The 50 Greatest Players in St. Louis Cardinals History

by Robert W. Cohen

Overview

The St. Louis Cardinals are perhaps the most popular and successful franchise in National League history, having won more world championships than any other club in the league. Baseball greats such as Stan Musial, Rogers Hornsby, and Albert Pujols have all worn the Cardinals uniform. But which Cardinals are the finest in franchise history? Examining every player who has donned the Redbird uniform since 1892, Robert W. Cohen ranks the best of the best in The 50 Greatest Players in St. Louis Cardinals History.

This book carefully studies the careers of the players who made the greatest impact while playing for the St. Louis Cardinals. The ranking was determined based on such factors as the extent to which each player added to the Cardinals legacy, the degree to which he impacted the fortunes of his team, and the level of dominance he attained while wearing the Redbird uniform. Features of The 50 Greatest Players in St. Louis Cardinals History include:

• Each player’s notable achievements
• Recaps of the player’s most memorable performances
• Summaries of each player’s best season
• Quotes from opposing players and former teammates

Including players such as Bob Gibson, Ozzie Smith, Lou Brock, and Mark McGwire, this book is sure to fuel debate among Cardinals fans. A fascinating collection of bios, stats, recaps, quotes, and more, The 50 Greatest Players in St. Louis Cardinals History is a must-read not only for die-hard Cardinals fans, but for all fans of baseball.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780810892163
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	08/22/2013
Series:	50 Greatest Players
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	386
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Robert W. Cohen is the author of numerous sports books, including Baseball's Hall of Fame – Or Hall of Shame? (2009), MVP (2010), The 50 Greatest Players in New York Yankees History (Scarecrow, 2012), The 50 Most Dynamic Duos in Sports History: Baseball, Basketball, Football, and Hockey (Scarecrow, 2013), and Pro Basketball’s All-Time All-Stars (Scarecrow, 2013). Cohen currently writes for the website TheBaseballPage.com.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

The Cardinal Legacy xi

Factors Used to Determine Rankings xii

Rankings

1 Stan Musial 3

2 Rogers Hornsby 15

3 Albert Pujols 25

4 Bob Gibson 33

5 Lou Brock 43

6 Joe Medwick 51

7 Dizzy Dean 59

8 Frankie Frisch 67

9 Ozzie Smith 75

10 Jim Bottomley 81

11 Johnny Mize 87

12 Enos Slaughter 93

13 Ken Boyer 101

14 Ted Simmons 109

15 Jim Edmonds 115

16 Red Schoendienst 121

17 Chick Hafey 127

18 Keith Hernandez 135

19 Joe Torre 143

20 Jesse Haines 149

21 Mark McGwire 155

22 Curt Flood 163

23 Willie McGee 173

24 Jesse Burkett 179

25 Chris Carpenter 185

26 Mort Cooper 191

27 Harry Brecheen 197

28 Marty Marion 201

29 Bill White 207

30 Vince Coleman 213

31 Adam Wainwright 219

32 John Tudor 225

33 Ray Lankford 233

34 Pepper Martin 239

35 Scott Rolen 245

36 George Hendrick 251

37 Whitey Kurowski 257

38 Bob Forsch 263

39 Steve Carlton 269

40 Yadier Molina 277

41 Ripper Collins 283

42 Edgar Renteria 289

43 Garry Templeton 295

44 Terry Moore 303

45 Tim McCarver 309

46 Jack Clark 315

47 Orlando Cepeda 323

48 Bruce Sutter 331

49 Joaquin Andujar 337

50 Terry Pendleton 343

The All-Time Cardinals Team 349

Glossary 351

Bibliography 353

Index 355

About the Author 361

Editorial Reviews

This new book features distinguished players from the historically most prominent National League team with 11 World Series victories and 18 National League pennants. As Cohen notes, by the 1930s, "all cities west of the Mississippi and south of the Mason-Dixon Line broadcasted cardinals games over the radio," thereby "making the redbirds 'America's Team' in many ways.". . .Written in a lively, entertaining manner, this book belongs in most public and school libraries. Cohen's choice of players and his rankings will generate plenty of controversy among long-time Cardinals fans, but the book will appeal to both old and new baseball fans of all ages who admire brilliant individual player careers summarized in crisp biographical sketches and statistics. Twenty black-and-white photographs enhance the text.

American Reference Books Annual

This new book features distinguished players from the historically most prominent National League team with 11 World Series victories and 18 National League pennants. As Cohen notes, by the 1930s, "all cities west of the Mississippi and south of the Mason-Dixon Line broadcasted cardinals games over the radio," thereby "making the redbirds 'America's Team' in many ways." . . .Written in a lively, entertaining manner, this book belongs in most public and school libraries. Cohen's choice of players and his rankings will generate plenty of controversy among long-time Cardinals fans, but the book will appeal to both old and new baseball fans of all ages who admire brilliant individual player careers summarized in crisp biographical sketches and statistics. Twenty black-and-white photographs enhance the text.-- "American Reference Books Annual"

From the Publisher