"Ryan Ludwick has a Silver Slugger. He has no problem saying he wants to pair it with Gold Glove.

Ludwick, who entered Monday night's series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers leading the National League in hitting with runners in scoring position, would like his exploits in right field to become just as noticeable.

"It's been a goal of mine to get some recognition for something I've worked so hard at my whole life," said the normally low-key Ludwick. "It would feel good, to be honest with you."

Ludwick reached St. Louis in 2007 after signing as a minor-league free agent known as something of a plodder with an arm more accurate than powerful. Reality has shown Ludwick to possess a knack for getting alert jumps, taking sound routes and combining solid judgment and awareness in addition to a live arm.

Ludwick believes injuries earlier in his career typecast him as a deficient defender rather than blessed with tools that allowed him to play center field during his early years in the Oakland A's minor-league system.

Ludwick prides himself on his acumen as a baserunner and a defender, two areas often overlooked in the game's statistics-mad culture. However, at least one respected assessor of defense play considers Ludwick tied with Atlanta Braves rookie Jason Heyward as tops at his position.

According to John Dewan's "Fielding Bible," which rates each play in every game, Ludwick and Heyward are "plus-10." Only the Seattle Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki is rated higher (plus-11) among major league right fielders. The system calculates Ludwick's defense has saved the Cardinals six runs."