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Rogers Hornsby was a 19-year-old scrawny shortstop from Texas when he was promoted from the lowest levels of the minor leagues to the Cardinals.

Spurned by his teammates and intimidated by big-league cities, Hornsby seemed more outcast and misfit than elite prospect when he left the Class D Denison Railroaders of the Western Association and joined the Cardinals in Cincinnati on Sept. 3, 1915.

At 135 pounds, Hornsby appeared ill-equipped to handle power pitching in the big leagues. Cardinals manager Miller Huggins feared the rookie lacked the strength to generate enough bat speed.

Thus began the Cardinals career of the player who would develop into one of the all-time best hitters in the game.

Big break

Determined to become a professional ballplayer, Hornsby quit high school in Fort Worth and landed a spot with a minor-league club in Hugo, Okla. When the franchise folded, his contract was sold to the team in Denison, Texas.

During spring training in 1915, a Cardinals “B squad” club of prospects and reserves played an exhibition game against the Denison team.

In the book, “My War With Baseball,” Hornsby said, “It was my big break.”

Hornsby impressed Cardinals scout Bob Connery, who tracked the shortstop throughout the season.

The 1915 Cardinals were strapped for cash, especially after fighting the upstart Federal League’s efforts to woo players, and tended to seek inexpensive prospects from low-rung outposts rather than compete financially for top talent from the highest levels of the minor leagues.

Connery recommended Hornsby to the Cardinals. In August 1915, Roy Finley, president of the Denison team, agreed to sell Hornsby’s contract to the Cardinals for $600.

“They told me to meet the Cardinals in Cincinnati (where the club was playing the Reds on Sept. 3),” Hornsby said. “I had never been north before, let alone a big city like Cincinnati.”

Toughen up

When Hornsby arrived, he was a stranger to a team whose veterans saw him as a threat to take someone’s job.

“You didn’t have a bunch of coaches helping the rookies,” Hornsby said. “You had to scratch for everything you got. The veterans on the teams were so jealous of their jobs that most of them wouldn’t give you the time of day.”

In his first week with the Cardinals, Hornsby watched the games from the bench. He looked forward to batting practice, but sometimes was blocked by the veterans. When the club was in St. Louis, Connery was there and he pitched to Hornsby after games.

On Sept. 10, 1915, the Cardinals were playing the Reds at Robison Field in St. Louis. With the Reds ahead, 7-0, in the sixth, Huggins sent Hornsby into the game to replace shortstop Art Butler.

Hornsby went 0-for-2 against King Lear, who pitched a three-hitter in the Reds’ 7-1 victory. Boxscore

Huggins approached Hornsby after the game and said, “They throw a lot harder in the majors than Class D and you don’t have the strength to get the bat around. Try choking up on the bat.”

Fitting in

Hornsby followed his manager’s suggestion.

Four days later, on Sept. 14, Hornsby appeared in his third game, starting at shortstop and batting eighth against the Dodgers at St. Louis. Facing Rube Marquard (who, like Hornsby, would be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame), Hornsby got his first Cardinals hit, a single.

Hornsby was 2-for-2 with a sacrifice bunt in the game, a 6-2 Cardinals triumph. Boxscore

In 18 games with the 1915 Cardinals, Hornsby had 14 hits, batting .246.

Milking his chance

Before Hornsby went home to Texas for the winter, Huggins told him, “I think I’m going to have to farm you out for next year.”

In his book, Hornsby related, “I was just a country boy … so I took him at his word. I thought he meant a real farm and go to work. So I went down to my aunt and uncle’s farm at Lockhart, Texas, and went to work. I also drank all the milk I could and tried to put on some weight.”

When Hornsby reported to spring training in 1916, he was a strapping 160 pounds. Huggins told him to go back to gripping the bat at the knob. Hornsby performed so well Huggins kept him on the Opening Day roster and started him at shortstop before eventually shifting him to third base.

Hornsby was in the big leagues to stay. Second base became his primary position and hitting was his special skill.

Hornsby went on to win seven National League batting titles (six with the Cardinals). He twice won the Triple Crown (leading the league in batting average, home runs and RBI) and twice won the NL Most Valuable Player Award.

His .358 career batting average is best all-time for a right-handed batter and rates second overall to Ty Cobb’s .366.

Hornsby hit .359 with the Cardinals. He has the most career hits by a Cardinals right-handed batter (2,110). The only players with more hits as Cardinals are left-handers Stan Musial (3,630) and Lou Brock (2,713).

Previously: Rogers Hornsby tops Albert Pujols among Cards’ best

Previously: Rogers Hornsby raised bar for second basemen

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(Updated Oct. 17, 2024)

Put at ease by management and welcomed by teammates, including those he might replace, Ray Lankford felt at home with the Cardinals and delivered a stellar performance in his big-league debut.

On Aug. 21, 1990, Lankford, 23, went 2-for-4 with a RBI, a run scored and a stolen base against future Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz of the Braves in his first game with the Cardinals.

Batting sixth and starting in center field, Lankford singled in his first at-bat and swiped second base.

In the eighth, Lankford doubled with two outs, driving in Todd Zeile from second, and scored on a single by Rex Hudler.

“I did a little bit of everything,” Lankford said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I’m happy. I couldn’t have asked for much more.” Boxscore

Top prospect

Lankford was selected by the Cardinals in the third round of the 1987 amateur draft. He and another Cardinals outfield prospect, Bernard Gilkey, became friends and were road roommates with the 1990 Class AAA Louisville farm club.

With Willie McGee eligible to become a free agent after the 1990 season, speculation was Lankford would replace McGee as Cardinals center fielder in 1991.

“When he plays hard, he’s awesome,” Gilkey said of Lankford. “… He reminds me of Kal Daniels of the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he plays better defense and he runs better (than Daniels). His style is like Daniels and he’s built like Willie Mays.”

One of the few to cast doubts about Lankford was Whitey Herzog. After abruptly quitting as Cardinals manager in July 1990, Herzog remained with the club as a vice president and was sent in August to scout Cardinals prospects.

“You can talk about prospects all you want, but if you and I are hitting .270 at Louisville … those aren’t good credentials to take Willie McGee’s job,” Herzog said.

The Post-Dispatch reported Herzog said in a Louisville radio interview his opinions on Cardinals prospects “might not be the same” as those of director of player development Ted Simmons. Herzog concluded Lankford could benefit from another season at Class AAA.

No war zone

Disregarding Herzog’s advice, the Cardinals called up Lankford on Aug. 20, 1990. He was batting .260 for Louisville, but had a .362 on-base percentage, with 25 doubles, 72 RBI, 30 stolen bases, 72 walks and 123 hits in 132 games.

After reporting to Busch Stadium on Aug. 21, Lankford met with Simmons, manager Joe Torre and instructor George Kissell in Torre’s office.

“Teddy told him he wasn’t going to Vietnam,” Torre said. “This isn’t war here. Just go out and have a good time.”

Torre met with Cardinals starting outfielders McGee, Vince Coleman and Milt Thompson and explained to them he would start Lankford in center and move McGee to right, putting Thompson on the bench.

Torre said he wanted Lankford to play center “in the event McGee’s not here next year. We want to get him used to the bigger outfield here (at Busch Stadium).”

One of the first to greet Lankford in the clubhouse was Thompson. “I just have to keep my head up and keep working hard,” Thompson said.

McGee and Coleman also were friendly to Lankford. “Willie and Vince are both great players and I’m not here to take any jobs away,” Lankford said.

McGee said he hadn’t played right field since attending Diablo Valley College in California. Asked his reaction to being moved from center to right, McGee said, “I’m the employee. I do what I’m told.”

Let loose

Lankford batted .400 (6-for-15) in his first four games for the Cardinals.

“We’ll baby Lankford a little bit, but we want to get a good read on him so we know what to expect,” Torre said.

Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz endorsed the decision to play Lankford. “The Cardinals need to turn Lankford loose, let him flail away at big-league pitching,” Miklasz wrote. “… Lankford can’t be held back. Stunting his progress at this stage is counterproductive.”

On Aug. 29, 1990, the Cardinals traded McGee to the Athletics for outfielder Felix Jose, infielder Stan Royer and minor-league pitcher Daryl Green.

In 39 games with the 1990 Cardinals, Lankford hit .286 with 10 doubles, eight stolen bases and a .353 on-base percentage.

After getting the chance to see Lankford, Gilkey and Jose play in the big leagues in September 1990, the Cardinals made the trio their regular outfield in 1991.

In the 1991 Cardinals Yearbook, Ted Simmons said of Lankford, “He has the best tools of any prospect we’ve had in the two years I’ve been here (as director of player development). He’s got the kind of tools that are as good as anybody and the kind that should let him have as good a rookie season as anybody.”

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