotation for the next four years. He won 20 games and made the All-Star Game in 1984 and then upped his game with 21 wins and another All-Star appearance the following season. Andújar completed 37 games he started with the Cardinals.
7. Carlos Martínez
5+ seasons with St. Louis, 12.1 WAR, 2-time All-Star
Dominican Republic
The second active member of the Cardinals to make the list, Martinez won’t turn 27 until September. He was an All-Star in 2015 and 2017 but his best season came between those seasons; he went 16-9 with 174 strikeouts leading the Cardinals to the NLCS in 2016.
8. Orlando Cepeda
3 years with St. Louis, 11.0 WAR, 1967 NL MVP, one All-Star Game
Puerto Rico
The Baby Bull was traded to St. Louis for Ray Sadecki in May of 1966 and immediately made an impact on the Cardinals. He won the MVP the following season when he led the National League with 111 runs batted in. The Hall of Famer drove in 242 runs in only 431 games in St. Louis before he was traded for another all-time Cardinals great, Joe Torre, in 1969.
9. Jaime García
8 years with St. Louis, 9.2 WAR
Mexico
Garcia threw eight good years in St. Louis before he became one of the favorite trade names last year; the Cardinals traded him to Atlanta in December, the Braves traded him to Minnesota on June 24 and the Twins then traded him to the Yankees on July 30. Garcia won 26 games in his first two years in the big leagues with the Cardinals (2010-11).
10. Plácido Polanco
5 years with St. Louis, 6.5 WAR
Dominican Republic
A product of the Cardinals farm system, Polanco batted .296 in his first five big league seasons with St. Louis. The Dominican native was a key piece to a five-player trade with Philadelphia in 2002 that brought Scott Rolen to St. Louis. Polanco also appeared in the top ten Detroit Tigers.
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Featured Image: The Sporting News