Pepper Martin Marquee

He was a twenty-seven-year-old rookie outfielder with 124 hits when St. Louis met Philadelphia in the 1931 World Series. He got 12 hits in 24 at bats off Lefty Grove and George Earnshaw, stole five bases, and the Cardinals beat the club that had won the last two. The country learned his name in a week.

They called him the Wild Horse of the Osage, and he played as though sliding headfirst were the only way to reach a base. He led the National League in stolen bases in 1933, 1934 and 1936, and in runs in 1933 with 122. Thirteen seasons gave him 1,227 hits, 270 doubles, 146 stolen bases and a .298 average, with four All-Star selections.

He was the loudest of the Gashouse Gang Cardinals who won the 1934 World Series, moved between third base and center field as the club needed, and managed in the minor leagues for years afterward. He was born on February 29 and died in 1965, at sixty-one. Fourteen writers' ballots listed him, the best of them giving him 46 votes.