Starting Pitcher: Chris Carpenter (2004-2012)
Chris Carpenter may be the second Cardinals pitcher that most fans think of when it comes to all-time greats. He won a Cy Young Award with the Cardinals as well as two World Series championships. Furthermore, he was a three-time All-Star.
Carpenter’s career started off pretty rocky. He was a first-round draft pick for the Toronto Blue Jays but was plagued by injuries. He was released in 2002 and the Cardinals signed him. Emerging as the ace in 2004, Carpenter turned his career around. He went on to win a Cy Young in 2005, lead the starting rotation to a World Series title in 2006, and foster another rotation in 2011 to another title. Carpenter’s injuries were deemed to be career-threatening in some situations. But he always returned.
In nine seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, Carpenter won 95 regular-season games and earned a 3.07 ERA. During that period, his .683 winning percentage led all Major League pitchers. Additionally, in 18 postseason starts, Carpenter won 10 games with a 3.00 ERA. Currently, Carpenter is third on the Cardinals all-time strikeouts list behind Dizzy Dean and Bob Gibson. He will join them in the rotation on the Cardinals’ all-time roster.