Three former Cardinals that should be in the Hall of Fame

Jim Edmonds

Jim Edmonds was teammates with the likes of Rolen, Pujols, Molina, Chris Carpenter, and Adam Wainwright during his time in St. Louis. He came to the Majors in 1993 with the Angels and was later traded to St. Louis prior to the 2000 season.

Not unlike the aforementioned stars above, Edmonds put up some very impressive career numbers. He had a 60.4 WAR, but actually had more career homers and a higher batting average than Rolen over the course of his career. Edmonds also had a .376 on-base percentage, a .527 slugging percentage, and an OPS of .903, edging out Rolen in those categories.

This is not to say that Rolen doesn't deserve to be in the Hall of Fame, but it does go to show how special of a player Edmonds was during his career.

Cardinals fans will mainly remember him for his clutch hits and diving catches. Two of his finest moments came in Games 6 and 7 of the 2004 NLCS. He hit a walk-off home run to force Game 7 for the Cardinals, then made a spectacular diving catch to keep the Astros in check the following night.

Willie McGee

Perhaps the most surprising denial to the Hall of Fame is that of Willie McGee.

The star center fielder broke into the big leagues in 1982 and helped guide the Cardinals to their first World Series title since 1967. He also finished third in the race for National League Rookie of the Year honors.

McGee wasn't much of a power hitter, hitting just 79 career home runs, but he was a catalyst on several great Cardinals teams, even helping them return to the Fall Classic in 1985 and again in 1987.

The star center fielder was a threat on the basepaths, stealing 352 bases during his career. McGee is a former MVP, a two-time batting champion, a former Silver Slugger, a three-time Gold Glover, and a four-time All-Star.

He was traded to the A's late in the 1990 season, but after brief stops with the Giants and Red Sox, he returned to St. Louis for his final three seasons. He is now part of the team's coaching staff.