The 5 greatest catchers in St. Louis Cardinals history

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NEW YORK – OCTOBER 5: Whitey Kurowski #1 (1918 – 1999) of the St. Louis Cardinals runs across home plate after hitting a home run as his teammates Marty Marion #4 and Walker Cooper #15 congratulate him during game five of the 1942 World Series against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, in the Bronx, New York on October 5, 1942. The Cardinals won game five 4-2 and wrapped up the series. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) /

Throughout the franchise’s illustrious history, there have been some great players who have taken their place behind the plate as the catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. Today, let’s take a look at the best of the best catchers who have ever played for the team.

Here are the top five catchers to ever play for the St. Louis Cardinals

Number 5 — Walker Cooper

Walker Cooper suited up for the St. Louis Cardinals between 1940 and 1945 and played only catcher during his 18-year career that concluded with a return to St. Louis in 1957.

Cooper was a part of three St. Louis teams that won 100 or more games between 1942 and 1944. St. Louis went to the World Series in all three of those seasons, beating the New York Yankees in 1942, losing to the Yankees in 1943, then beating the crosstown St. Louis Browns in 1944. During those games, Cooper (who was an All-Star all three seasons) was behind the plate in 16 games, slashing a combined .300/.333/.383.

The eight-time All-Star slashed .318/.349/.463 with nine home runs and 81 RBI to finish second in the National League MVP voting in 1943, losing out to teammate Stan Musial. He finished in the top 11 of NL MVP voting during all three St. Louis World Series seasons.

Cooper’s 9.0 bWAR ranks fifth among all St. Louis catchers who tallied at least 1,000 plate appearances and played 50 percent of more of their innings behind the plate for the franchise.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – CIRCA 1985: Darrell Porter #15 of the St. Louis Cardinals bats against the Philadelphia Phillies during a Major League Baseball game circa 1985 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Porter played for the Cardinals from 1981-85. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

Number 4 — Darrell Porter

Why Darrell Porter ranks among the greatest catchers in St. Louis Cardinals history

Porter is fourth among qualified Cardinals catchers with 11.6 bWAR. A 17-year MLB veteran, Porter suited up for five seasons with St. Louis between 1981 and 1985 and made a big impact on the team’s 1982 World Series title quest.

He was named the National League Championship Series MVP after slashing .556/.714/.889 with a 1.603 OPS in 14 plate appearances against the Atlanta Braves. In the World Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, Porter slashed .286/.310/.464 in 29 plate appearances on his way to earning MVP honors.

In a must-win Game 6, Porter went 1-for-4 but his one hit was a big one, a fourth-inning two-run shot off Milwaukee starter Don Sutton that would be part of a Cardinals offensive explosion in a 13-1 victory in front of their home fans. St. Louis would go on to win Game 7 by a 6-3 margin with Porter adding an RBI.

Porter’s heroics against the Brewers were an extra sharp sword for Milwaukee fans as Porter was drafted fourth overall by the Brewers in the 1970 draft and played six seasons for the team.

ST. LOUIS, MO – OCTOBER 1968: Tim McCarver #15 of the St. Louis Cardinals bats against the Detroit Tigers during the 1968 World Series in October 1968, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. The Tigers won the series 4 games to 3. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

Number 3 — Tim McCarver

Tim McCarver started his 21-year MLB career with a debut behind the plate for the Cardinals on September 10, 1959, at the age of 17. Over the course of his 12 seasons with the Cardinals, McCarver would grow from a teenager with promise into one of the most successful players in St. Louis postseason history.

Tim McCarver etched his name into St. Louis Cardinals history with his play in the World Series

McCarver suited up for the Cardinals in three World Series (1964 vs. New York Yankees, 1967 vs. Boston Red Sox, and 1968 vs. Detroit Tigers). His career slash line in the Fall Classic (21 games) stands at .311/.384/.500. He currently ranks second in Cardinals World Series history in hits with 23, while also ranking third in RBI with 11, and fifth in batting average (.311).

One of those hits was came during Game 5 of the 1964 World Series as McCarver belted a three-run, 10th-inning home run on the road off New York’s Pete Mikkelsen as the Cardinals would grab a 5-2 victory and 3-2 edge in the World Series. The Yankees would win Game 6 in St. Louis before the Cardinals rallied for a 7-5 victory in Game 7, with McCarver going 1-for-2 and plating a run.

McCarver earned two All-Star Game appearances during his time in St. Louis.

Dave Kingman, in fielder for the Chicago Cubs swings his bat at the plate as Ted Simmons, catcher for the Cardinals and home plate umpire Dutch Rennert look on during the Major League Baseball National League East game against the St. Louis Cardinals on 29 June 1980 at Wrigley Field, Chicago, United States. Cubs lost 9 – 7. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Allsport/Getty Images) /

Number 2 — Ted Simmons

Of all of the catchers who have ever suited up for the Cardinals, no one has ever tallied more bWAR than Ted Simmons, who tallied 45.0 over 13 seasons from 1968 through 1980.

Ted Simmons made his mark with the St. Louis Cardinals before being dealt to the Milwaukee Brewers

Drafted 10th overall by the Cardinals in the 1967 draft, Simmons was an eight-time All-Star, including six in St. Louis and two in Milwaukee, where he was traded by the Cardinals after the 1980 season as part of a massive swap between the two franchises which altered history for both teams. In that deal, the Cardinals sent Simmons, Rollie Fingers, and Pete Vuckovich to the Brewers in exchange for David Green, Dave LaPoint, Sixto Lezcano, and Lary Sorensen.

With Simmons in Milwaukee, Darrell Porter (mentioned earlier in the list) would take over at catcher in St. Louis and the two Cardinals catching icons would square off in the 1982 World Series.

Simmons, who would finish in the top 10 in National League MVP voting three times and earn a Silver Slugger during his Cardinals career, was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020.

Jul 28, 2021; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina (4) laughs with home plate umpire Marvin Hudson during the eighth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports /

Number 1 — Yadier Molina

While Simmons may have the most bWAR (45.0) of any Cardinals catcher, it’s very possible that Yadier Molina (42.1 bWAR) will catch him before he hangs up his mask.

Yadier Molina’s impact on the St. Louis Cardinals is worthy of the top spot on the franchise’s all-time catching list

A 10-time All-Star, nine-time Gold Glove winner, and four-time Platinum Glove honoree, Molina was drafted by the Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2000 draft and has played all 18 seasons in a St. Louis uniform. He has appeared in four World Series with the Cardinals, posting a .328/.395/.403 slash line in 76 plate appearances. That includes a .412/.500/.529 slash line in 20 plate appearances during the 2006 St. Louis World Series win over the Detroit Tigers. In the Series-clinching Game 5 win, Molina went 3-for-4.

However, the Cardinals might not have reached the World Series that season had Molina not come through with a clutch two-run home run on the road in Game 7 of the 2006 National League Championship Series against the New York Mets. Molina’s ninth-inning heroics gave the Cardinals a 3-1 decision and eventually punched their ticket to the Fall Classic.

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Molina has also been praised throughout his career for his leadership abilities and defense behind the plate, including his ability to throw out would-be base stealers.

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