Phil Gagliano isn’t going to be inducted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame. His name won’t be celebrated in front of big crowds at Ballpark Village, chiseled on a bronze plaque, surrounded by red jackets and loud applause.
But for Cardinals fans of the 1960s, those four syllables and that lyrical name immediately take you back. And as you return, armed with a contemporary perspective, you realize who Gagliano was and what he meant to those teams.
He was a “Secret Weapon” long before Whitey Herzog applied that label to the utilitarian talents of Jose Oquendo.
Gagliano’s ability to play all four infield positions, as well as some outfield, effectively trumped his chances of being taken seriously as a regular.