Cardinals announce addition of three new team Hall of Famers
Two decades after each was a part of the St. Louis Cardinals’ return to prominence in Major League Baseball, this year’s class inducted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame will celebrate a key cog, the architect, and one of the voices of those successful teams.
Shortstop Édgar Rentería was elected to the team’s Hall of Fame via the fan vote, former closer and long-time broadcaster Al Hrabosky was elected by the Red Ribbon committee, and late former general manager Walt Jocketty was awarded an organizational selection.
“We take great pride in the selection process we use for electing new members of the Cardinals Hall of Fame,” Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said in a statement. “I’d like to thank our fans as well as the Red Ribbon Committee who cast their votes for this year’s induction class. Congratulations to Édgar Rentería, Al Hrabosky, and the late Walt Jocketty on this tremendous honor.
“We look forward to celebrating the achievements of these players during our induction ceremony in September.”
Acquired from the then-Florida Marlins via trade ahead of the 1999 season, Rentería made three all-star teams, won three Silver Sluggers, and was awarded two Gold Gloves as a Cardinal. He is second in home runs and stolen bases among shortstops in franchise history, and was a key member of the 2004 team which won the NL pennant before falling to the Boston Red Sox in the World Series.
Rentería won championships in 1997 with the Marlins, when he delivered the championship-winning walk-off single against Charles Nagy, and in 2010 with the San Francisco Giants, when he was named World Series MVP. He departed the Cardinals for Boston in free agency following the 2004 season.
The other finalists in fan voting, not inducted this year, were Steve Carlton, George Hendrick and Brian Jordan.
Before embarking on his broadcasting career, Hrabosky was one of the most fearsome closers of the 1970s. In both 1974 and 1975, he finished in the top five in voting for the NL Cy Young, as well as the top 16 in voting for the NL MVP. He is ninth in franchise history in saves and 12th in games pitched and was traded to the Kansas City Royals following the 1977 season.
Hrabosky is perhaps most familiar to current Cardinals fans as a broadcaster, having contributed to coverage of the team since joining broadcasts as a color commentator in 1985. He has served in that role and as a studio host for the last 40 years, strengthening his legacy as “The Mad Hungarian” in the process.
Jocketty, who died last week at age 74, was named general manager of the Cardinals in 1994 and was responsible for working hand in hand with the current ownership group on establishing much of the foundation for success on which the team was built throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s. Jocketty was at the helm for the 2004 pennant as well as the 2006 World Series championship.
Eight previously inducted members of the Cardinals Hall of Fame joined the organization under Jocketty’s leadership – Chris Carpenter, Dave Duncan, Jim Edmonds, Jason Isringhausen, Tony La Russa, Mark McGwire, Matt Morris and Scott Rolen.
Hrabosky, Jocketty and Rentería will officially be inducted in a ceremony on Saturday, September 6. Upon their induction, the Cardinals Hall of Fame will boast a cadre of 58 members. This is the 11th induction ceremony since the team opened the Hall of Fame, located in Ballpark Village, in 2014.
