2014 Cardinals Hall of Fame Nominees Announced, Fan Balloting Begins Friday

Fans to select two players for August induction from ballot of Edmonds, Forsch, Hernandez, McGee, McGwire, Morris, Simmons and Torre

                ST. LOUIS, MO (March 5, 2014) – Today Jim Edmonds, Bob Forsch, Keith Hernandez, Willie McGee, Mark McGwire, Matt Morris, Ted Simmons and Joe Torre were revealed as the eight players nominated for possible induction into the new St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame. The eight modern ballot nominees, selected by a “Red Ribbon” committee of Cardinals baseball experts through a secret ballot process, will appear on the first-ever Cardinals Hall of Fame ballot online at cardinals.com/HOF presented by Edward Jones (#CardsHOF).  Voting commences Friday, March 7th. The two players with the most fan votes after voting concludes on April 22nd will be inducted 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. “We think it is appropriate to have the best, most knowledgeable fans in the game of baseball choose the two Cardinals players who will be part of this first elected class.”

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, ‘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 first elected induction class will be announced later this spring some period of time after fan balloting concludes. The formal enshrinement ceremony will take place on Saturday, August 16th during the 2014 Cardinals Hall of Fame Induction Weekend.

Each member of the Cardinals Hall of Fame will be permanently enshrined in the new Cardinals Hall of Fame Gallery presented by Edward Jones that will be located on the second floor of Cardinals Nation in Ballpark Village, just outside the entrance to the team’s new museum. The Hall of Fame Gallery is free and open to the public. The plaques that will adorn the gallery are being produced by Mathews International, the company that also produces the plaques for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

In January the Cardinals announced that an Inaugural Class, consisting of 22 Cardinals who are either enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame as Cardinals or whose number has been retired by the club, will automatically be part of the Hall of Fame upon the dedication of the museum and Hall of Fame on Opening Day in St. Louis on April 7th.

Following is a description of each nominee’s career as a Cardinal:

Jim Edmonds (#EdmondsHOF)

.285 AVG, 241 HR, 713 RBIs

Jim Edmonds joined the Cardinals in 2000 and played eight seasons, making the postseason in six of them and playing in two World Series, winning in 2006.  The three-time All-Star won six consecutive Gold Gloves from 2000-05.  He ranks 4th on the Cardinals all-time home run list with 241 and hit the game-ending home run in the 11th inning of the Game 6 of the 2004 NLCS.

Bob Forsch (#ForschHOF)

163-127, 3.67 ERA, 1079 K’s

Bob Forsch played 15 seasons with the Cardinals, making 401 starts, ranking 2nd all-time to franchise history.  He threw two no-hitters, coming in 1978 and again in 1983, becoming the only pitcher in Cardinals history to throw two.  He played in three World Series, winning in 1982, a year in which he threw a three-hit shutout in the Cardinals first ever NLCS game.  The two-time Silver Slugger Award winner won 163 games for the Cardinals, ranking third in franchise history.

Keith Hernandez (#HernandezHOF)

.299 AVG, 265 2B, 662 R

Keith Hernandez played 10 seasons with the Cardinals, winning six straight Gold Gloves from 1978-1983.  He was a co-MVP in 1979, batting a league leading .344 with 11 HR and 105 RBI.  The two-time All-Star was a member of the 1982 World Championship team.

Willie McGee (#McGeeHOF)

.294 AVG, 301 SB, 255 2B

Willie McGee played in 13 seasons with the Cardinals, playing in 1661 games, 9th all-time in franchise history.  He was a four-time All-Star, won three Gold Gloves and was the 1985 National League MVP with league leading marks of a .353 batting average, 18 triples and 216 hits, while stealing 56 bases.  McGee played in three World Series, winning as a rookie in 1982 when he finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting.  Is one of six players to steal over 300 bases with the Cardinals, swiping 301.

Mark McGwire (#McGwireHOF)

220 HR, 473 RBIs, 1.111 OPS

Mark McGwire finished his career playing five seasons with the Cardinals.  In 1998, he broke the Major League Baseball single-season home run record of 61 set by Roger Maris with 70.  He blasted 220 career home runs with the Cardinals ranking 6th in franchise history, leading the National League in 1998 and 1999, the top two season totals in Cardinals history.  He set the Cardinals single season walk mark with 162 in 1998.  Had back-to-back seasons of 147 RBI, ranking tied for 3rd in Cardinals history.  He was a three-time All-Star and won the Silver Slugger in 1998.

Matt Morris (#MorrisHOF)

101-62, 3.61 ERA, 986 K’s

Matt Morris pitched for the Cardinals from 1997-2005, finishing 3rd in the Rookie of the Year award in 1997 and was a two-time All-Star in 2001 and 2002.  He played in five postseasons and one World Series, in 2004.  He led the National League with 22 wins in 2001 and won 101 games over his career with the Cardinals.

Ted Simmons (#SimmonsHOF)

.298 AVG, 172 HR, 929 RBIs

Ted Simmons played 13 seasons with the Cardinals, making his Major League debut at 18-years old in 1968.  He was a six-time All-Star and won the Silver Slugger in 1980.  In 1975, Simmons set the National League record for hits by a catcher with 188.  He posted six seasons of 20 or more home runs and 10 consecutive seasons from 1971-80 with 75 or more RBI.  His 172 HR rank 9th and 929 RBI are 7th all-time in Cardinals franchise history.

Joe Torre (#TorreHOF)

.308 AVG, 558 RBIs, 161 2B

Joe Torre played six seasons with the Cardinals at catcher, first base and third base from 1969-74.  He was a four-time All-Star and was named National League MVP in 1971, leading the league with a .363 batting average with 137 RBI and 230 hits, while hitting 24 home runs.  His 230 hits were the most since Stan Musial had 230 in 1948, the most by a Cardinal since World War II.  He posted a career batting average of .308, ranking 10th in Cardinals franchise history.

The 2014 Cardinals Hall of Fame Inaugural Class

Jim Bottomley, Ken Boyer, Lou Brock, Jack Buck, August A. “Gussie” Busch Jr., Dizzy Dean, Frank Frisch, Bob Gibson, Chick Hafey, Jesse Haines, Whitey Herzog, Rogers Hornsby, Tony La Russa, Joe Medwick, Johnny Mize, Stan Musial, Branch Rickey, Red Schoendienst, Enos Slaughter, Ozzie Smith, Billy Southworth and Bruce Sutter.

The 2014 Cardinals Hall of Fame “Red Ribbon” Selection Panel

Tom Ackerman,  Frank Cusumano,  Derrick Goold, Rick Hummel, Randy Karraker,  Martin Kilcoyne, Jenifer Langosch,  Tony La Russa, Bernie Miklasz, Joe Ostermeier, Rob Rains, Red Schoendienst, Joe Strauss and Brian Walton.

Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum (#CardsMuseum)

The new 8,000 square foot state-of-the art St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum on the second floor of Cardinals Nation in Ballpark Village will celebrate the rich history of baseball in St. Louis and the legacy of one of baseball’s most storied franchises. 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 16,000 memorabilia items and hundreds of thousands of archival photographs. Fans can learn more about the museum at cardinals.com/museum.

Cardinals Nation (#CardsNation)

The first phase of Ballpark Village will be anchored by a first-of-its-kind 34,000 square foot venue on four levels called Cardinals Nation. Cardinals Nation is comprised of four key elements: a two-story restaurant and bar, an 8,000 square foot world-class Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum, a Cardinals Authentics retail store featuring game used memorabilia on the first floor, and a 330-seat roof top deck with spectacular game views and an all-inclusive experience unlike anything in baseball today. The Cardinals Nation restaurant will feature a high-energy, memorabilia-infused space designed by the internationally acclaimed Jeffrey Beers International. There will be three separate patios, two large bars, and unparalleled sports viewing with large flat screen TVs and other multimedia features. Cardinals Nation will set a new standard for sports-inspired restaurants. The Cardinals Nation rooftop seating deck will feature ticketed seats looking into Busch Stadium and will include amenities such as all-inclusive food and beverage, a complimentary ticket to the Cardinals museum, Busch Stadium audio/visual feeds, and access to other areas within Ballpark Village. Cardinals Nation will be the official headquarters for Cardinals fans who want to stay connected to the team year-round.

Ballpark Village (#BallparkVillage)

The construction of Ballpark Village represents the next step in the Cardinals’ vision for their investment in downtown St. Louis that began with the opening of the privately financed, $411 million Busch Stadium in 2006. Ballpark Village is a mixed-use retail, entertainment, office, and residential district being developed in partnership by the St. Louis Cardinals and the Cordish Companies. Spanning seven city blocks on the 10-acre site just north of Busch Stadium, Ballpark Village will be the first master-planned mixed-use development designed to complement the excitement and energy of the Major League Baseball game day experience to a new neighborhood outside the stadium walls.  For more information about Ballpark Village, go to cardinals.com/ballparkvillage orstlballparkvillage.com.

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