photo: Dexter Fowler via Zoom (Brian Walton/The Cardinal Nation)
Former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Dexter Fowler has retired as a player and is moving into broadcasting. Our weekly history feature highlights the club’s five best shortstops ever, led by Ozzie Smith.
Dexter Fowler retires
This past week, former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Dexter Fowler announced his retirement as a player. Fowler, 36, played major league baseball for 14 seasons, four with St. Louis.
Fowler began his career with the Colorado after being drafted in the 14th round by the Rockies in 2004. He was traded to the Houston Astros in 2013. The Astros dealt Fowler to the Cubs two years later. After one season in Chicago, Fowler became a free agent, but after a canceled deal with the Orioles, he returned to the Cubs a few months later in February 2016.
Fowler earned a ring with the Cubs’ 2016 World Series Championship team. After the that season, the Cardinals signed Fowler to a five-year contract.
In his four seasons with St. Louis, Fowler slashed .233/.334/.408 with 49 home runs and 177 RBI. Fowler split time in the outfield between right and center but ended his four-year run mostly in right after the emergence of Harrison Bader in center.
The Cardinals traded Fowler to the Angels in February 2021, for the final year of his contract, paying most of his salary. Fowler sustained a season-ending injury after playing in only seven games with the Halos. Fowler signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2022. After playing in just three minor league contests, he requested and was granted his release by Toronto in May 2022.
Following his retirement announcement, Fowler was hired as a baseball analyst for the Cubs’ Marquee Sports Network.
News and Notes from the Offseason
- Tickets for Cardinals 2023 Spring Training games are on sale. The first game of the Spring Training schedule is on February 25 at Roger Dean Stadium against the Washington Nationals. There are 15 games on the home schedule, with the final contest scheduled on March 25 against the Marlins.
Fans can buy tickets online at https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/tickets/spring-training
- Monday, February 6 is Truck Day, when semis carrying the belongings and equipment for spring training depart St. Louis for Jupiter, Florida.
- Spring Training player report dates are approaching. Pitchers and catchers will report to Jupiter by February 15. The report date for all other players is February 20, with the first Grapefruit League game five days later.
- Single game tickets for the 2023 season are also now on sale. Opening Day is March 30 at Busch Stadium against the Toronto Blue Jays. Tickets can be purchased online at https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/tickets/single-game-tickets
Trade and Acquisition Rumors
There are no trade and acquisition rumors.
Transactions
There are no transactions to report.
Injury Report
There are no new injuries to report.
Looking Ahead
As the 2022-23 offseason nears its end, many other teams have been active during this offseason, but the Cardinals have been quiet since the signing of Willson Contreras.
The deadline for players and teams to submit salary arbitration figures has passed. The Cardinals had nine arbitration eligible players. On the deadline day, the Cardinals came to an agreement with seven of the nine players. They are Jordan Montgomery, Jack Flaherty, Dakota Hudson, Tommy Edman, Tyler O’Neill, Jordan Hicks, and Andrew Knizner. Agreements were not reached with Genesis Cabrera and Ryan Helsley.
Cabrera and Helsley are headed to an arbitration hearing which will be scheduled for some time this month. Both sides have submitted salary figures and the arbitrator will hold a hearing and then decided between the two figures submitted. An agreement can still be reached between the parties before the hearing takes place.
Helsley filed at $3 million; the Cardinals filed at $2.15 million. Cabrera filed at $1.15 million; the Cardinals filed at $950,000.
The next dates on the offseason list of importance are as follows:
- February 15 – Pitchers and catchers report to spring training.
- February 20 – All remaining position players report to spring training.
- February 25 – First game of Grapefruit League play.
- March 8-21 – World Baseball Classic.
- March 30 – MLB season begins.
Blast from the Past
This week’s Blast from the Past is the fifth installment in a series looking back on the best Cardinals players in history by position. There isn’t enough time and space to go in depth on such a long list of greats, so this series focuses on five of the best players by position in the history of the franchise. The term “best” is subjective and can encompass an endless number of factors that one would choose to determine who is indeed the best.
This week we look at the five best shortstops in franchise history based on statistical factors. For this installment, WAR is the primary factor in this determination. The following list is not a ranking but a chronological list.
Marty Marion – The Cardinals signed Marion in 1936 as a free agent. He made his major league debut on April 16, 1940.
In 11 seasons with the Cardinals, Marion slashed .264/.323/.346. In 1942 Marion led the NL in doubles with 38. He was elected the NL MVP in 1944 and was an eight-time All-Star. Marion contributed to three World Series titles in 1942, 1944, and 1946.
Marion was released by the Cardinals in October 1951 and was signed by the St. Louis Browns. He was with the Browns when the team moved to Baltimore and became the Orioles. The Orioles released him in November 1953.
Marion’s career WAR as a Cardinal was 29.9, second among shortstops in franchise history. He was part of the 2014 inaugural class to the Cardinals Hall of Fame.
Solly Hemus – Hemus was signed as a free agent by the Cardinals in 1946 and made his St. Louis debut on April 27, 1949.
Hemus played in St. Louis for nine seasons, during which his slash line was .275/.392/.414. He led baseball in 1952 with 105 runs scored.
Hemus went on to manage the Cardinals for two seasons, from 1959-61. His managerial career was unsuccessful, as he was difficult to get along with and was allegedly racist. He had frequent clashes with Curt Flood and Bob Gibson among others and as a result was fired and replaced by Johnny Keane.
Hemus’ career WAR in St. Louis was 20.1, third in franchise history at the position.
Garry Templeton – Templeton was the first-round draft pick of the Cardinals in 1974. He debuted on August 9, 1976.
In six seasons with the Cardinals, Templeton was a two-time All-Star and was the recipient of a Silver Slugger Award. He topped baseball in triples in 1977 and led the NL in triples in 1978 and 1979. He also was first in the NL in hits in 1979. His career slash line in St. Louis was .305/.325/.418.
Templeton was unpopular with Cardinals fans and was eventually traded in December 1981 to the San Diego Padres for Ozzie Smith. His career WAR in St. Louis was 17.0, fifth among shortstops in franchise history.
Ozzie Smith – Smith’s placement on this list is obvious, as he is widely considered the best shortstop of his era, if not in the history of baseball. Smith came to the Cardinals in 1981 from the Padres in the Templeton trade.
Most of Smith’s value came from his other-worldly defense, but as a hitter he was above league average. In his 15 seasons in St. Louis, Smith slashed .272/.350/.344. He was a 14-time All-Star with the Cardinals and won 11 of his 13 Gold Gloves with the team. Smith finished second in the MVP voting in 1987.
Smith concluded his playing career in 1996. He continues to contribute to the Cardinals as a special instructor. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of in 2002 on the first ballot with 91.7% of the vote and was part of the 2014 inaugural class of the Cardinals Hall of Fame.
Smith’s career WAR with the Cardinals is 59.6, highest in franchise history at shortstop.
Edgar Renteria – The Cardinals acquired Renteria in a trade with the Marlins in December 1998. He played for six seasons in St. Louis, from 1999-2004.
Renteria slashed .290/.347/.420 with 71 home runs and 451 RBI with the Cardinals. While in St. Louis he was a three-time All-Star, won two Gold Gloves and three Silver Sluggers.
Renteria’s career WAR with the Cardinals was 17.4, fourth in franchise history at short. He became a free agent after the 2004 season and signed with the Boston Red Sox. He ended his playing career in 2011 with the Cincinnati Reds.
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