The St. Louis Cardinals’ Jack Flaherty figures to be the team’s top player, or alpha, going into next season. His 6.0 WAR in 2019 easily distanced second-place Kolten Wong (4.7 WAR), and his youth (he’s barely 24) suggests he could be even better.
Choosing an all-time Cardinals alpha is just as easy: it’s Stan Musial. The Man was the Cardinals’ best player in 12 different seasons, according to baseball-reference.com, which rates players on wins above replacement. Musial is followed by Rogers Hornsby (10 years as the best Cardinal), Albert Pujols (nine), Bob Gibson (seven), Ozzie Smith (six), and Dizzy Dean and Ken Boyer (five each).