The 2006 St. Louis Cardinals were an interesting team.
Though they were loaded with top talent, the team managed to win only 83 games during the regular season.
Luckily, that was somehow good enough to win a weak NL Central division, and in the postseason, stars such as Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, Scott Rolen, David Eckstein, and Adam Wainwright helped the team take off and secure its first World Series title since 1982.
Rolen was recently elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, and La Russa is already in the Hall of Fame as a manager.
On Twitter, a Cardinals fan pointed out that there may end up being five individuals from that team’s roster that end up in the Hall.
I just realized we will have four hall of famers from that ‘06 championship team. Possibly 5 with Waino. #STLCards
1.Rolen
2.Pujols
3.Molina
4.Larussa
5.Waino (possibly)— Cards Convo ™ (@CardinalsConvo) January 31, 2023
Obviously, both Pujols and Molina are highly likely to be first ballot Hall-of-Famers when their time comes.
That means that four people from that roster could reach the Hall.
There could potentially be a fifth Hall-of-Famer on that roster as well, as Wainwright himself has had a legendary career and is only five wins shy of 200 for his career.
While his case isn’t quite as strong as Pujols and Molina, Rolen finally reaching the Hall could help the veteran right-hander’s case.
In Rolen’s first year on the ballot, he received just 10.2 percent of the vote, but soared to the top and ultimately received the honor.
Wainwright may not be a first-ballot selection, but his career accolades shouldn’t go unnoticed.
After all, he’s won two rings with the Cardinals and been selected to three National League All-Star squads.
NEXT: Cardinals Insider Grills Team For Lackluster Offseason
You’re probably too young to remember but to list Eckstein and Waino and not Jim Edmonds is ridiculous. In that era, Edmonds was a highlight reel and his lifetime stats are equal or better than Rolen’s. It was a total fluke he got bumped his first year of HoF do yourself a favor and check him out on YouTube. You can underestimate how important he was to that club after all he was part of MV3