5 Greatest St. Louis Cardinals Outfielders of All Time

Known as "Jimmy Baseball," Edmonds is the best center fielder in team history, buoyed by stellar defense (eight career Gold Glove awards) and elite power.

Edmonds, who finished his career with a .988 fielding percentage, was best known for his over-the-shoulder catches and all-around acrobatic defense. During his defensive peak, Edmonds won six of his eight Gold Gloves consecutively in St. Louis from 2000 to 2005.

Edmonds' defense often overshadows his bat, but he also became the first outfielder in Cardinals history to hit 40 home runs in a season, finishing with 42 in 2000. Edmonds matched that number in 2004, batting .301 with 42 homers and 111 RBIs and a .643 slugging percentage, which landed him fifth in NL MVP voting.

2. Lou Brock (1964-1979)

Brock is an all-time baseball great on top of being an all-time Cardinals legend. He was a prolific base stealer, leading the National League in steals eight times and finishing with 888 stolen bases over the course of his Cardinals career.

His 118 stolen bases in 1974 completely redefined the game of baseball, and would have stood untouched had Rickey Henderson not existed.

Still, Brock was a titan of his era, collecting 3,023 hits over his career (2,713 of them came with St. Louis) and he holds the all-time World Series record with a .391 average (34-for-87) across three World Series, proving vital to the Cards' 1964 and 1967 titles alongside Flood.

Brock made the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1985 and was inducted into the "Franchise Four" by fans in 2015.

1. Stan Musial (1941-1963)

Musial is by far the best Cardinals outfielder of all time and quite arguably the best player in franchise history.

As classy a player off the field as he was on the field, Musial never got ejected in 3,024 games and made a stunning and record-tying 24 All-Star games over his career. Musial ended his career in poetic fashion, with 3,630 hits, split equally between home and away (1,815 each).

Musial was a prototype of consistency, winning seven NL batting titles and batting over .300 in 16 consecutive seasons. His performances in the 1940s were pivotal for the Cardinals' 1942, 1944, and 1946 championship runs.

Known as "The Man," Musial's No. 6 was immediately retired when he stepped away from the game in 1963, and he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011 for his athletic integrity and off-field character.