These are the 7 former St. Louis Cardinals you can vote into the team’s Hall of Fame
The St. Louis Cardinals announced their 2020 team Hall of Fame nominees Wednesday evening.
The nominees are Steve Carlton, Keith Hernandez, Tom Herr, Matt Morris, Edgar Renteria, Lee Smith and John Tudor, with two of the seven men to be elected by fans in online voting that starts next month.
Player summaries can be viewed at cardinals.com/HOF, where fans can vote from March 1-April 17.
“Each year, we look forward to celebrating and honoring our team’s history by inducting a new class into the Cardinals Hall of Fame,” team owner Bill DeWitt Jr said in the team’s announcement. “I would like to thank the Red Ribbon committee for nominating these seven accomplished players for the modern ballot.”
The Red Ribbon committee, composed of Cardinals Hall of Fame managers and St. Louis media members, also used a secret ballot to selected a veteran player; his identity will be announced with the rest of the Hall of Fame class. Modern players must have played at least three seasons for the Cardinals and have retired at least three years ago; veteran players must have retired more than 40 years prior to the Hall of Fame induction year.
In addition, the Cardinals organization can also opt to enshrine a figure important in team history, including a coach, team official or broadcaster.
The 2020 Hall of Fame class will be announced on Fox Sports Midwest at 6 p.m. CDT Friday, May 8, and during a pregame ceremony before the Cardinals host the New York Mets that evening at Busch Stadium.
Enshrinement will take place Saturday, Aug. 29 at Ballpark Village. The newest members will join 43 Cardinal greats already in the Hall of Fame.
More on each Cardinals Hall of Fame nominee
Carlton was 77-62 with a 3.10 ERA in 190 starts with the Cardinals before his trade to Philadelphia after the 1971 season. He won 392 games with the Redbirds and Phillies, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994. (Years as a Cardinal: 1965-71)
Hernandez was a key figure on the Cardinals’ 1982 World Series championship team, was the co-MVP of the National League in 1979, and won six Gold Gloves at first base in his 10 seasons with St. Louis. (Years as a Cardinal: 1974-83)
Herr played an integral role on Whitey Herzog’s 1985 and 1987 playoff clubs, teaming with shortstop Ozzie Smith to form the best double-play combo in the game. He drove in 110 runs in 1985, finishing fifth in MVP balloting that year. (Years as a Cardinal: 1979-88)
Morris was 101-62 with a 3.62 ERA in eight seasons with St. Louis, made the NL All-Star Team in 2001 and 2002, and was third in the National League Cy Young balloting after leading the majors with 22 wins in 2001. (Years as a Cardinal: 1997-2005)
Renteria made three All-Star Teams and won two Gold Gloves in his six seasons with St. Louis, and was a key figure during the team’s 105-win season 2004. He hit .330 with 47 doubles in 2003, both club records for a shortstop, and drove in 100 runs that year – second most for a Cardinals shortstop in history. (Years as a Cardinal: 1999-2004)
Smith, enshrined in Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2019, recorded at least 43 saves in three of the four seasons he played in St. Louis. His 160 saves in that span stood as the team record until it was broken 15 years later by Jason Isringhausen. As a Cardinal, Smith led the league in saves twice and made three All-Star Teams. (Years as a Cardinal: 1990-93)
Tudor won more than 70 percent of his decisions during five years as a Cardinals starter, going 62-26 with a 2.52 ERA. He won 21 games (including a 20-1 mark after June) for the Cardinals’ pennant-winning club in 1985, posting a 1.93 ERA and recording 10 complete-game shutouts that year. (Years as a Cardinal: 1985-88, 1990)
Last year’s Cardinals Hall of Fame inductees included Isringhausen, a Brighton native, third baseman Scott Rolen and pitcher Mort Cooper.
This story was originally published February 5, 2020 at 9:19 PM.