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The 5 greatest catchers in St. Louis Cardinals history

By Kevin Henry

DENVER, CO - JULY 03: Yadier Molina #4 of the St. Louis Cardinals hits an eighth inning RBI single against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on July 3, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - JULY 03: Yadier Molina #4 of the St. Louis Cardinals hits an eighth inning RBI single against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on July 3, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /
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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)
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.

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