Cardinals announce star-studded ballot for 2026 Hall of Fame

The St. Louis Cardinals have spent this offseason building for the future, but fans got a glimpse of the glory days when the organization released its 2026 Cardinals Hall of Fame ballot.

Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina lead phenomenal class of Cardinals Hall of Fame nominees

While fans wonder what the future of the Cardinals looks like, the team's announcement for this year's Hall of Fame nominees brought us back to the good times in St. Louis. Franchise icons Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina headline what looks like a stacked ballot for the 2026 Red Jacket hopefuls. The voting for these two will just be a formality, as there is not a world where neither of them get enshrined into franchise history forever. This nomination will be the first step towards what is hopefully going to lead to their nomination into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

Pujols is a lock for the Cooperstown enshrinement, but Molina's case is somehow up for debate among fans who did not get to watch his otherworldly talent behind the plate for 19 seasons, all with the Cardinals. Of course, I personally believe they should both be first ballot Hall of Famers, but in Molina's case, if it takes another year or two, I can deal with it so long as he eventually gets in. Joining the two icons are another couple of players who may have been overlooked during their time with the Cardinals, but each put up solid careers while wearing the Birds on the Bat.

Dual-sport athlete Brian Jordan, who was drafted in the first round by the Cardinals in 1988, joins the ballot after a solid seven-year run in St. Louis. Jordan was a Pro Bowl cornerback in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons, but his baseball career is what he is known for and will (hopefully) lead to his selection into the Cardinals Hall of Fame. During his time with the organization, the outfielder had one season of a top 10 MVP finish and put up a 115 WRC+ and .815 OPS, while also stealing 86 bases. After leaving St. Louis, Jordan was able to maintain that production for a few years before eventually calling it a career after 15 seasons in the majors.

The fourth member of the ballot is 1982 World Series champion "Silent" George Hendrick. Like Jordan, Hendrick spent seven seasons with the Cardinals and received MVP votes four consecutive years, while also taking home two Silver Slugger awards and All-Star nominations in the two years where he hit over .300 and combined to hit 43 homers and drove in 206 runs. In that historic 1982 season, Hendrick drove in the winning run in Game 7 to cap off that phenomenal year. During his time in St. Louis, Hendrick hit .294 with an .815 OPS before spending the last four seasons of his career playing for the Pirates and Angels.

Voting for the Cardinals Hall of Fame is live now until April 17. The announcement for enshrinement will take place on September 12, and there is a real chance all four guys will hear their names called and receive their Red Jacket.