History is a funny thing in St. Louis. If you walk into Busch Stadium, you feel the weight of every fly ball that ever cleared the wall. Honestly, being a fan here is basically a full-time job of memorizing numbers. You’ve got the 11 World Series rings, the retired jerseys, and of course, the list of Cardinals home run leaders.
For a long time, we all thought "The Machine" would eventually sit on the throne alone. Albert Pujols. The man was a hitting clinic. But when you look at the final tally, there’s still one name at the very top, and it’s the guy with the statue outside the gate.
The Mount Rushmore of St. Louis Power
It’s almost weird to think about now, but Stan Musial didn’t start out as a home run threat. He was a line-drive specialist who just happened to be so good at hitting that the balls started leaving the park by accident. He finished his career with 475 home runs in a Cardinals uniform.
That is the mountain.
Albert Pujols finished his St. Louis tenure with 469. He fell six short. Just six! If he hadn’t spent those years out in Anaheim with the Angels, he wouldn’t just be the leader; he’d probably have 700+ just as a Cardinal. But that’s the thing about baseball—longevity in one city matters.
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The Top 10 All-Time List (The Heavy Hitters)
Most people can guess the top two, but the rest of the list gets kinda interesting. You've got guys from the 1920s rubbing shoulders with guys from the "Steroid Era" and the Gold Glove vacuum that was the early 2000s.
- Stan Musial: 475
- Albert Pujols: 469
- Ken Boyer: 255
- Jim Edmonds: 241
- Ray Lankford: 228
- Mark McGwire: 220
- Rogers Hornsby: 193
- Jim Bottomley: 181
- Yadier Molina: 176
- Ted Simmons: 172
Look at the gap between second and third. It’s a literal chasm. Ken Boyer was a legend, an MVP, and a captain, but he’s over 200 homers behind Pujols. It really puts into perspective how spoiled St. Louis fans were for about a decade.
Why Mark McGwire isn't higher
You’d think the guy who hit 70 in a single season would be number one, right? Nope. Big Mac is sixth.
He only played 545 games for the Birds. In those games, he hit 220 home runs. That math is actually terrifying. He was essentially hitting a home run every 2.5 games. If McGwire had played his whole career in St. Louis, we’d be talking about a number that starts with a 7 or an 8. But he didn't. He spent his prime in Oakland.
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Still, the 1998 season basically saved baseball. Whether you love him or hate him for the era he played in, you can't talk about Cardinals home run leaders without acknowledging that he changed the atmosphere of the city. Every time he stepped into the box, people stopped buying beer and just stared.
The "Underrated" Power: Ray Lankford and Jim Edmonds
If you grew up in the 90s, Ray Lankford was your guy. He’s the only player in franchise history with 200 homers and 200 steals. He’s sitting there at fifth all-time with 228. He was a bright spot in some pretty lean years before the 2000s renaissance.
Then you have Jim Edmonds. Jimmy Ballgame.
Everyone remembers the diving catches in center field, but the man had a violent, beautiful swing. He finished with 241 as a Cardinal. He was part of the "MV3" alongside Pujols and Scott Rolen. Honestly, that lineup was unfair.
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The Catcher Power: Yadi and Simba
Seeing Yadier Molina at number nine on a home run list feels... right, but also surprising. He wasn't a "power hitter" in the traditional sense. He was a grinder. But when you play for 19 years, those 10-15 homers a year start to pile up. He passed Ted Simmons (172) late in his career to become the most powerful catcher in team history.
Simmons, for the record, belongs in more Hall of Fame conversations. He was a switch-hitting monster who just happened to play at the same time as Johnny Bench and Carlton Fisk.
Where do we go from here?
Right now, the list is pretty stagnant. Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado are climbing, but they both started their careers elsewhere. To get into that top five, you need a decade of dominance in the Lou.
The real question is: who’s the next homegrown star? We’re looking at a bit of a power drought in 2026 compared to the "Bash Brothers" days.
If you're looking to track these stats yourself, the best move is to keep an eye on the active leaders vs. the all-time greats. Most fans get caught up in the season-to-season hype, but the real prestige is in that career total.
Your Next Steps for Tracking Stats
- Check the official MLB Cardinals team registry once a month to see if Arenado or Goldschmidt have moved up a slot.
- Compare "At-Bats Per Home Run" instead of just total numbers; it reveals who the actual most efficient sluggers were (McGwire usually wins this).
- Look into the Busch Stadium III park factors; it's a lot harder to hit homers now than it was at Sportsman's Park where Musial played.
The record books are basically a living document. Even though Stan holds the lead for now, the ghost of Albert's "what if" will always haunt that number two spot.