ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Cardinals announced the four players eligible for the team's Hall of Fame this year.
Starting pitchers Steve Carlton and Matt Morris, shortstop Edgar Renteria and outfielder George Hendrick are on the ballot. Voting opens on Feb. 24 and ends on April 26.
Steve Carlton is a Baseball Hall of Famer who started his career with the Cardinals. He had 14 wins and 11 complete games as a member of the 1967 team that is considered one of the best in team history. He was named an All-Star three times in his Cardinals career and ranked second in the National League in ERA in 1969 with a 2.17 mark.
George Hendrick was acquired by the Cardinals in a mid-season trade during the 1978 season. In his nearly six full seasons with the team, he had 122 homers and 582 RBIs as the team transitioned into the Whiteyball era. He led the World Series Champion 1982 Cardinals with 104 RBIs, and drove in the game-winning run in Game 7 of the World Series.
Matt Morris fought through early-career injuries to be one of the top pitchers for the team throughout his eight-year tenure with the team. He was a runner-up for rookie of the year in 1997 when he posted a 12-9 record with a 3.19 ERA in 217 innings. Four years later, he finished third in Cy Young Award voting and was named an All-Star. He finished the season with a 22-8 record and a career-high 185 strikeouts. He was one of the most reliable pitchers for the team as they emerged as one of the best teams in baseball in the early 200s.
Edgar Renteria joined the Cardinals in 1999 as the starting shortstop, a position he would hold for the next six years. He was a three-time All-Star, and won three Silver Slugger awards and two Gold Glove awards. He is second in Cardinals history in home runs and stolen bases for a shortstop.
There was no fan-selected player inducted into the Hall of Fame last year. Fans selected David Freese in his first year on the ballot, but he opted out of the honor.
“I look at who I was during my tenure, and that weighs heavily on me," Freese said about his decision to decline the honor.