ST. LOUIS – Baseball fans are engaging with a new daily challenge through ImmaculateGrid.com, one that occasionally comes with a St. Louis Cardinals theme.
As part of the daily challenge, fans are asked to recall nine current or former MLB players who meet specific criteria. It could be naming a player that played on two specific teams (like the Cardinals and Cubs). It could also be naming a star who reached who played for one team and reached a tough career achievement (like 3,000 hits) or season standard (like 20 wins).
Fans have nine guesses to fill out the grid and be considered “immaculate.” The inspiration is based on an immaculate inning, a feat in which a pitcher strikes out three players on the minimum nine pitches.
From the standpoint of a Cardinals fan, this at least begs the question, which current or former Cardinals have played for the most teams in Major League Baseball?
In that regard, the Cardinals have been a destination for four of only five players who have dressed for at least 12 teams. They also once had the only two journeymen who played for 14 and 13 teams respectively on the same ballclub. In fact, those two won a World Series title together in 2011.
St. Louis has rostered at least 16 players who competed for at least 10 teams at the Major League level. Check out these names for a blast from the past:
Edwin Jackson
Played for the Cardinals: 2011
Total teams: 14 (Dodgers, Rays, Tigers, Diamondbacks, White Sox, Cardinals, Nationals, Cubs, Braves, Marlins, Padres, Orioles, A’s and Blue Jays)
Edwin Jackson is the all-time leader in MLB franchises played for with a whopping 14. That’s nearly half of all existing teams.
Jackson joined the Cardinals in a 2011 trade for once highly-touted outfielder Colby Rasmus. He played a pivotal role for a rotation in need of depth, faring 5-2 with a 3.58 ERA in his lone half-season with St. Louis. Little did he realize at the time, he would be competing for a record against another player involved in the same deal.
Octavio Dotel
Played for the Cardinals: 2011
Total teams: 13 (Mets, Astros, A’s, Yankees, Royals, Braves, White Sox, Pirates, Dodgers, Rockies, Blue Jays, Cardinals, Tigers)
Octavio Dotel, oddly enough, went from the Blue Jays to the Cardinals in the same three-term trade that brought Jackson to St. Louis. When he joined the Cardinals, he matched the MLB record for teams played for at 12.
Dotel’s veteran presence was much welcomed to a Cardinals bullpen seeking consistency. The Domincan Republic native went 3-3 with a 3.28 ERA and two saves for St. Louis, also spending just one half-season there like Jackson.
After that, Dotel joined the Detroit Tigers for two years and at the time set the record for most MLB teams played for. That record didn’t last long, as Jackson broke it seven years later in 2019.
Mike Morgan
Played for the Cardinals: 1995-1996
Total teams: 12 (A’s, Yankees, Blue Jays, Mariners, Orioles, Dodgers, Cubs, Cardinals, Reds, Twins, Rangers, Diamondbacks)
Mike Morgan’s MLB career stretched 25 years over four different decades, two different centuries. A starting pitcher for much of his career, Morgan only earned one All-Star nod (1991 with the Dodgers), though proved steady for teams in need of innings.
Morgan pitched parts of two seasons with the Cardinals from 1995 to 1996. He was traded to from the rival Cubs to the Cardinals in 1995 and released in the 1996 season. Morgan’s St. Louis tenure included a 9-14 record, 35 starts and a 4.55 ERA.
Ron Villone
Played for the Cardinals: 2008
Total teams: 12 (Mariners, Padres, Brewers, Indians, Reds, Rockies, Astros, Pirates, Marlins, Yankees, Cardinals, Nationals)
A lefty specialist is a big part of any successful bullpen, and while Ron Villone didn’t have a very accolade-filled career, he was highly coveted.
Near the end of his career, the Cardinals gave Villone a chance on a minor-league deal. He broke the Opening Day roster out of Spring Training and spent the whole season at the big-league level, faring 1-2 with a 4.68 ERA over 50 innings pitched. He played one more season with Washington Nationals after that before he ultimately retired.
Miguel Batista
Played for the Cardinals: 2011
Total teams: 11 (Pirates, Marlins, Cubs, Expos, Royals, Diamondbacks, Blue Jays, Mariners, Nationals, Cardinals, Mets, Braves)
Before the Cardinals knew what they were getting into with journeymen in their World Series-winning season, they brought on Miguel Batista. Like Villone, he made the team out of Spring Training on a minor-league deal.
Batista only lasted three months with the Cardinals, pitching to a 4.60 ERA and a 3-2 record over 29.1 innings before he was released. St. Louis was one of the final stops in his MLB career.
Royce Clayton
Played for the Cardinals: 1996-1998
Total teams: 11 (Giants, Cardinals, Rangers, White Sox, D-backs, Rockies, Red Sox, Reds, Nationals, Blue Jays and Brewers)
Remember when Cardinals legend Ozzie Smith had some competition for shortstop near the end of his career? Royce Clayton was knocking on the door for an opportunity and won it for a few seasons.
Clayton debuted with the San Francisco Giants in 1991 and joined the Cardinals via trade five years later. Clayton earned his only All-Star appearance with St. Louis in 1997. After a .262 batting average, 19 home runs and 125 RBI over parts of three seasons with the Cardinals, he was traded to the Texas Rangers in 1998.
Dennys Reyes
Played for the Cardinals: 2009-2010
Total teams: 11 (Dodgers, Reds, Rockies, Rangers, Pirates, Diamondbacks, Royals, Padres, Twins, Cardinals, Red Sox)
This is another case of a left-handed relief pitcher wanted long before pace-of-play rules changed how southpaws are used. Reyes enjoyed some of his finest years with the Cardinals, going 3-3 with a 3.42 ERA and 79 innings pitched in his short stint.
The Cardinals were just one of four teams Reyes played multiple seasons for. On three separate occasions (1998, 2002, 2003), he played for multiple MLB teams in one year.
Julian Tavarez
Played for the Cardinals: 2004-2005
Total teams: 11 (Indians, Giants, Rockies, Cubs, Marlins, Pirates, Cardinals, Red Sox, Brewers, Braves, Nationals)
See a theme here? Julian Tavarez and many of the other well-traveled ex-Cardinals were pitchers. He joined St. Louis at a very exciting time, a stretch with back-to-back seasons of at least 100 wins.
Tavarez played key setup roles and occasionally closed out games in his run with the Cardinals. He went 9-7 with a 2.91 ERA over 130 innings.
Rick White
Played for the Cardinals: 2002
Total teams: 11 (Pirates, Rays, Mets, Rockies, Cardinals, White Sox, Astros, Indians, Reds, Phillis, Mariners)
Another pitcher. Rick White had a short-lived stint with the Cardinals, but it proved a largely successful one. He went 3-1 with a 0.82 ERA over 22 innings as a mid-season free agent pickup in 2002, a year in which the Cardinals reached the NLCS.
Todd Zeile
Played for the Cardinals: 1989-1995
Total teams: 11 (Cardinals, Cubs, Phillies, Orioles, Dodgers, Marlins, Rangers, Mets, Rockies, Yankees, Expos)
A little different than the norm of this list, Todd Zeile made his MLB debut with the Cardinals as a catcher and later transitioned to a corner infielder. Zeile collected a .267 batting average, 75 home runs and 394 RBI with St. Louis. He finished sixth in Rookie of the Year voting in 1990 and posted his only 100-plus RBI season in 1993.
Russell Branyan
Played for the Cardinals: 2007
Total teams: 10 (Indians, Reds, Brewers, Rays, Padres, Phillies, Cardinals, Mariners, Diamondbacks, Angels)
A defending World Series champion team riddled by injuries took a shot on Russell Branyan near the end of the 2007 campaign. A well-revered power hitter, Branyan only played 21 games for the Cardinals with one home run, two RBI and a .188 batting average.
Kevin Jarvis
Played for the Cardinals: 2005
Total teams: 10 (Reds, Twins, Tigers, A’s, Rockies, Padres, Mariners, Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Red Sox)
Bob Miller
Played for the Cardinals: 1957-1961
Total teams: 10 (Cardinals, Mets, Dodgers, Twins, Indians, White Sox, Cubs, Padres, Pirates, Tigers)
Russ Springer
Played for the Cardinals: 2003, 2007-2008
Total teams: 10 (Yankees, Angels, Phillies, Astros, Diamondbacks, Braves, Cardinals, A’s, Rays, Reds)
Brett Tomko
Played for the Cardinals: 2003
Total teams: 10 (Reds, Mariners, Padres, Cardinals, Giants, Dodgers, Royals, Yankees, A’s, Rangers)
Jamey Wright
Played for the Cardinals: 2002
Total teams: 10 (Rockies, Brewers, Cardinals, Royals, Giants, Rangers, Indians, Mariners, Dodgers, Rays)
Honorable mentions
Gus Weyhing bounced between 11 teams and several leagues in a career that started in the 1800s. He played with the Cardinals in 1900.
Others 19th century players, Davy Force and Orator Shafer, played for other pro teams once based in St. Louis (Brown Stockings, Maroons, Whites).
Rich Hill, the active leader in franchises played for with 12, received a spring training invite with the Cardinals in 2010, but didn’t break camp.
Jamie Moyer, known for one of the lengthiest MLB careers (25 years), pitched for eight teams. That included a short stint with the Cardinals in 1991.
Miles Mikolas, Chris Stratton and Steven Matz are the only active Cardinals who have played for at least three other teams.