Cardinals Hall of Fame nominees: Hernandez, Isringhausen, Morris, Renteria, Rolen, Tudor
Keith Hernandez, Jason Isringhausen, Matt Morris, Edgar Renteria, Scott Rolen and John Tudor are the six players nominated for possible induction into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame the team announced on Tuesday.
Each member of the Cardinals Hall of Fame will be permanently enshrined in the Cardinals Hall of Fame Gallery located on the second floor of Cardinals Nation in Ballpark Village, just outside the entrance to the team’s museum.
“Each year, we look forward to celebrating and honoring our team’s history by inducting a new class into the Cardinals Hall of Fame,” said Bill DeWitt Jr., Chairman and CEO of the St. Louis Cardinals.
The six modern ballot nominees were selected by a Red Ribbon committee of Cardinals baseball experts through a secret ballot process. Fans can view the Cardinals Hall of Fame ballot at cardinals.com/HOF and cast their selections online starting Friday, March 1. The two players with the most fan votes after voting concludes on Friday, April 12 will be selected for induction into the Cardinals Hall of Fame this August.
Keith Hernandez played 10 seasons with the Cardinals, winning six straight Gold Gloves from 1978-1983 at first base. He was a National League co-MVP in 1979, batting a league leading .344 with 48 doubles, 11 home runs and 105 RBI. The two-time All-Star was a member of the 1982 World Championship team and batted .299 that season with 94 RBI. Hernandez’s .385 on-base percentage ranks fifth all-time among Cardinals hitters to have played at least 10 seasons with the club.
Jason Isringhausen spent seven seasons as the Cardinals closer. During his tenure, the Cardinals won the Central Division four times, capturing the pennant in 2004 and 2006 and winning the World Series in 2006. He registered a National League-best 47 saves in 2004, tying Lee Smith’s franchise record, until Trevor Rosenthal saved 48 in 2015. An All-Star in 2005, “Izzy” holds the franchise record for saves with 217 and ranks third among Cardinals relief pitchers with 373 strikeouts. His 401 appearances, all in relief, are the sixth most in club history.
A first-round draft pick, Matt Morris made his Major League debut less than two years after being taken 12th overall in the 1995 amateur draft. In his 1997 rookie season, Morris made 33 starts and finished with a 12-9 record and a 3.19 ERA, tying him for second among Rookie of the Year balloting. A National League All-Star in 2001 and 2002, Morris finished third in Cy Young voting in 2001 after winning a Major League-best 22 games. In his eight seasons with the club, Morris recorded at least 11 wins six times, won four division titles and started 11 postseason games. Matt’s 986 strikeouts ranks sixth on the team’s all-time list and his .620 winning percentage is seventh-best in club history.
Edgar Renteria played six seasons with the Cardinals and was named a National League All-Star three times (2000, 2003, 2004). The Colombian shortstop won two Gold Gloves while with St. Louis in 2002 and 2003, and three Silver Slugger Awards in 2000, 2002 and 2003. Renteria batted .330 in 2003, a franchise single-season record for a shortstop, as are the 47 doubles he hit that season. His career high 100 RBI in 2003 ranks second among all St. Louis shortstops for a single season. Renteria’s 37 stolen bases his first season with the Cardinals are the most in a single-season since that time and his 148 steals while with St. Louis rank second in franchise history among shortstops.
In his five plus seasons with the Cardinals, Scott Rolen dominated the hot corner winning Gold Gloves in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006. He was named a National League All-Star in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006, and captured a Silver Slugger award in 2002. In 2004, Rolen slashed .314/.409/.598 with 34 home runs and 124 RBI. His stellar 2004 campaign continued during the postseason with his pennant-clinching, two-run homer off Roger Clemens in the 6th inning of Game 7 of the National League Championship Series vs. Houston. During Busch Stadium II’s final season in 2005, Rolen was voted by Cardinals fans as the third baseman to the All-Busch Stadium team. In 2006, Rolen helped the club to its 10th World Championship, closing out the postseason with a 10-game hitting streak.
During his five seasons in a Cardinals uniform, John Tudor accumulated a .705 winning percentage and 2.52 ERA over 125 starts, both of which still stand as all-time Cardinals records (minimum 750.0 IP). The left-hander’s finest season came in 1985 when he won 21 games (went 20-1 after June 1) with a miniscule 1.93 ERA, including 10 complete game shutouts, and finished second in National League Cy Young voting. A member of two National League pennant winning teams in 1985 and 1987, Tudor won at least 10 games in each of the four full seasons he pitched for the Redbirds.
The St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame was established to recognize the exceptional careers and significant achievements of the greatest players in Cardinals history. To be eligible, the nominees must have played for the Cardinals for at least three seasons and be retired as a player from Major League Baseball for at least three years. The eligible pool of players is divided into two categories, including “modern players” and “veteran players.” If a player retired more than 40 years prior to the induction year, he is classified as a veteran player.
The sixth Cardinals Hall of Fame Induction Class will be announced during a televised 30-minute Hall of Fame announcement special on FOX Sports Midwest, on Friday, April 26, at 6 PM CT and also in a pregame ceremony at Busch Stadium before the Cardinals face the Cincinnati Reds.
The formal enshrinement ceremony will take place on Saturday, August 24 during the 2019 Cardinals Hall of Fame Induction Weekend.
In addition to nominating modern players for fan balloting, the Red Ribbon committee of Cardinals baseball experts also elected a veteran player for induction using a secret ballot process.
