photo: Whitey Herzog
The pending passing of one year to another brings the sobering task of remembering members of the St. Louis Cardinals community who passed away during the prior 12 months.
Among those to leave us during 2024 are well known names including Hall of Famers Whitey Herzog and Orlando Cepeda. Others are so obscure they played in just a handful of games, but all 16 are former St. Louis Cardinals who passed away this past year.
The many former Cardinals still with us include 1954 pitcher Bill Greason, the team’s oldest living former player. The right-hander celebrated his 100th birthday on September 3rd.
In our 19th annual feature, a short remembrance of each of the 16 follows, down from 23 one year ago. We conclude with a look at the St. Louis Browns, as is our annual custom. Fortunately, that section is again short this year.
2024 Cardinals deaths
January 22, Don Lassetter, age 90
An outfielder from the University of Georgia, Lassetter appeared in four games for the 1957 Cardinals, batting .154 in his only MLB experience.
January 26, Jimy Williams, age 81
Most known later for his 12 years managing the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros, Williams’ only time as a major league player came with the Cardinals of 1966 and 1967. A middle infielder, the California native appeared in 14 games, batting .231.
February 4, Brant Alyea, age 81
The outfielder closed his six partial years in the majors with his fourth team. Taking 19 at-bats for the 1972 Cardinals, Alyea hit .158.
February 25, Jose DeLeon, age 63
The native of the Dominican Republic pitched for parts of 13 seasons in the majors, including 1988 through 1992 with the Cardinals. DeLeon had a career 3.76 ERA but finished 33 games under .500 due to pitching for several below-average teams.
DeLeon became a Cardinal when Lance Johnson and Ricky Horton were dealt to the Chicago White Sox in 1988. In 1989, DeLeon led the National League with 201 strikeouts, after ranking third the year before. St. Louis released DeLeon in August 1992, but he pitched for three more seasons in the majors.
April 16, Whitey Herzog, age 92
As Cardinals manager from 1980 to 1990, Herzog led his teams to three (1982, 1985 and 1987) World Series, including the title in 1982, and he ranks third on the franchise’s all-time managerial wins list with 822.
After his time as an outfielder in the majors, Herzog managed Texas, California and Kansas City before joining the Cardinals. With St. Louis, he added general manager duties, enabling him to build a roster that took advantage of Busch Stadium.
His team’s style of play, featuring slap hitting, speed on the bases and tight defense, led to its own term, “Whiteyball”.
The native of New Athens, IL was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010, his number 24 was retired by the team, and he was an inaugural member of the Cardinals Hall of Fame (2014).
May 26, Tony Scott, age 72
The center fielder played 11 seasons in the National League including with St. Louis from 1977-1981. Scott was brought to St. Louis by new manager Vern Rapp and had both starting and reserve roles until Whitey Herzog traded him to Houston for Joaquin Andjuar in June of 1981.
After his playing days ended, Scott was a long-time coach in the Phillies organization, including at the major league level from 2001-2003.
June 28, Orlando Cepeda, age 86
The 11-time All-Star spent fewer than three of his 17 MLB seasons with the Cardinals, but they were highly impactful ones. Cepeda joined St. Louis in May 1966 and became the National League Comeback Player of the Year.
The next season, he led the Cardinals to the World Series title and was unanimously voted NL Most Valuable Player. Cepeda slumped in 1968 as St. Louis won the NL pennant. Before the 1969 season, he was traded to the Atlanta Braves for another future Hall of Famer, Joe Torre.
July 14, Jerry Walker, age 85
As a major leaguer (1957-1964), Walker became the youngest pitcher to start the All-Star Game at age 20 in 1959, representing the Baltimore Orioles. After his playing days ended, he became a coach, scout and front office executive.
From 1995 through 2007, Walker was the vice president and director of player personnel under Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty. He then followed Jocketty to the Reds.
Walker passed away due to a heart attack in his Ada, Oklahoma home.
July 15, Nelson Chittum, age 91
The right-hander broke in with the 1958 Cardinals and logged a 6.44 ERA in 13 games. Chittum later pitched for the Red Sox in parts of 1959 and 1960.
July 17, Bob Chlupsa, age 88
The right-handed relief pitcher appeared in 15 Cardinals games in 1970 and 1971, with an 8.84 ERA. Chlupsa did not appear in the majors again.
July 28, Doug Creek, age 55
The left-hander was drafted by the Cardinals in the seventh round in 1991 and debuted with St. Louis in 1995. Creek was traded in 1996 to the Giants as part of the deal that brought shortstop Royce Clayton to St. Louis. He later pitched in Japan and for five other MLB teams through 2005.
Creek retired in the Tampa Bay area and passed away due to pancreatic cancer.
September 1, Bob Blaylock, age 89
The right-handed pitcher appeared in 14 games in 1956 and another three in 1959 with St. Louis. That comprised his major league career as Blaylock finished with a 5.94 ERA.
October 10, Gaylen Pitts, age 78
Signed by St. Louis in 1964, the infielder reached the majors with the Oakland A’s.
Later, Pitts returned to the Cardinals organization and spent 40 years as a minor league manager, coach and talent evaluator. The Arkansas native also coached with St. Louis under Joe Torre and Mike Matheny.
October 22, Fernando Valenzuela, age 63
By the time the Dodgers left-handed pitching icon reached his age 37 season in 1997, Valenzuela was hanging on as a journeyman. The most productive Mexican native in MLB history made five starts with the Cardinals, posting a 5.56 ERA to complete his storied big-league career.
After his retirement, Valenzuela spent 22 years on the Dodgers Spanish language telecasts.
November 4, Don Ferrarese, age 95
In 1962, the left-handed pitcher became a Cardinal, his sixth team in eight seasons. Ferrarese posted a 2.70 ERA in 38 relief appearances to conclude his MLB years.
December 16, Gary Sutherland, age 80
After 12 seasons in the majors, the infielder joined St. Louis for 10 games in 1978 to close his career. With the Cardinals, Sutherland batted .167.
Remembering the Browns
For the second consecutive year, the count of living former St. Louis Browns happily remained the same. As 2025 opens, the total holds at three – of the 764 men who once played for the team that is now the Baltimore Orioles.
The trio of ex-Brownies still with us are Frank Saucier (age 98), Ed Mickelson (age 98) and Billy Hunter (age 96).
Last year’s article
Bonus for members of The Cardinal Nation
Not yet a member?
If you enjoyed this article, please consider joining The Cardinal Nation to receive the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system.
Holiday Gift Memberships to The Cardinal Nation at 10 Percent Off!
Brian Walton can be reached via email at brian@thecardinalnation.com. Follow Brian and The Cardinal Nation on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.
© 2024 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.