Cardinals World Series champions Steve Carlton, George Hendrick and Matt Holliday and late-1990s stalwarts Matt Morris and Edgar Renteria have been named as candidates for possible induction into the Cardinals Hall of Fame.
Hendrick and Holliday, sluggers from different generations of St. Louis baseball, are on the Cardinals Hall of Fame ballot for the first time. Morris and Renteria are each in their seventh year on the ballot, while Carlton is in his fifth year.
Fan voting, which will be held from March 5 through April 15, will determine which player is enshrined into the Cardinals Hall of Fame on Aug. 27. Fans can view the ballot and vote starting on March 5 at cardinals.com/HOF.
The 2022 Cardinals Hall of Fame induction class will include a veteran player chosen by the organization’s selection committee. The induction class will be announced in late April or early May by Bally Sports Midwest. To be eligible for the franchise’s Hall of Fame, prospective members must have spent at least three seasons with the Cardinals.
“The annual Hall of Fame induction process continues to connect generations of Cardinals fans,” Cardinals chairman and CEO Bill DeWitt Jr. said in a release. “I want to thank the Red Ribbon Committee for helping us navigate this process and for caring so much about Cardinals history.”
There are currently 47 members of the Cardinals Hall of Fame, and the gallery is located on the second floor of Cardinals Nation at Ballpark Village. It is free and open to the public.
Hendrick, nicknamed “Silent George” because of his low-key personality and his refusal to speak to the media, had the game-winning RBI in Game 7 of the Cardinals’ 1982 World Series victory. He played for St. Louis from 1978-84 and led the franchise in home runs and RBIs four consecutive seasons from 1980-83.
Like Hendrick, Holliday came to St. Louis via a midseason trade and quickly became a franchise fixture as a power-hitting corner outfielder. He played for the Cardinals from 2009-16 and was a part of the Cardinals team that rallied past the Rangers to win the 2011 World Series title. In 982 games with St. Louis, Holliday hit .293 with 156 home runs and 616 RBIs.
Carlton, 77, has been a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame since 1994. Widely considered one of the best left-handed pitchers in MLB history, Carlton was a three-time All-Star and a 1967 World Series champion in his seven seasons with St. Louis from 1965-71. “Lefty” is one of just two pitchers in Cardinals history to have won 75 games before turning 27 years old.
Morris went 101-62 with 18 complete games, eight shutouts and two All-Star Game appearances with the Cardinals from 1997-2005.
Renteria, a Cardinal from 1999-04, provided the franchise some much-needed stability at shortstop following the retirement of Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith in 1996. In his six seasons with the Redbirds, Renteria was a three-time All-Star and Silver Slugger Award winner and a two-time Gold Glover. He ranks first among Cardinals shortstops in OPS, and he’s in the club’s top three all-time in hits, extra-base hits, home runs, RBIs and batting average among shortstops.