Last year around this time, I wrote a column about former Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty, making the case for why he obviously belongs in the team’s esteemed Hall of Fame. Jocketty’s invitation is long overdue.
You can read that by clicking here.
That column – and a subsequent video I did for my YouTube channel – prompted readers and viewers to marvel at the wealth of talent collected by Jocketty during his years (1995-2007) as GM in St. Louis.
Someone suggested I put together an “All-Jocketty” Cardinals All-Star team. I’m delighted to do it. I wanted to post this column on Monday but had a lot of research to do and wasn’t able to meet my own deadline. This baby took a long time to put together, but I finished the piece on Tuesday … and I spent time Wednesday morning (Jan. 15) fixing some typos and reorganizing some things … whew.
I hope you enjoy it — especially those of you who loved watching those St. Louis teams assembled by Jocketty.
Here’s a rundown of players procured by Jocketty and the honors they received as Cardinals.
Notable draft choices: Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, Matt Morris, Jason Motte, J.D. Drew, Rick Ankiel, Skip Schumaker, Jon Jay, Daniel Descalso, Chris Duncan, Allen Craig, Dan Haren, Braden Looper, Colby Rasmus, Pete Kozma, Adam Ottavino, Jaime Garcia, Mitchell Boggs, Brad Thompson, Bud Smith, Tyler Johnson, Randy Flores, Stubby Clapp, Adam Kennedy, Kyle McClellan, Brendan Ryan, Anthony Reyes, Chris Perez, Luke Gregerson, Shane Robinson, Sam Freeman, Tony Cruz and Adron Chambers.
Notable players acquired by trade: Adam Wainwright, Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen, Mark McGwire, Edgar Renteria, Darryl Kile, Larry Walker, Woody Williams, Jeff Weaver, Jason Marquis, Rafael Furcal, Joel Pineiro, Ronnie Belliard, Mark Sweeney, Todd Stottlemyre, Dennis Eckersley, Fernando Vina, Will Clark, Steve Kline, Dave Veres, Chuck Finley, Fernando Tatis, Rick Honeycuttt, David Bell, Ray King, Aaron Miles, Mark Mulder, Craig Paquette, Ryan Theriot, Royce Clayton, Mike Timlin, Ken Hill.
Notable free-agent signings: Chris Carpenter, Jason Isringhausen, Jeff Suppan, David Eckstein, Mike Matheny, Andy Benes, Tom Henke, Reggie Sanders, Ron Gant, Ryan Franklin, Pat Hentgen, Delino DeShields, Julian Tavarez, So Taguchi, Scott Spiezio, Ryan Ludwick, Gary Gaetti, Tony Womack, Mark Grudzielanek, Juan Encarnacion, Josh Kinney and the late-career Willie McGee. I know I’ve left some guys out – but there are so many of them, and that’s credit to Jocketty.
Cooperstown Hall of Famers: Start with Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa, who was hired by Jocketty. Three HoF players were obtained by Jocketty: Scott Rolen, Larry Walker and Dennis Eckersley. And Jocketty-era draft picks Pujols and Molina will one day be enshrined in Cooperstown.
Cards Hall of Famers acquired by Jocketty through trades, draft or free agency: Tony La Russa, Dave Duncan, Jim Edmonds, Mark McGwire, Scott Rolen, Chris Carpenter, Matt Morris, and Isringhausen. Did I miss anyone? Well, we can add Wille McGee who was signed back to St. Louis before the division-winning 1996 season. McGee played his final four MLB seasons with the Cardinals. And in the future that Cardinals Hall of Fame roster will expand to include Wainwright, Pujols, Molina and Renteria (and perhaps others.)
All Stars: This one is special … 18 Cardinals brought to the organization during the Jocketty regime were selected for the National League All-Star team a combined total of 48 times. The 18 are Yadi Molina, Albert Pujols, Adam Wainwright, Scott Rolen, Mark McGwire, Edgar Renteria, Jim Edmonds, Chris Carpenter, Matt Morris, David Eckstein, Darryl Kile, Jason Isringhausen, Woody Williams, Ryan Ludwick, Tom Henke, Allen Craig, Ryan Franklin and Royce Clayton.
Award winners: Players who became Cardinals through Jocketty’s work combined to win three NL MVP awards, a Cy Young award, 30 Gold Gloves and 16 Silver Sluggers. That’s not all. There was a Rookie of the Year, a World Series MVP, two NLCS MVPs, three Roberto Clemente awards and two Hank Aaron awards. And La Russa won multiple Manager of the Year honors. Not to mention all of the other MVP votes and Cy Young votes gathered through the years by Jocketty’s additions.
THE ALL-JOCKETTY POSITION PLAYERS
STARTING AT CATCHER: Yadier Molina, simply because he’s one of the greatest catchers in MLB history. Nine gold gloves, 10 All-Star selections, and received MVP votes in five seasons. Suppressed the opponent’s running game as well as any catcher that’s ever played. And during his 19-season career in St. Louis, the Cardinals were third in the majors in regular-season wins, third in postseason wins, and ranked second in team ERA. And don’t forget the four NL pennants and two World Series. He was the only Cardinal player who was a part, a big part, of all of the teams that won pennants and World Series and so many postseason games between 2004 and 2022.
Backup: Mike Matheny, who earned two gold gloves and considerable respect for his leadership behind the plate and clubhouse and his intense competitive drive that represented the best of La Russa’s teams.
STARTING AT FIRST BASE: C’mon, now. Albert Pujols … for reasons that require no explanation or justification. But just to savor the memories … in 12 seasons as a Cardinal, Pujols batted .326 with a .417 onbase percentage, .614 slugging percentage, had a 1.031 OPS, slammed 469 home runs, knocked in 1,397 runs, won three league MVP awards – and finished second in the voting four other times. There was a batting title, five silver sluggers and two gold gloves. He was the NL Rookie of the Year in 2001. He received MVP votes in each of his first 11 seasons as a Cardinal and that included 10 top-five finishes in the voting. Pujols was a top-three MVP vote getter nine times.
In 74 postseason games for St. Louis, Pujols batted .330, had a .614 slugging percentage and 1.046 OPS, blasted 18 homers, and drove home 54 runs. He was the top player on Cardinals teams that won three NL pennants, two World Series and competed in the postseason eight times in his 12 years here.
Backup: Allen Craig. I made a late change here (on Wednesday) after double-checking Craig’s offensive performance as a Cardinal — and he absolutely belongs on the All-Jocketty Team. I apologize for whiffing on this decision first, but now I’m getting it right. I slotted Craig at first base, even though he played more games in a corner outfield spot. In many ways, Craig’s position is irrelevant, and Craig played enough first base for the Cardinals to warrant recognition. He deserves to be on the All-Jocketty Team because of his tremendous ability to drive in runs.
Check this out: in 152 regular-season plate appearances with runners in scoring position as a Cardinal, Craig batted .454, had a .450 OBP and slugged .680. When batting with runners in scoring position, Craig knocked in 83 RBIs in 130 at-bats — that’s a preposterous average of one RBI per 1.5 at-bats. Craig was a significant contributor in the 2011 postseason, posting a .391 OBP and .622 slug with four home runs. It’s a shame that his career was derailed by a foot injury. What a hitter.
Honorable mention: John Mabry. OK, he was drafted by the Cardinals before Jocketty was hired as GM. But Jocketty also made moves to bring Mabry back to St. Louis for additional stints with the team. In his three different residencies as a Cardinal, Mabry slashed a solid .281/.335/.411 in 745 games.
STARTING AT SECOND BASE: Fernando Vina. Jocketty got him before the 2000 season, and in his four seasons here Vina batted leadoff, hit .285, churned a good .350 onbase percentage and won two gold gloves.
Backup: Placido Polanco. He played very well for the Cardinals from 1998 through much of 2002, and his value was reinforced as a trade chip in the deal that brought third baseman Scott Rolen to St. Louis at the trade deadline in ‘02. In part of five seasons for STL, Polanco batted .296 with a .330 OBP and supplied some decent power.
Honorable mention: Tony Womack, Delino Deshields, Ronnie Belliard, Mark Grudzielanek.
STARTING AT THIRD BASE: Rolen, who added to his Hall of Fame resume during five-plus seasons as a Cardinal. The latter years were difficult, as Rolen was weakened by two serious shoulder injuries. But overall for St. Louis he hit .286 with a .370 OBP and .510 slug and won four gold gloves. He was part of the “MV3” powerhouse that won 105 games and the NL pennant in 2004 before losing to Boston in the World Series. In ‘04, Rolen had the best season of his big-league career by hitting .314 with a 1.007 OPS, 34 home runs, and 124 RBIs. He’s on the short list of the best defensive third basemen in MLB history.
Backup: Fernando Tatis Sr. Jocketty acquired him from Texas at the 1998 trade deadline, and Tatis made his 300 games for St. Louis count in a big way: .282 average, .389 OBP, .525 slug, 60 home runs, and 197 RBIs. I was at Dodger Stadium on April 23, 1999 – seated next to the legendary baseball writer Rick Hummel – when Tatis crushed two grand-slam homers in the same inning.
Honorable mention: Gary Gaetti, who averaged 20 homers and 84 RBIs and slugged .440 for the 1996-1997 Cardinals.
STARTING AT SHORTSTOP: Edgar Renteria. He’s absolutely the best shortstop brought in by Jocketty, who acquired him from the Marlins before the 1999 season. Renteria, who arrived here at age 22, started at shortstop from 1999 through 2004 and still has the most WAR by a St. Louis shortstop since Bill DeWitt Jr. became team owner in 1996.
During the DeWitt Era, Renteria still remains at the top of the leaderboard at the position in RBI, stolen bases, doubles and runs scored and is second among STL shortstops in home runs and batting average. Impressively, Renteria is the only Cardinal in franchise history to win a gold glove and silver slugger in the same season multiple times. He did that in consecutive years, 2002-2003. He also was selected to three All-Star squads as a Cardinal. Renteria’s exclusion from the Cardinals Hall of Fame is a real oversight — and hopefully the voting public will wake up and get it done.
Backup: David Eckstein, the MVP of the 2006 World Series. In the five-game competition, Eckstein damaged the Tigers with a .364 batting average, .500 slugging percentage and four RBIs. Eckstein was chosen for the All-Star team in 2005 and 2006. After Renteria signed a free-agent deal with Boston, Jocketty quickly pivoted to sign the free-agent Eckstein to a three-year contract after his time with the Angels came to a close.
Honorable mention: Rafael Furcal, Royce Clayton, Brendan Ryan.
STARTING IN LEFT FIELD: Reggie Sanders. Jocketty signed Sanders to a two-year contract before the 2004 season and the move paid off. The Cardinals won 205 games (combined) in 2004 and 2005 and claimed the NL pennant in ‘04. In his 741 at-bats for the Cardinals, the personable Sanders cranked 43 homers and 41 doubles, drove home 121 runs, and stole 35 bases. He was a great fit for a boisterous team that was loaded with star power.
Backup: Chris Duncan. People forget how good he was offensively at the start of his year, before a chronic neck injury took a lot of his power away. Drafted by the Jocketty regime, Duncan gave the Cardinals a blast of offense in his two best seasons, 2006 and 2007. In 655 at-bats over the two years he smashed 43 homers, put up 113 RBIs, and slugged .527. An underrated aspect of Duncan’s performance was his skill at drawing walks and getting on base. Duncan had a swell postseason moment in Game 1 of the 2006 World Series, breaking a 1-1 tie with an RBI double off Detroit rookie starting pitcher Justin Verlander. Pujols followed with a two-run homer, and the Cardinals rolled to a 7-2 win behind starting pitcher Anthony Reyes.
Honorable mention: Allen Craig.
STARTING IN CENTER FIELD: Jimmy Ballgame. Jimmy Baseball. Jimmy Edmonds. In one of the greatest trades in Cards history, Jocketty heisted Edmonds away from the Angels during 2000 spring training for pitcher Kent Bottenfield and young second baseman Adam Kennedy. In eight years with St. Louis, Edmonds won six gold gloves, a silver slugger and was chosen for three All-Star games. He received MVP votes in five seasons including two top-five finishes. Edmonds’ 1,105 regular-season games as a Cardinal included 241 homers and 713 RBIs. He hit 29+ homers five times, and posted three seasons of 100+ RBIs. Edmonds was epic in 2004 – .301 average, .643 slug, 1.061 OPS, 42 homers, 111 RBIs, and a career-best OPS+ that made him 71 percent above league average offensively.
Edmonds was a large presence in the postseason; only Pujols and Molina played in more playoff games than Jimmy (61) for the Cardinals during the DeWitt Era. In 253 postseason plate appearances Edmonds batted .277, crafted a .368 onbase percentage, slugged .523, lofted 13 homers, and delivered 41 RBIs. Of course, Edmonds’ heroics in Game 6 and Game 7 of the 2004 NLCS lifted the Cardinals over the Astros and into the team’s first World Series since 1987.
Backup: Rick Ankiel, who was drafted by Jocketty as a star high school pitcher, but moved to the outfield after his pitching career careened off course because of control issues. Ankiel made an inspiring comeback as a position player; in 585 at-bats over 2007-08 (combined), he stroked 36 homers, knocked in 110 runs, slugged .506, and flashed the most powerful throwing arm by a MLB outfielder during that time.
Honorable mention: Jon Jay, Colby Rasmus.
STARTER IN RIGHT FIELD: Larry Walker. Jocketty got him in a steal of a deal with Colorado before the 2004 trading deadline. In 144 regular-season games for the Cardinals, Walker batted .286 with a .387 onbase percentage and .520 slug for a .907 OPS. Walker had 26 homers and 79 RBIs in 465 at-bats. In his two postseasons (2004-2005) in St. Louis, Walker had six homers, 12 RBIs and a .523 slugging percentage in 24 games. After the ‘05 postseason Walker retired at age 38, and was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020. It was such a treat to have him here. Walker loved the experience of being a Cardinal.
Backup: J.D. Drew, drafted by Jocketty in 1998. A Cardinals scout once compared him to Mickey Mantle … Drew wasn’t Mantle, but in 598 career games for St. Louis, JD had a .377 onbase percentage, .498 slug, and averaged 16 home runs per season. Drew’s best contribution: He was the coveted piece in a trade with Atlanta that brought pitching prospect Adam Wainwright to St. Louis.
Honorable mention: A special nod to So Taguchi, who immediately became a fan favorite after being signed out of Japan by Jocketty. Taguchi was really good in his first three seasons (2002-2004) as a Cardinal, filing a .290 average, .340 onbase percentage and .440 slug. But his No. 1 moment as a Cardinal came in Game 2 of the 2006 NLCS against the Mets. With the score tied 6-6 in the top of the ninth, stepped out of the dugout and lined the go-ahead opposite field HR off the imposing reliever Billy Wagner. The Cards snatched a 9-6 comeback win and came returned to St. Louis in a 1-1 series tie. Taguchi played for the Cardinals through the end of the 2007 season.
Another honorable mention: Ryan Ludwick, who had 37 home runs and 113 RBIs in 2008, winning a sliver slugger award and getting voted to the All-Star team.
NO. 1 UTILITY PLAYER: Skip Schumaker. As a Cardinal from 2005 through 2012, Schumacher started a lot of games at all three outfield positions, and put in the hard work to convert to second base – where he started 258 games from 2010 through 2012. Schumacher won two World Series rings as a Cardinal and was a key member of the ‘11 championship squad.
Schumacher came up big in the classic winner-take-all Game 5 in the 2011 NLDS, banging a first-inning double off Phillies ace Roy Halladay to give the Cards a 1-0 lead. St. Louis pitcher Chris Carpenter made it stand up for nine innings, and the Cardinals went on from there to beat Milwaukee in the NLCS and Texas in the World Series. In the 2011 postseason Schumaker went 8 for 21 (.381), slugged .476 and drove in four runs.
Backup: Daniel Descalso, who had multiple big hits in the 2011 World Series and again in the 2012 NLDS win over Washington.
Honorable mention: Scott Spiezio, and Aaron Miles. Spiezio and Miles helped the 2006 Cardinals survive late during the regular season before proceeding to win the World Series.
STARTING DESIGNATED HITTER: Mark McGwire. OK, there was no universal DH when Big Mac played for the Cardinals (1997-2001) but I think I should have some leeway here to make him a starting player on the All-Jocketty Team.
In 1998 and 1999 (combined) McGwire launched 135 homers, sending a HR out of the yard every 7.6 at-bats. He also slugged .724 and averaged 147 RBIs over the memorable two seasons. The excitement over McGwire’s home-run barrage filled the previous Busch Stadium and took Cardinals’ home attendance to a new level. And he attracted huge crowds on the road, with fans in other markets showing up hours before the game to get in line for a chance to watch him take batting practice. Jocketty acquired McGwire from Oakland in 1997 in exchange for a modest crate of prospects. In five years in St. Louis, McGwire cranked 220 homers, slugged ,683, walloped for 473 RBIs and drew 470 walks.
Backup: Will Clark! The Thrill’s time in St. Louis was brief: just part of one season (2000) and only 197 plate appearances. But goodness, he was a berserk hitter for the Cardinals, hitting .345 with a. 655 slug and 1.081 OPS.
Honorable mention: Ron Gant.
THE ALL-JOCKETTY STARTING PITCHERS
I’m going with seven, because no team can lean on only five starters during a season. You always need extras.
Adam Wainwright: In 18 seasons for St. Louis, Waino notched 200 wins and came to the rescue as a rookie reliever-closer who played a leading role in the 2006 World Series triumph. Wainwright ranks second to Bob Gibson in franchise history for career strikeouts. He had two second-place finishes and two third-place finishes in the Cy Young voting. He’ll be a Cardinal Hall of Famer as soon as he’s eligible.
Chris Carpenter: The big man won the NL’s Cy Young award in 2005, and finished second in the voting in 2009 and third in the balloting in 2006. Carpenter has the most WAR of any starting pitcher acquired by Jocketty, who took a chance on Carpenter with a low-cost contract, investing in Carp’s chances of making a successful comeback after shoulder surgery ended his time in Toronto. Carpenter, a three-time All-Star, pitched the Cardinals to World Series titles in 2006 and 2011 and has the most postseason wins (10) in franchise history. In the 2006 and 2011 postseasons (combined) Carpenter had a 7-1 record and 3.04 ERA in 11 starts. He’s a Cardinal Hall of Famer.
Matt Morris: Drafted by Jocketty in 1995, “Matty Mo” was selected to the Cards Hall of Fame in 2024. During the DeWitt ERA (1996-present) Morris ranks second among team starting pitchers in WAR, behind only Carpenter and ahead of Wainwright. Only Waino has more wins than Morris for the Cardinals over the last 29 seasons. Morris was a two-time All-Star who had tough luck in the postseason, getting charged with four losses despite pitching to a 1.82 ERA in the four defeats. In 2001, Morris went 22-8 with a 3.16 ERA and finished third in the NL Cy Young voting.
Darryl Kile: In another one-sided deal made with Colorado, Jocketty acquired Kile before the 2000 season to stabilize the STL rotation and provide strong leadership for the pitching staff. Kile had a fantastic debut season for the Cardinals, going 20-9 while pitching 232 innings. Kile was named to the All-Star team in 2020, received some Cy Young votes, and the Cardinals returned to the postseason after missing out in three straight years. He followed up with a 16-11 record and 3.09 ERA in 2001. Kile tragically lost his life to cardiac arrest on June 22, 2002, dying in his sleep in a Chicago hotel during the team’s road trip. He was only 33 years old. Kile – a beloved and highly respected teammate – made a positive impact during his time with the Cardinals.
Woody Williams: Jocketty flipped outfielder Ray Lankford in a straight-up trade with the Padres in the summer of 2001. Williams elevated the STL rotation and was an important presence on the mound for the Cardinals in his three-plus seasons here. In 92 regular-season starts for the Redbirds, Williams went 45-22 with a 3.53 ERA. In his first five postseason starts for the team, Williams pitched to a 2.81 ERA. (His World Series start, at Boston, didn’t go so well.) Williams still ranks fourth in WAR among St. Louis starting pitchers during DeWitt’s ownership term.
Jeff Suppan: Jocketty smartly signed Suppan to a moderate free-agent contract before the 2004 season. “Soup” became one of Jocketty’s best free-agent investments, pitching to a 44-26 regular-season record (with a 3.95 ERA) from 2004 through 2006. But Suppan made his mark in the postseason. Suppan won a Game 7 showdown against Houston’s Roger Clemens to lead the Cardinals to a 5-2 victory that catapulted them into the World Series. And then, during the 2006 postseason, Suppan went 3-1 with a 2.49 ERA. He delivered a classic performance against the Mets in Game 7 of the ‘06 NLCS, allowing only two hits and a run in seven innings. Though Soup didn’t get the win, he pitched well in the Cards’ 5-4 victory over Detroit in World Series Game 4.
Andy Benes: Two reasons stand out: (1) In his first season with the Cardinals Benes won 18 games and was the de facto ace of the 1996 team that won the division in La Russa’s first year as manager. Jocketty’s free-agent signing of Benes instantly paid off. And (2) After Benes spent two seasons in Arizona, Jocketty brought him back to St. Louis in 2000. Benes’ second tour in St. Louis was highlighted by his remarkable comeback during the 2002 season. Pitching with a painful knee, Benes went on the IL in April and didn’t return until the Cardinals had a rotation emergency. From July 16 until the end of the ‘02 season, Benes went an amazing 10-5 with a 1.86 ERA, playing a massive role in filling the void left by Kile’s death. Overall Benes had a 2.78 ERA in 17 regular-season starts that season. The Cardinals advanced to the 2002 NLCS before running out of steam against the Mets.
Honorable mentions: Jaime Garcia, Todd Stottlemyre, Pat Hentgen, Jeff Weaver, Joel Pineiro, Mark Mulder and Jason Marquis. If you’re wondering why I cited Marquis … Well, he went 15-7 with a 3.71 ERA for the 2004 NL champion Cardinals. Mulder deserves a mention because he went 16-8 with a 3.64 ERA for a 2005 Cardinals team that won 100 games. Mulder’s career in St. Louis was ruined by a serious shoulder injury. And how about Jeff Weaver? Jocketty landed him in a deal with the Angels at the 2006 trade deadline. Jocketty hit the jackpot with this one; Weaver had a 2.43 ERA in five postseason starts in ’06 and won a game in all three playoff rounds. In Game 5 of the 2006 World Series, Weaver allowed two runs (only one earned) in eight innings. Superb.
THE ALL-JOCKETTY BULLPEN
Jason Isringhausen: This Cardinals Hall of Famer who sealed a franchise-record 217 saves after Jocketty signed Izzy to a free-agent contract before the 2002 season. During the DeWitt Era, Isringhausen leads all St. Louis relievers in Win Probability Added (WPA), and in the 29 seasons of Dewitt’s ownership no Cardinal reliever supplied more appearances (408) and innings (401) than this proud native of nearby Brighton, IL.
During his seven seasons in St. Louis (2002 through 2008) Izzy ranked fourth in the majors with 205 regular-season saves; only Mariano Rivera, Billy Wagner and Trevor Hoffman had more. In 19 career postseason games for St. Louis, Isringhausen had a 2.78 ERA in 19 relief appearances. From 2002 through 2005 only the Yankees’ Rivera (had more postseason saves (10) than Isringhausen (8)
Steve Kline: Acquired by Jocketty in a trade with Montreal, Kline became one of the finest lefty relievers in franchise history. As a Cardinal from 2001 through 2004, the busy and effective Kline churned a 2.69 ERA that was the best among qualifying St. Louis relievers during the Bill DeWitt Era. Kline was even more impressive in the postseason, working in 13 games for a 0.96 ERA. Kline came out of the St. Louis bullpen to relieve in 300 games, the second most by a MLB lefty over the four seasons. Kline’s adjusted ERA put him 56 percent above the league average and was the fourth best by a lefty reliever from 2001 through 2004.
Jason Motte: It took him a long time to reach the big leagues after Jocketty drafted the right-hander in 2003. Motte started out as a catcher in the minors and moved his strong throwing arm to the pitching mound in 2006. It was a move that would later be essential to the team’s 2011 World Series championship. With the Cardinals fighting for the NL’s wild-card spot in 2011, the bullpen struggled to close out games. La Russa and Duncan inserted Motte into the closer role, and the reassignment worked out beautifully. Motte helped the Cardinals get into the playoffs by saving eight games in nine appearances late in the campaign. In 12 postseason appearances in ’11, Motte pitched to a 2.19 ERA, held the Phillies, Brewers and Rangers to a .119 batting average, and bagged eight saves. Motte joined Wainwright and Bruce Sutter as the only designated closers in Cards history to step up and record the final out of a World Series clincher. Motte followed that with a postseason 2.16 ERA, a win and three saves for a 2012 Cards team that advanced to the NLCS.
Tom Henke: Before the 1995 season, Jocketty signed Henke to a one-year contract after learning that the Taos (MO) native wanted the opportunity to finish his career close to home. Henke was a Cardinals fan growing up; his favorite players were Bob Gibson and Orlando Cepeda. Henke’s wish came true. After eight distinguished seasons for the Blue Jays, Henke became an All-Star closer for the ’95 Cardinals. That season Henke led NL relievers with a 1.82 ERA and a 95 percent save rate and ranked second with 36 saves. Cardinals fans loved watching the classy Henke pitch for his home team.
Dennis Eckersley: Jocketty swung a trade with Oakland to reunite “Eck” with La Russa and Duncan. The closer on TLR’s first two teams in St. Louis, Eckersley worked 113 innings over 120 appearances in 1996-1997. Eckersley wasn’t in peak form when he joined the Cardinals at age 40, but still nailed down 66 saves in his two seasons here, and only nine other MLB closers had more over that time.
Ryan Franklin: Jocketty signed Franklin to a one-year, $1 million deal before the 2007 campaign. Franky appeared in 285 games for the Cardinals from 2007 through 2010. He had a career-best season in 2009 after emerging as the closer for a St. Louis team that won the NL Central after two down seasons in a row. Franklin was a key performer in the ‘09 turnround, ranking third among NL relievers in saves (38) and ERA (1.92) and being honored with an All-Star selection.
Honorable mentions: lefties Ray King, Rick Honeycutt and Tony Fossas and Tyler Johnson – and righthanders Russ Springer, Fernando Salas, Julian Tavares, Dave Veres, Mike Timlin, Jeff Kinney and Brad Thompson. And a shout-out to lefty reliever Randy Flores, the winning pitcher in the Game 7 victory over the Mets in the 2006 NLCS. I went with the five primary relievers and then added the others because a bullpen needs quality depth.
THE ALL-JOCKETTY MANAGER: Tony La Russa. In his 16 seasons as the Cardinal manager, TLR established a franchise record for most regular-season wins by a manager (1,408), won seven division titles, made the playoffs nine times, won 50 postseason games, and captured three NL pennants and two World Series championships. TLR is a Cardinals Hall of Famer and a Cooperstown Hall of Famer.
THE ALL-JOCKETTY PITCHING COACH: Dave Duncan. With Dunc as the curator of the St. Louis pitching staff from 1996 through 2011, the Cardinals third in the majors in overall ERA and were No. 3 in starting-pitching ERA. His exemplary work was a substantial component in the Cardinals ranking fNo. 4 overall in regular-season team wins over the 16-year stretch that began in ‘96. The Cardinals were also first in the NL and second in the majors in postseason wins from 1996 through 2011. Duncan was inducted into the Cards Hall of Fame in 2024.
Hopefully Cardinals ownership will induct Jocketty into the franchise Hall of Fame — and soon. Jocketty turns 74 next month. I don’t think we’d find all that many general managers in major-league history who could top Jocketty’s superlative work.
Thanks for reading …
–Bernie
For the last 36 years Bernie Miklasz has entertained, enlightened, and connected with generations of St. Louis sports fans.
While best known for his voice as the lead sports columnist at the Post-Dispatch for 26 years, Bernie has also written for The Athletic, Dallas Morning News and Baltimore News American. A 2023 inductee into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, Bernie has hosted radio shows in St. Louis, Dallas, Baltimore and Washington D.C.
Bernie, his wife Kirsten and their cats reside in the Skinker-DeBaliviere neighborhood of St. Louis.