As Spring Training continues and we inch closer to Opening Day 2025, many look ahead to the new season. However, we are going to look at the past today. We are at the quarter mark of the 21st century. As such, we are going to take a look at the St. Louis Cardinals Quarter-Century Team.
The St. Louis Cardinals Quarter-Century Team
Team Format
Before the fun starts, we should explain how we form the team. The following is how we will do it:
- Five starting pitchers (starting rotation)
- A closer
- The remaining eight position players
- A designated hitter (does not have to have been a full-time DH)
Without further ado, let’s get started!
Pitching Rotation
Chris Carpenter (2004-2012)
Had it not been for injuries, Carpenter would have had a solid case for Cooperstown. After joining the Cardinals before the 2004 season, Carpenter would go on to win 95 games for the Cardinals, including five seasons with 15 or more wins. After 21 wins and the National League Cy Young in 20025, Carpenter won another 15 games in 2006. However, his most significant moment came in Game 3 of the 2006 World Series. Against a dangerous Detroit Tigers lineup, Carpenter threw eight shutout innings as the Cardinals cruised to a 5-0 win. A few nights later, Carpenter and the Cardinals celebrated a World Series championship.
After injuries derailed Carpenter in 2007 and 2008, Carpenter returned to form in 2009 and 2010. After a rough start to the 2011 season, Carpenter rebounded and pitched some of the best games in Cardinals history. In the final game of the regular season, Carpenter threw a two-hit shutout against the Houston Astros, which kept the Cardinals playoff hopes alive. In Game 5 of the National League Division Series, Carpenter went toe-to-toe against his former teammate and good friend, Roy Halladay. Halladay pitched eight innings of one-run ball for the Phillies. However, Carpenter was better. The right-hander went the distance in a three-hit shutout that advanced the Cardinals. Carpenter would pitch well in three World Series starts, including Game 7, where he pitched into the seventh inning and gave up just two runs. Carp would be the winning pitcher as the Cardinals claimed their 11th World Championship.
Injuries will prevent Carpenter from going to Cooperstown. Still, he will be remembered as one of the best postseason pitchers ever.
Adam Wainwright (2005-2023)
Wainwright gave Cardinal Nation exciting moments from the beginning. With the team dealing with injuries to the bullpen in 2006, Waino emerged as the team’s makeshift closer. In Game 7 of the National League Championship Series, Waino found himself in a spot no pitcher would ever want to be in. Bases loaded, and Carlos Beltran is coming to the plate. The Cardinals were clinging to a 3-1 lead, but now the rookie Wainwright had to find a way to get past Beltran. After a first-pitch strike and a foul ball, Waino was ahead 0-2. Then, we were introduced to “Uncle Charlie.” Wainwright threw one of the deadliest curve balls ever, freezing Beltran at the plate and sending the Cardinals to the World Series. Wainwright would finish the World Series by striking out Brandon Inge with the tying runs on base.
The legend of Wainwright did not end after that. Waino would become one of the league’s most dominant starters. He led the NL in wins (19) in 2009 but was snubbed from the Cy Young. However, that did not slow him down; he won 20 games the following season. Wainwright ended his career with an even 200 wins and was an All-Star three times.
Wainwright did just fine with the bat as well. Waino hit ten home runs, including one for his first hit. In 2017, Wainwright hit .262 and won a Silver Slugger.
Oh, and he can sing too. Wainwright does it all.
Lance Lynn (2011-2017, 2024)
Lynn started his career as a dominant arm out of the Cardinals bullpen in 2011. The following season, Lynn became a starter and won 18 games while being named to the All-Star team.
Lynn never had the big moments as a starter in the playoffs like Carp and Waino, but Lynn was reliable. You knew Lynn would give the team at least six productive innings each start. As a result, it made all the sense in the world when the Cardinals brought back Lynn in 2024. Lynn was as reliable as ever, posting a 3.84 ERA in 23 starts.
Jeff Suppan (2004-2006, 2010)
Suppan played only four seasons with the Cardinals, only three of which were memorable. However, it is not the quantity; it is the quality.
Suppan joined the Cardinals for the 2004 season. Suppan was part of a dominating pitching rotation in which no one had less than 15 wins. Suppan contributed 16 wins to the team’s franchise-record 105 wins. In Game 7 of the NLCS against the Houston Astros, Suppan out-dueled Roger Clemens as the Cardinals won 5-2 to advance to their first World Series since 1987. Suppan won 16 more games the following year, and the Cardinals won 100 games.
2006 Suppan posted 12 wins, but his big moments came in the playoffs. In Game 3 of the NLCS against the New York Mets, Suppan cruised on the mound and hit a home run. In Game 7 in New York, Suppan pitched seven innings of one-run ball. After the heroics of Wainwright and Yadier Molina, the Cardinals won to win the NL Pennant. After 15 innings and a 0.60 ERA, Suppan was named NLCS MVP.
Suppan may not have pitched long for the Cardinals, but he made the most of his time in St. Louis. He deserves a spot on this list.
Matt Morris (1997-2005)
As this is a quarter-century list, we only look at Morris’s stats from 2000-2005. As it is, those were his best seasons. His best season came in 2001 when he won 22 games and finished in the top three in Cy Young voting. Morris was dominant with the Cardinals, winning no less than 11 games in seasons where he was a starter. Morris deserves to be in the Cardinals Hall of Fame, no question.
Of course, the image that stands out the most regarding Morris has nothing to do with baseball. At the 2022 All-Star Game in Milwaukee, Morris wrote the initials “DK” on one palm and “57” on the other as a tribute to teammate Darryl Kile, who had tragically died earlier that season. Pitching in Kyle’s memory, Morris won 17 games in 2002 as the Cardinals won the division and reached the NLCS.
Closer
Jason Isringhausen (2002-2008)
In seven seasons with the Cardinals, Isringhausen recorded 217 saves. That sits him atop the all-time saves list for the Cardinals. Five of Izzy’s seven seasons in St. Louis saw him save 30+ games five times. Furthermore, he saved 47 games in 2004, a then-Cardinals record. Those 47 saves also led the league.
Isringhausen has the honor of closing out the 2004 NLCS. The following season, Izzy threw the final regular-season pitch at Busch Memorial Stadium, a swinging strike three against the Cincinnati Reds. Injuries plagued Izzy in 2006, preventing him from being the Cardinals closer to the playoffs. However, Izzy bounced back in 2007, recording 32 saves with a 2.48 ERA.
Isringhausen may not be the best closer in Cardinals history, but he has been their best closer since 2000.
Position Players/Designated Hitter
Catcher- Yadier Molina (2004-2022)
Yadi is the only Cardinal to have played in all four World Series the team has appeared in this quarter century. A player whose defense kept him in the lineup the first few seasons of his career, Yadi’s offense heated up, turning him into a legitimate threat at the plate.
A 10x Gold Glove winner, a 10x All-Star, and twice finished in the top five in the MVP voting, Yadi’s place among the best catchers of all time is clear. He is top-five if not number one.
Whether it was his game-winning home run against the Mets in the 2006 NLCS, standing up for his teammates against Brandon Phillips in 2010, or the many times he quickly threw out an attempted base stealer, Yadi stole the hearts of St. Louis.
First Base- Albert Pujols (2001-2011, 2022)
Where do we even begin? After debuting in 2001, Pujols did not go under .300 with less than 100 RBIs until 2011. That season, he hit .299 with 99 RBI. Albert’s (at the time) worst season was still excellent.
A three-time MVP, the 2001 NL Rookie of the Year, an 11-time All-Star, a six-time Silver Slugger, and a two-time Gold Glove winner, Pujols is the second-best Cardinal of all time, second to only Stan Musial.
After 11 seasons in St. Louis, Albert left for Los Angeles. However, in 2022, Cardinal fans saw Pujols wear the Cardinals uniform one last time. In typical Albert fashion, he helped the Cardinals win the division while hitting his 700th home run. At the end of the season, fans have to say a proper goodbye and thank you.
Second Base- Kolten Wong (2013-2020)
Wong’s career started infamously- getting picked off to end a World Series game. However, Wong would put together a promising career with the Cardinals. With the bat, Wong hit .261 with 53 home runs and 128 RBIs. At second base, Wong won two Gold Gloves.
Wong is probably the least memorable player on this list, but he played a good second base for the Cardinals. Furthermore, he helped the team make the playoffs five times and win the division four times.
Shortstop- Edgar Renteria (1999-2004)
A World Series hero for the Florida Marlins and San Francisco Giants, Renteria may not have won a World Series with the Cardinals. However, he still had an excellent tenure wearing the Cardinals uniform. From 2000-2004, Renteria won the Silver Slugger three times and the Gold Glove twice. Furthermore, he made the All-Star team thrice and finished twice in the top 20 of the MVP voting.
Renteria was someone the Cardinals could place anywhere in the lineup. He served as the lead-off hitter for the team but also sometimes hit in the middle of the order. Renteria was an elite defender and very strong with the bat. He did it all for the Cardinals and helped the team reach the NLCS four times and the World Series once.
Third Base- Scott Rolen (2002-2007)
Rolen’s Cardinals career was not perfect. Injuries sometimes plagued him, and his relationship with manager Tony La Russa soured some fans. Still, Rolen is the first Hall of Famer who played in the 21st century to wear the Cardinals logo on his plaque.
In six seasons with the Cardinals, Rolen hit .286 with 111 home runs and 453 RBIs. His biggest home run came in Game 7 of the 2004 NLCS when Rolen took Roger Clemens deep for a tie-breaking home run. After going hitless in that year’s World Series, Rolen bounced back in the 2006 Fall Classic, helping the Cardinals win their 10th championship.
Defensively, Rolen may be the best defensive third baseman of all time. He won three Gold Gloves with the Cardinals and had many highlight-reel defensive plays.
Left Field- Matt Holliday (2009-2016)
When Holliday joined the Cardinals in 2009, the team’s dynamic changed. With Holliday batting fourth and protecting Albert Pujols in the lineup, the Cardinals cruised to 91 wins and the Central Division title. During the run to the division title, Holliday hit a walk-off home run against the rival Chicago Cubs. After missing the playoff in 2010, Holliday reached the NLCS from 2011-2015, including two pennants and a World Series championship in 2011. Personally, Holliday was a four-time All-Star and won a Silver Slugger.
In his eight seasons with the Cardinals, Holliday hit less than .270 just once. He hit 20 home runs or more in seven of those eight seasons. Furthermore, after Pujols left the team, Holliday was the Cardinals’ batting order anchor. He hit two big home runs in the playoffs in 2013 and 2014 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Before his arrival in St. Louis, fans dreamed of seeing Holliday play for the Cardinals. Once he was with the team, the reality was even better than the dream.
Center Field- Jim Edmonds (2000-2007)
When Edmonds joined the Cardinals in 2000, he already had two Gold Gloves on his resume. Eight seasons later, Edmonds had accumulated six more. That is not all “Jimmy Ballgame” did for the team. In 2004, Edmonds was part of the fearsome “MV3” alongside Pujols and Rolen. In Game 6 of the NLCS, Edmonds hit a walk-off home run to force a Game 7. The image of Edmonds celebrating as soon as he made contact with the ball lives in the minds of Cardinals fans. This image of the next night, when Edmonds made a diving, over-the-shoulder catch in center field, also lives fondly in memories.
We are going to make this quite clear. Jim Edmonds should be in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The fact that he is not is a significant error for the voters. Edmonds is one of the best center fielders of all time. He deserves his place in Cooperstown. Hopefully, one day, Edmonds will have his place among baseball immortality.
Right Field- Carlos Beltran (2012-2013)
When Pujols left the Cardinals after 2011, the Cardinals did not blink. A few weeks later, they added Beltran to the lineup. Beltran only played two seasons in St. Louis, but it was a great two seasons. The right fielder was an All-Star in both seasons. He hit .282 with 56 home runs and 182 RBIs.
Beltran’s success carried into the playoffs. In Game 2 of the 2012 NLDS against the Washington Nationals, Beltran hit two home runs in a 12-4 win. In Game 5 of that series, Beltran helped the Cardinals rally from a 6-0 deficit to advance to the NLCS, where Beltran started the series with another home run. In Game 1 of the 2013 NLDS against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Beltran hit a mammoth three-run home run off A.J. Burnett. With the Cardinals that same postseason, Beltran reached his first World Series. In Game 1 of the series, Beltran made an impressive catch against the short right-field wall in Fenway Park, robbing David Ortiz of a grand slam.
It was a short stint in St. Louis. However, it was a success.
Designated Hitter- Paul Goldschmidt (2019-2024)
Goldy was never a full-time DH with the Cardinals. However, we are taking creative liberty to get him on this team via the DH position.
Goldy joined the Cardinals via trade in 2019. When he joined, the team had not made the playoffs in three seasons. Behind 34 home runs and 97 RBIs from Goldschmidt, the Cardinals won the Central Division and returned to the playoffs. Furthermore, they advanced to their first NLCS since 2014.
2022 was by far Goldy’s best season with the Cardinals. The first baseman hit .317 with 35 home runs and 115 RBIs. With Goldschmidt, Arenado, and returning Pujols, the Cardinals again won their division. For Goldschmidt, he won the NL MVP for his fantastic season.
Goldschmidt’s time with the Cardinals did not generate any playoff success outside of 2019. The Cardinals have won just one playoff game since. The lack of postseason success certainly stings, but there is no denying the impact Goldschmidt had on the organization.
Goldschmidt has a case to be inducted into the Hall of Fame one day. If it happens, there is a strong chance his cap will feature a Cardinals logo.
Quarter-Century Team Starting Lineup
- Edgar Renteria- SS
- Carlos Beltran- RF
- Albert Pujols- 1B
- Jim Edmonds- CF
- Paul Goldschmidt- DH
- Scott Rolen- 3B
- Matt Holliday- LF
- Yadier Molina- C
- Kolten Wong- 2B
