A bold possibility for the current Cardinals player likeliest to nest in Cooperstown

The St. Louis Cardinals, in the very long sweep of baseball history, have had many Hall of Fame players hoisting the Commissioner's Trophy (Can we get a better name for this thing, please? The Stanley Cup and Lombardi Trophy are snickering in the background.) In fact, there have only been three seasons since 1915 that the organization has not boasted a future Hall of Famer - even some obscure ones you might have forgotten! Which leads us to an important question – with Goldschmidt and Arenado out the door, will that string be shattered?

Before we consider the serious contenders, let’s take a moment and realize that we do not have a birthright as a fan base to having this string continue. This isn’t Westeros, and the long sweep of history sometimes knocks proud entities into the dustbin. When was the last time you saw anyone with a Kodak camera? It’s a depressing thought, but if this is truly the St. Louis Cardinals as the late-stage Roman Empire, then there might not be a Hall of Famer on the roster. Hopefully, we turned the corner of give-the-plebs-bread-and-wine-to-distract-them (hello, Sonny, Goldy, and Nolan), and are embarking upon this rebuild in the right way – but it’s not a guarantee. With that reality check out of the way, let’s see what we have on the roster.

Hall of Fame Candidates on the St. Louis Cardinals Roster

To begin, Donovan, Nootbaar, Burleson, and probably Herrera started too late to get the kinds of counting stats that are necessary. Herrera is already an above-average hitter and future All-Star. I think Burleson is going to develop further this year. Even if the dinosaur class of Hall of Fame voters move on, none of the rate stats of these perfectly good MLB players are eye-popping. I think we should avoid consideration altogether of the pitching staff. Did you really want to read a paragraph analysis of Andre Pallante’s chances? I’d say the pitching staff has a snowball’s chance in Miami. (It’s a family program, folks!)

Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman are young enough, but we’re talking about the Hall of Fame here, not the Mozielak wing of the couldn’t-develop-them-but-wouldn’t-trade-them Cardinals Hall of Fame. Both of these gentlemen would need to kick it in gear faster than the tractor I used to clear the foot of snow off my driveway. JJ Wetherholt? Well, I love the guy already and would recommend a Wetherholt jersey to get ahead of the crowd, but he’s not technically on the roster yet, so he’s out for this article.

Which leaves us with two candidates to my eye: Oliver Marmol and Masyn Winn. Ok, now, don’t drop the device you’re reading this article on. Yes, I said Oliver Marmol. Let me give you the case. He’s young. He has the potential to manage for a very long time and honestly part of the Hall of Fame case for most managers is just a truckload of games managed with a corresponding amount of wins and a couple of World Series titles sprinkled in. Do I think that’s likely? No. But, the upside case for the Chaim Bloom era is that he takes us back to the glory days of the Cardinals Empire. Ladies, don’t be remiss at the Roman Empire references. Surely you’re aware that all men think of the Roman Empire. If Oli stays for that whole ride and we squeeze out a couple of titles, he might just get the call. Shouldn’t we all root for that?

The most likely candidate on the roster at the moment, though, is Masyn Winn. He already plays world-class defense. He’s young. He’s got serious face of the franchise vibes. And, his offense might just turn the corner. The path is so painfully obvious to St. Louis fans that it’s more of a gimme than toasted ravioli being on the appetizer menu. Winn becomes Ozzie Smith. That’s it. It’s entirely possible he could go on a Gold Glove string. With apologies to Justin Turner, the arm is going to play at shortstop for a very long time. Honestly, I’m not even sure the offense has to develop. Ozzie was a an icon with a career 90 wRC+. If the back and knees can hold up for Winn, that unlikely path is right there.

I’m aware I just committed heresy. But if you give this idea a chance, it’s not really all that difficult to see. But, again, I’d ask you, Cardinals fans, shouldn’t we be rooting for this? I think we should. And, like some Stranger Things fans with Eleven, I choose to believe.