Big Cat

The Cardinals have had some memorable first baseman in my lifetime.  Most people do not remember Keith Hernandez came up as a Cardinal.  He was Co-MVP in 1797 with Willie Stargell and was also a member of the 1982 World Championship team.  Jack Clark was the only power threat for the Cardinals that reached the World Series in 1985 and 1987, but lost each time.  The 1997 trading deadline saw Mark McGwire head east to St. Louis for 4 seasons.  Big Mac kept the spot warm until Albert Pujols showed up.  Although he did not play first base his entire first season, he would be the main stay there until he left after winning the 2011 World Series.


You may have noticed I left out the late 1980s and early 1990s.  Those Cardinal teams did not have many star players and often finished third or worse in the division.  Household names like Jim Lindeman, Bob Horner, and Gerald Perry played first for some of those years.  Gregg Jefferies did make 2 All Star teams for the Cardinals in 1993 and 1994 while playing first, but left as a free agent after 2 seasons.  One big name player who came to St. Louis but did not pan out was Andres Galarraga.

He signed as a free agent in 1992, but would only play 95 games that year because of a broken wrist.  He hit less than .250 with 10 home runs.  After 1992, he went to the Rockies and became a member of the Blake Street Bombers.  He averaged 35 home runs per year for the 5 seasons he spent in Colorado.  I guess he like the thin air of Colorado more than the hot and humid summers in St. Louis.

This 2016 Topps Archives Signature autograph is one of the few of the Big Cat in a Cardinals uniform.  The auto is not signed in the best place, but I cannot complain about spending less than $10 for an auto numbered to 27.  I am not a fan of the holder, but hate to break the seal just to put the card in a top loader.  I imagine time will change my mind.