Ernie Broglio became the object of scorn of media and fans alike for being the pivotal piece of a one-sided trade during the 1964 season. The 6-foot-2-inch right-handed pitcher had been a solid part of a strong starting rotation formed in the early 1960s under the direction of St. Louis Cardinals general manager Bing Devine, but was traded to the Chicago Cubs for a then-unknown outfielder, Lou Brock. The trade was originally thought by many to be lopsided in the Cubs favor. Brock went on to be instrumental in two Cardinals World Series championships and eventually was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, but the unfortunate Broglio won only seven more games in his career.

". . . people forget: Broglio was a damn good pitcher. In 1962 and '63, he was 30-17 with a 2.99 ERA." - from Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Blunders, pointing out in connection with the Brock/Broglio trade that Brock was not as good as many people think while Broglio was better.

Ernest Gilbert Broglio (August 27, 1935 – July 16, 2019), born in Berkeley, CA, pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs from 1959 to 1966.

Ernie signed with the independent Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League. He was acquired by the New York Giants in 1956. After two seasons in the Giants’ minor league system —when he won 17 games each year — he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in October 1958.

On April 11, 1959, Broglio made his major league debut for the St. Louis Cardinals, at the age of 23. In 1960, he led the league along with Warren Spahn in wins, and his win percentage (.700) was second to teammate Lindy McDaniel's (.750). He also had the second best ERA in the league, and was ranked third in the Cy Young Award voting for the season. In addition, He received the National League Sophomore of the Year Award that season. This award is not well known; MLB discontinued the award in 1962 due to the lack of interest.

Broglio’s eight-year major-league career showed a 77-74 mark in 259 games. In 184 starts, he had 52 complete games, 18 shutouts, and an ERA of 3.74. Before injuring his arm in 1963, Ernie was a very effective pitcher.

In his Letters from Home Plate response, Ernie lists Harvey Keunn, Hank Aaron and Roberto Clemente as the toughest hitters he ever faced, and Bush Stadium as his favorite park to play in. His favorite teammates included Ernie Banks, Ken Boyer, Stan Musial and Billy Williams.

After retiring, Broglio invested in an award-winning winery run by his son-in-law, Jack Salerno, in Healdsburg, California. In April 2009 he was inducted into the El Cerrito High School Athletic Hall of Fame.

(excerpted from SABR, BR Bullpen, and Wikipedia)