Cardinals name 2015 Hall of Fame class

ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals' Hall of Fame will grow by four this summer as the organization announced on Monday that pitcher Bob Forsch, catcher Ted Simmons, outfielder Curt Flood and longtime instructor George Kissell have been selected for induction on Aug. 15.

Those four Cardinals will join the 26 already recognized with plaques outside the Cardinals' Museum in Ballpark Village. The organization opened its Hall of Fame last spring and held its first induction ceremony last August.

Simmons and Forsch earned election through a fan vote that drew more than 45,000 cast ballots over a six-week period. The two were on an eight-player modern ballot built by a Red Ribbon Committee. That ballot also included Steve Carlton, Keith Hernandez, Mark McGwire, Matt Morris, Edgar Renteria and Joe Torre. To be eligible for consideration, players had to have played at least three seasons with the Cards and have been retired for at least three years but no more than 40.

Simmons, the only living member of the 2015 class, was a six-time All-Star during his 13 seasons with the Cardinals. He debuted in 1968 and went on to hit .298 with 172 homers and 929 RBIs as a member of the organization. Simmons set the National League record for hits by a catcher (188) in 1975 and hit 20 home runs in six different seasons.

Simmons was a longtime backstop for Forsch, who played the first 15 seasons of his 16-year career in St. Louis. He broke into the Majors in 1974 and remains the only player in franchise history to throw two no-hitters. Forsch ranks third in franchise history with 163 wins, second with 401 starts and was a member of three World Series teams.

A Red Ribbon Committee of media members and three former Cards managers selected Flood as this year's veteran inductee, defined as someone who played at least three seasons for the organization and has been retired for more than 40 years.

Flood, a member of the Cardinals' 1964 and '67 World Series championship teams, spent 12 seasons in St. Louis. During that time, he won seven consecutive Gold Glove Awards and was named an NL All-Star three times. Much of Flood's legacy came from his decision to sue Major League Baseball in 1969 over the reserve clause, which allowed owners to renew players' contracts in perpetuity. That suit jump-started a process that eventually led to the establishment of a free agency process.

The Cards selected Kissell as the fourth member of this class, choosing to honor someone who spent 65 years in the organization as a player, coach, scout and instructor. Never able to crack a Major League roster as a player, Kissell became a Minor League manager in 1946 and, except for a scouting stint, remained in that role through '67. From there, he became an impactful roving instructor, a position he held until his death in 2008.