ST. LOUIS -- In a year when the organization will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its 2006 World Series championship, three players from that club will be first-time candidates for the Cardinals Hall of Fame.
On Monday, team president Bill DeWitt III unveiled the eight-player modern ballot that was built by members of a Red Ribbon Committee, who considered the candidacy of 24 modern players before whittling that group down. The Cardinals define modern candidates as any players who have been retired from baseball for between three and 40 years and played at least three seasons in uniform for the Cardinals.
This year's ballot, which will be put before fans in an online vote, features the following players: Chris Carpenter, Scott Rolen, Jason Isringhausen, Keith Hernandez, Edgar Renteria, Mark McGwire, Matt Morris and Joe Torre. Carpenter, Rolen and Isringhausen were first-time candidates, as each of the three last played in 2012.
"I'm sure any two of that group," DeWitt III said, "will be great representatives in the Cardinals Hall of Fame."
The online voting will open in March, DeWitt III said, and will continue for a period of six weeks. The top two vote-getters will then be announced on a date in April and formally inducted into the Cardinals' Hall of Fame on Aug. 27 at Ballpark Village. As many as two other former Cardinals -- one selected as a veteran player and the other an organizational pick -- will be enshrined on that date as well.
The Red Ribbon Committee met on Friday to consider 10 veteran players for induction. These are players who have been retired for more than 40 years and spent at least three seasons with the organization. Those considered included Pepper Martin, Bill White, Whitey Kurowski, Orlando Cepeda, Terry Moore, Ripper Collins, Ray Blades, Harry Brecheen, Mort Cooper and Bill Doak.
It has not yet been announced which of those 10 players was selected through a 5-3-1 point voting system. The Cardinals also have the opportunity to select a fourth inductee to recognize a non-player who made great contributions to the organization.
This next induction ceremony will be the third annual, as the Cardinals opened their Hall of Fame in 2014 with a ceremony to enshrine all players whose numbers had previously been retired by the organization and/or who had already been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Later that year, Willie McGee, Jim Edmonds, Mike Shannon and Marty Marion were added. The 2015 class included Bob Forsch, Ted Simmons, Curt Flood and George Kissell.