This is one of the best positions in the Cardinal's rich history as they've featured four Hall of Famers at second.
Hornsby wasn't known for his defense, but at the plate he dominated the National League every bit as much as Babe Ruth was dominating the American League at the same time. From 1920 to 1925 Hornsby led the league in batting average, on base percentage, and slugging every year, including three .400 seasons. Overall in 12 seasons with the Cardinals he hit .359/.427/.568 with 1089 runs scored, 2110 hits, 193 home runs, 1072 RBI, and the 1925 MVP. No second baseman until Joe Morgan would even come close to Hornsby's production.
St. Louis swapped Hornsby for Frisch in a rare challenge trade of Hall of Famers. If Frisch's numbers look pedestrian it is only in comparison to the man he replaced. He was the starter for nine seasons and hit .312/.370/.423 with St. Louis. During his prime seasons of 1927-1930 he averaged 108 runs scored and 88 RBI while hitting .329/.391/.479. His defense was so highly regarded that he won the 1931 MVP even while hitting well below those numbers. Frisch played for four Cardinal pennant winners and two World Champions. He was a player/manager in his later years, winning hte 1934 World Series.
Schoendienst spent 11 seasons as a slick-fielding second baseman for the Cardinals and was named to nine All-Star teams. A slap hitter early on, Red became a dangerous offensive threat and a perennial .300 hitter. In his career year, 1953, he hit .342/.405/.502 with 107 runs scored, 15 homers, and 79 RBI. Red returned at age 38 to finish his career as a still-valuable bench bat and would later manage the team to a world title in 1967.
A speedy runner, good top of the order hitter, and a reliable defender, Herr was a fixture on the 1980s "Whiteyball" teams, starting in all 37 Cardinal playoff games in the decade. He had his best year for the 1985 pennant winners, hitting .302/.379/.416 with 97 runs, 110 RBI despite only eight homers, and 31 steals in 34 tries.
Showing the baseball IQ that would later make him a Hall of Fame manager, Huggins mastered the art of reaching base any way he could despite having little pop in his bat. Despite hitting only .270 he had a .402 on base percentage in seven Cardinals seasons, leading the league in walks twice and OBP once. He managed the Cardinals from 1913-1917; the team declined by 31 wins after he left.
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