St. Louis Cardinals fans have until Wednesday, April 20th to vote for two players for the Saturday, August 27th induction from a ballot that includes Cardinals greats Chris Carpenter, Keith Hernandez, Jason Isringhausen, Mark McGwire, Matt Morris, Edgar Renteria, Scott Rolen and Joe Torre.
The eight modern ballot nominees were selected by a “Red Ribbon” committee of Cardinals baseball experts through a secret ballot process in January. The Cardinals Hall of Fame Vote (#CardsHOF) is presented by Edward Jones at cardinals.com/HOF. The two players with the most fan votes after voting concludes will be inducted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame during a formal enshrinement ceremony that will take place on Saturday, August 27th as part of the 2016 Cardinals Hall of Fame Induction Weekend.
“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 are delighted to give our fans a voice in the induction process so they can help us recognize the exceptional careers and achievements of some of the best players in Cardinals history.”
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 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. Independently 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 third elected induction class will be announced on Friday, April 29th during a televised 30-minute Hall of Fame announcement special on FOX Sports Midwest, and also in a pre-game ceremony at Busch Stadium before the Cardinals face the Washington Nationals.
Each member of the Cardinals Hall of Fame is 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 Matthews International, the company that also produces the plaques for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.