Ken Boyer
Boyer was the premier third baseman of the early 1960s, combining elite defense with consistent power in an era when the hot corner was largely an offensive afterthought. His five Gold Gloves tell only part of the story — he anchored Cardinal infields that won two World Series while delivering 282 home runs and 1,141 RBIs across 15 seasons.
The 1964 MVP award represents Boyer at his peak, when he hit .295 with 24 homers and 119 RBIs while leading St. Louis past the Yankees in seven games. That season crystallized what made him special: the rare third baseman who could carry a lineup while making spectacular plays look routine. His .287 career average speaks to a complete hitter who understood situational baseball.
Boyer's death at 51 cut short what should have been a longer post-playing career, but his impact on Cardinal baseball culture runs deep. He proved third base could be a premium position decades before the modern game caught on.
Career · Batting
15 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | STL | 147 | 530 | 18 | 62 | .264 | .735 | — |
| 1956 | STL | 150 | 595 | 26 | 98 | .306 | .841 | — |
| 1957 | STL | 142 | 544 | 19 | 62 | .265 | .732 | — |
| 1958 | STL | 150 | 570 | 23 | 90 | .307 | .857 | — |
| 1959 | STL | 149 | 563 | 28 | 94 | .309 | .892 | — |
| 1960 | STL | 151 | 552 | 32 | 97 | .304 | .932 | — |
| 1961 | STL | 153 | 589 | 24 | 95 | .329 | .930 | — |
| 1962 | STL | 160 | 611 | 24 | 98 | .291 | .838 | — |
| 1963 | STL | 159 | 617 | 24 | 111 | .285 | .812 | — |
| 1964 | STL | 162 | 628 | 24 | 119 | .295 | .854 | — |
| 1965 | STL | 144 | 535 | 13 | 75 | .260 | .702 | — |
| 1966 | NYM | 136 | 496 | 14 | 61 | .266 | .719 | — |
| 1967 | CWS | 113 | 346 | 7 | 34 | .249 | .673 | — |
| 1968 | LAD | 93 | 245 | 6 | 41 | .257 | .678 | — |
| 1969 | LAD | 25 | 34 | 0 | 4 | .206 | .515 | — |
| Career | 2034 | 7455 | 282 | 1141 | .287 | — | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.