ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - The St. Louis Cardinals announced Thursday four players are finalists for induction into the Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2024.
Starters Steve Carlton and Matt Morris, shortstop Edgar Renteria and outfielder George Hendrick were named by the club as team's four finalists Thursday morning.
Carlton will be well deservingly known for his time with the Philadelphia Phillies, where he spent 15 years, starting nearly 500 games, and winning three Cy Youngs, but he started his career with the Cardinals, spending seven years in the majors with the team.
Carlton was solid with the Cardinals, pitching a 3.10 ERA overall in 1265.1 innings. Carlton had three All-Star Appearances and was a part of the franchise's 1967 World Series winning and 1968 National League Pennant-winning teams. Carlton was traded to the Phillies before the 1972 season due to a salary dispute, which led to then-Cardinals owner Gussie Busch ordering Carlton to be traded.
Renteria will be well known more for his clutch hitting moments with the World Series winning 1997 Florida Marlins and 2010 San Francisco Giants, but in the six years Renteria spent with the Cardinals, he was a key part of the early 2000s Cardinals.
Renteria had his peak with the Cardinals during the 2002 and 2003 seasons, where he hit a combined .318/.380/.461 slash line, amassing 360 hits, 24 home runs, 180 RBIs walking 114 times and striking out only 111 times. Renteria would win Silver Sluggers and Gold Gloves and received MVP votes both those years and an All-Star Nomination in 2003, the second of three he had during his tenure in St. Louis.
Hendrick spent seven years with the Cardinals, becoming was a key part of the early 1980s Cardinals. During his time with the club, he was elite, hitting a .294/.345/.470 slash line, amassing 978 hits, 582 RBIs and 122 home runs. Hendrick was a key part of the Cardinals 1982 World Series-winning team, where collected nine hits and five RBIs in the seven-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers, including bringing in the eventual series-winning run Mike Ramsey in the bottom of the sixth in game 7 of the 1982 World Series with a single.
Like Renteria, Morris was a key part of those early 2000s Cardinals. Morris won 101 games during his nine seasons with the Cardinals, where he pitched a solid 3.61 ERA in 1377.1 innings, striking out 986 batters. Morris would achieve two All-Star Nominations, including in 2001, where he finished third in National League Cy Young Voting in his first season back as a full-time starter two years after undergoing Tommy John Surgery in 1999. Morris would lead the National League in wins with 22 that season, tied with Curt Schilling, who was still with the Diamondbacks.
To be eligible, nominees must have played for the Cardinals for at least three season and be retired as a player from Major League Baseball for at least three years.
Voting begins on Feb. 24, and ends on April 26. The player with the highest number of votes will gain election.