ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - A St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer has a chance to reach immortality in Cooperstown, New York.
Bill White, who played for the Cardinals from 1959-1965, was one of eight nominees to be announced Thursday to be under consideration by Contemporary Baseball Era Committee to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Among other nominees along White are World Series-winning managers Davey Johnson, Lou Piniella, Jim Leyland, and Cito Gaston, multi-time World Series-winning exec Hank Peters and umpires Joe West and Ed Montague.
White posted a career .286/.351/.455 slash line, hitting 202 home runs and collecting 870 RBIs, and amassing a 34.7 bWAR in his career.
Most fans would be confused with why White name is under consideration for the Baseball Hall of Fame considering White only posted a career .286/.351/.455 slash line, hitting 202 home runs and collecting 870 RBIs, and amassing a 34.7 bWAR in his on the field career.
However, it is actually White post-on the field career that is under consideration for enshrinement into Cooperstown. White served as president of the National League from 1989-1994, when the league was it's own entity.
During White tenure as president, the Colorado Rockies and Marlins joined the league as expansion franchises. In addition, White helped pave a path for both the American and National leagues to merge under one administrative umbrella, which they both would in 2000.
White was elected to the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2020 along with second baseman Tom Herr and pitcher John Tudor.
The Contemporary Era Committee will meet on Dec. 3 at baseball's Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tenn. To be inducted into Cooperstown through a committee, the candidate needs to get 12 out of 16 yes from the 16-person committee.
