For eleven glorious seasons, the Cardinals got to experience one of the three greatest first basemen who ever lived.
The twenty-five greatest Cardinals of the last twenty-five years: #1–Albert Pujols
The twenty-five greatest Cardinals of the last twenty-five years: #2–Yadier Molina
The "Yadier Molina can't hit well enough to stick around in the Major Leagues" takes are now old enough to drive
The twenty-five greatest Cardinals of the last twenty-five years: #3–Jim Edmonds
Before Jim Edmonds, the Cardinals were a sideshow for Mark McGwire. Once Jim Edmonds arrived, they were a serious contender.
The twenty-five greatest Cardinals of the last twenty-five years: #4–Adam Wainwright
A look at Adam Wainwright, from postseason hero reliever to staff ace to innings-eating veteran
The twenty-five greatest Cardinals of the last twenty-five years: #5–Scott Rolen
You may not think the guy who used Limp Bizkit as his walk-up song because it repeatedly said a homophone of his name is "subtle", but Rolen was one of his generation's great quiet stars.
The twenty-five greatest Cardinals of the last twenty-five years: #6–Matt Carpenter
Matt Carpenter had one of the strangest origin stories of any superstar in franchise history
The twenty-five greatest Cardinals of the last twenty-five years: #7–Mark McGwire
You just had to be there.
The twenty-five greatest Cardinals of the last twenty-five years: #8–Chris Carpenter
For a rehab project from Toronto whose best-case scenario was decent back of the rotation starter, the Chris Carpenter experiment worked out pretty well for the Cardinals
The twenty-five greatest Cardinals of the last twenty-five years: #9–Matt Holliday
Matt Holliday was never the best player on the Cardinals, but he was a consistent number two for some of the most potent lineups in franchise history
The twenty-five greatest Cardinals of the last twenty-five years: #10–Matt Morris
A look back at Matt Morris, who was probably better than you remember.
