The St. Louis Cardinals, one of the most storied franchises in baseball, are no strangers to the annals of dominant players. However, across their long history, an exclusive few single-season campaigns stand out above the rest. While the Cardinals are planning a “re-tool” and moving on from former National League MVP Paul Goldschmidt, it might be difficult to remember the dominant decades of times past. From members of the Gashouse Gang of the 1920s and 30s to those who electrified crowds in the early 2000s, let’s look at the players and performances that best exemplify the Cardinal way.
Top 5 Most Dominant Single Seasons In Cardinals History
5. Joe Medwick: 1937
A Class of 1968 Hall of Famer and famously hard out, Medwick spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Cardinals. He went on to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers, the New York Giants, and the Boston Braves before finishing up his career with a return to St. Louis. In 1934, only his second full season, he was named an All-Star and helped lead the Cardinals to the World Series. They won in seven games over the Detroit Tigers.
However, 1937 was his most dominant season in sheer numbers and league recognition. He captured the Triple Crown, slashing .374/.641/.414 with 31 HR and 154 RBI (a Cardinals single-season record). His 406 Total Bases are third in Cardinals history, only trailing all-time legends Stan Musial and Rogers Hornsby.
By narrowly winning the National League MVP that year over Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer Gabby Hartnett, he earned himself a cemented spot in Cardinals history.
4. Albert Pujols: 2009
While Pujols won 3 MVPs with the Cardinals in the 2000s, his 2009 campaign was far and away his most impressive. He hit a league-leading 47 home runs and, in a nationally televised game against the Cubs in April, hit his eighth career grand slam, netting him his 1,000th career RBI only nine seasons into his career.
Across the campaign, he slashed .327/.658/.443 with an 189 OPS+ and 135 RBI. His unanimous National League MVP award was only the second in Cardinals history after Orlando Cepeda’s remarkable 1967 season.
While the Cardinals would go on to get swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS that year, Pujols’ incredible season will not be forgotten any time soon.
3. Mark McGwire: 1998
Before being traded to the Cardinals in July of 1997, Big Mac had been mashing in Oakland for over a decade, hitting 30 HR in seven separate seasons. However, as many Cardinals fans will remember, the legend found a different level upon his arrival to St. Louis.
His historic performances of the late 90s found no better outlet than the 1998 season, which held his infamous race with Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa for both the title of HR champion of 1998 and exclusive holder of most home runs in a single season in MLB history. While both players smashed Roger Maris’ record of 61 (McGwire had 70 and Sosa had 66), his record was broken only three years later by San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds.
While all three of these records have received asterisks in the record books due to the players’ use of Performance Enhancing Drugs, almost no other season can rival the excitement that McGwire’s race to history brought to St. Louis in 1998.
2. Stan Musial: 1948
Stan “The Man” Musial’s 22 seasons with the Cardinals featured countless historic moments and mind-blowing stats. The single most dominant of his campaigns came in 1948. Winning his second MVP since returning from military service in WWII, Musial slashed .376/.702/.450 with 39 HR and 131 RBI. His 103 XBH still stands as the Cardinals single-season record.
While the Cardinals finished 6 games behind the Boston Braves for the NL Pennant, Musial’s numbers alone in this season render it the most dominant of his career and one of the most impressive in Cardinals history.
1. Rogers Hornsby: 1924
A seven-time batting champion and two-time HR leader, “The Rajah” was not only one of the best players in Cardinals history but also one of the best ever. Infamously ascetic and surly, Hornsby’s intensity at the plate was only matched by his speed and competitiveness on the field.
His 1924 season produced 12.1 bWAR, the most by a right-handed hitter ever. It was also the third of six 10+ bWAR seasons in his career. Over 143 games, he slashed a mind-boggling .424/.696/.507 with 25 HR and 94 RBI. His .507 OBP that season is the best in Cardinals history.
However, the Cardinals, managed by Branch Rickey in 1924, had a sub-par year. They finished 6th in the National League with a 65-89 record. As a result, Hornsby missed out on his first MVP award. While Hornsby won it the next season, Brooklyn Robins pitcher Dazzy Vance beat out Hornsby’s absurd batting statistics with 28 wins and a 2.16 ERA. Hornsby’s 1924 season tops out a list of dominant campaigns by virtue of its sheer absurdity.
Main Photo Credits: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
