This weekend, the most decorated team in National League history, the St. Louis Cardinals ushers in its second group of inductees to their Hall of Fame. This collection of talent includes Marty Marion, Willie McGee, Jim Edmonds and Mike Shannon.
The Cardinals Hall of Fame inducts people from three categories, the Veteran, Modern and Lifetime Achievement. This year’s Veteran Category inductee is Mary Marion, the 1944 National League Most Valuable Player.
Marion was considered the finest defensive Shortstop in his day and even with advanced metrics he would lead the National League in Defensive bWAR three times. Marion was selected to seven All Star Games, and though he was not regarded for his offense, he still had a respectable 1,402 Hits over his Cardinals career. In regards to the Baseball Hall of Fame, Marion received as high as 40 percent support for the Hall, but failed to get in.
Willie McGee and Jim Edmonds are this year’s Modern Inductees. Both were voted in by Cardinals fans whom were given a ballot of eight former redbirds to choose from. Like Marion, McGee is a former National League MVP winning his coveted award in 1985 and winning a World Series Ring in 1982. He was a four time All Star and two time Gold Glove recipient and had 1,683 Hits with St. Louis and collected a bWAR of 25.5.
Edmonds also won a World Series Ring, his coming in 2006. Edmonds, who played in the Outfield for St. Louis from 2000 to 2007, had three All Star appearances and six Gold Gloves and belted 241 Home Runs with a .555 Slugging Percentage as a Cardinal. Edmonds also had a very good bWAR of 37.8 during his St. Louis tenure.
Mike Shannon earned the Cardinals Lifetime Achievement slot. Shannon played with St. Louis (his only Major League team) from 1962 to 1970, collecting 710 Hits and two World Series Rings in 1964 and 1967. Shannon would work for the promotional department for the Cards the year after he retired in 1971, but the following season he would enter the broadcast booth covering St. Louis, a position he still holds today.
We would like to congratulate these four men, and the St. Louis Cardinals organization for what appears to be the start of a great franchise Hall of Fame.
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