2018 Cardinals Hall of Fame nominees announced
ST. LOUIS, Mo., January 31, 2018 -- The St. Louis Cardinals have revealed Vince Coleman, Keith Hernandez, Jason Isringhausen, Ray Lankford, Scott Rolen, Lee Smith and John Tudor as the seven players nominated for possible induction into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame, presented by Edward Jones. This year marks the first time that Coleman, Lankford, Smith and Tudor will appear on the fan ballot.
The seven 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 Thursday, March 1. The two players with the most fan votes after voting concludes on Thursday, April 12 will be selected for induction into the Cardinals Hall of Fame this August.
"Induction into the Cardinals Hall of Fame is one of the highest honors the team can bestow," said Bill DeWitt Jr., Chairman and CEO of the St. Louis Cardinals. "The Red Ribbon committee has done another outstanding job of selecting seven of the most remarkable and accomplished Cardinals players of the past 40 years."
The St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame was established as a way to recognize the exceptional careers and significant achievements of the greatest players in Cardinals history. To be eligible, players must have played for the Cardinals for at least three seasons and must be retired as a player from Major League Baseball for at least three years. The eligible pool of players is divided into two categories of "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.
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. Independent of this process, the Cardinals organization may also opt to induct an individual who was an important figure in Cardinals history such as a coach, broadcaster or member of the front office.
The fifth Cardinals Hall of Fame Induction Class will be announced on Friday, May 4, during a televised 30-minute Hall of Fame announcement special on FOX Sports Midwest, and also in a pregame ceremony at Busch Stadium before the Cardinals face the Chicago Cubs. The formal enshrinement ceremony will take place on Saturday, August 18 during the 2018 Cardinals Hall of Fame Induction Weekend.
Each member of the Cardinals Hall of Fame will be permanently enshrined in the Cardinals Hall of Fame Gallery presented by Edward Jones located on the second floor of Cardinals Nation in Ballpark Village, just outside the entrance to the team's museum. The Hall of Fame Gallery is free and open to the public. The plaques that adorn the gallery are produced by Mathews International, the company that also produces the plaques for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
#CardsHOF
Following is a description of each Hall of Fame nominee's career as a Cardinal:
Vince Coleman (#ColemanHOF)
Years: 1985 - 1990 .265/.326/.339, 937 H, 549 SB, 556 R, 56 3B (878 Games)
Vince Coleman burst on to the scene in 1985 by stealing 110 bases as a rookie, a MLB record that still stands today, and winning National League Rookie of the Year honors. Coleman would continue to lead the National League in stolen bases throughout his six seasons as the Cardinals primary left-fielder while being named to two All-Star teams. A member of two National League pennant winning teams in 1985 and 1987, Coleman's 549 career stolen bases rank him second all-time in franchise history behind Lou Brock.
Keith Hernandez (#HernandezHOF)
Years: 1974 - 1983 .299/.385/.448, 1217 H, 265 2B, 81 HR, 595 RBI, 662 R (1165 Games)
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 (#IzzyHOF)
Years: 2002 - 2008 217 Saves, 2.98 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 408.0 IP (401 Games)
Jason Isringhausen spent seven seasons with the Cardinals. During his time with the team, the Cardinals won the Central Division in 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2006 with World Series appearances in 2004 and 2006, winning the World Series in 2006. He registered a National League-leading 47 saves in 2004, tying the franchise record which Lee Smith set, until Trevor Rosenthal broke the record in 2015. An All-Star in 2005, "Izzy" still holds the franchise record for saves with 217, and is sixth with 401 appearances with St. Louis.
Ray Lankford (#LankfordHOF)
Years: 1990 - 2001, 2004 .273/.365/.481, 1479 H, 928 R, 228 HR, 829 RBI, 250 SB (1580 Games)
Ray Lankford was known for his combination of speed and power during his 13 seasons in St. Louis. Lankford recorded five 20-20 seasons (with four consecutive from 1995-1998) and ranks fifth all-time in club history in home runs and stolen bases. He is the only player in Cardinals history with at least 200 home runs and 200 steals, and hit more home runs in Busch Stadium II than any other player (123). The long-time Cardinal center fielder was named to the All-Star team in 1997 and still ranks in the all-time Top-10 franchise leaders in Runs (9th), Total Bases (10th), Doubles (9th), Runs Batted In (8th), Walks (5th) and Game Winning-RBI (T-2nd).
Scott Rolen (#RolenHOF)
Years: 2002 - 2007 .286/.370/.510, 678 H, 421 R, 173 2Bs, 111 HR, 453 RBI (661 Games)
In his five plus seasons with the Cardinals, Scott Rolen dominated the hot corner winning Gold Gloves in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006, and a Silver Slugger award in 2002. He was named to the National League All-Star team in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006, and named to the All-Busch Stadium team as the third baseman by vote of fans. 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. In 2006, Rolen helped the club to its 10th World Championship, closing out the postseason with a 10-game hitting streak.
Lee Smith (#SmithHOF)
Years: 1990 - 1993 160 Saves, 2.90 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 266.2 IP (245 Games)
Known as one of the most feared closers in baseball history, Lee Smith recorded at least 43 saves in three of his four seasons with the Cardinals, leading the league in 1991 and 1992. During his Cardinals career, Smith earned three All-Star selections and finished in the Top-4 of National League Cy Young voting twice. His 160 saves stood as a club record until Jason Isringhausen surpassed that total in 2007.
John Tudor (#TudorHOF)
Years: 1985 - 1988, 1990 62-26, 2.52 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 12 SHO, 881.2 IP (125 Games Started)
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.
Cardinals Hall of Fame Members
Jim Bottomley, Ken Boyer, Sam Breadon, Lou Brock, Jack Buck, August A. "Gussie" Busch Jr., Chris Carpenter, Dizzy Dean, Jim Edmonds, Curt Flood, Bob Forsch, Frank Frisch, Bob Gibson, Chick Hafey, Jesse Haines, Whitey Herzog, Rogers Hornsby, George Kissell, Tony La Russa, Marty Marion, Pepper Martin, Tim McCarver, Willie McGee, Mark McGwire, Joe Medwick, Johnny Mize, Terry Moore, Stan Musial, Branch Rickey, Red Schoendienst, Mike Shannon, Ted Simmons, Enos Slaughter, Ozzie Smith, Billy Southworth, Bruce Sutter and Joe Torre.
2018 Cardinals Hall of Fame Red Ribbon Selection Committee
Tom Ackerman, Frank Cusumano, Derrick Goold, Whitey Herzog, Rick Hummel, Randy Karraker, Martin Kilcoyne, Jenifer Langosch, Tony La Russa, Bernie Miklasz, Jose de Jesus Ortiz, Joe Ostermeier, Rob Rains, Red Schoendienst and Brian Walton.
Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum
The 8,000-square-foot St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum on the second floor of Cardinals Nation in Ballpark Village celebrates the rich history of baseball in St. Louis and the legacy of one of baseball's most storied franchises. Since its creation in 2014, the Cardinals Hall of Fame, presented by Edward Jones, has inducted 37 former Cardinal players, coaches and executives. The Cardinals' museum collection is the largest team-held collection in baseball and is second only to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in terms of size with over 22,000 memorabilia items and hundreds of thousands of archived photographs. Fans can learn more about the museum at cardinals.com/museum. #CardsMuseum