Stan Musial
According to a release by MLB on April 8, fans can visit MLB.com/FranchiseFour to select the four most impactful players for each franchise who best represent the history of each franchise out of eight choices from its lineage. There is also a space for a write-in selection. Voting is live now until May 8.
The Ballot:
Lou Brock (1964-1979)
Dizzy Dean (1930-1937)
Bob Gibson (1959-1975)
Rogers Hornsby (1915-1926, 1933)
Stan Musial (1941-1944, 1946-1963)
Albert Pujols (2001-2011)
Red Schoendienst (1945-1956, 1961-1963)
Ozzie Smith (1982-1996)
Shoestring Catches Recommendations for the St. Louis Cardinals:
Bob Gibson: One of the most feared pitchers in baseball, Bob Gibson was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981. Gibson won the National League Most Valuable Player and Cy Young awards in 1968. Gibson added another Cy Young Award in 1970 and tossed a no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates a year later. The righthander won seven straight World Series games in 1964, 1967 and 1968 as the Cardinals won the title twice before falling to the Detroit Tigers in their final series. In his career, Gibson had 3,117 strikeouts and nine Gold Gloves.
Rogers Hornsby: A winner of two triple crowns and a 1942 inductee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Rogers Hornsby is on the only player in major league history to club 40 homers in a season, while batting over .400. The National League MVP in 1925, Hornsby led the Cardinals to a world championship in 1926 as a player/manager.
Stan Musial: A 24-time all-star, Stan Musial had 3,630 career hits. Musial was a three-time NL MVP in 1943, 1946 and 1948. A member of three World Series champs in 1942, 1944 and 1946, Musial entered the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969.
Albert Pujols: A three-time NL MVP, Albert Pujols led the Cardinals to wins the 2006 and 2011 World Series. The NL Rookie of the Year in 2001, Pujols was a nine-time all-star in St. Louis and hit 445 homers to go with six Silver Sluggers and a pair of Gold Gloves.