We did it! Whitey is elected to the hall!
Induct Whitey Herzog into the Hall of Fame
Whitey Herzog’s career in and around major league baseball included stints as a player, GM/player development director, and manager. This great career might be Hall of Fame material based on longevity alone: 34 years exciting and impressive years.
But look closely at those years and you discover some incredible details and achievements:
- Whitey played – and learned – from the great Casey Stengel while a Yankee farmhand
- Whitey was director of player development for the Amazin’ Mets when the won the World Series
- Whitey’s teams won five pennants (3 with the Kansas City Royals; 2 with the St. Louis Cardinals)
- Whitey’s Cardinals team won the World Series in 1982
- Whitey was one bad call away from a second World Series victory (Mr. Don Denkinger later admitted that he blew it!)
The truth is, however, that Whitey Herzog deserves admittance into the Hall of Fame not just for his career’s achievements and longevity but for his incredible teaching and strategy that transformed baseball during the 1980s. "Whiteyball," as it was called, was an exciting and cutting edge approach: focused on speed, pitching and defense along with high on-base percentage hitting. Whiteyball teams played what can only be described as high quality, old school baseball. His players included some of the great players of the era including George Brett, Hal McRae, Ozzie Smith, Jose Oquendo, Vince Coleman, Wilie McGee and others. Especially in light of the Steroids Era that was the 1990s, Whiteyball was a phenomenon of quality baseball of the first order.
In the last election for which Whitey was eligible (2008), he missed election to the Hall of Fame by a single vote. The next Hall of Fame election will be held early in 2010 and is Whitey’s next – and perhaps best – chance for election. Induction would take place next summer in Cooperstown, New York.
If you, like us, believe that Whitey Herzog deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, please sign the petition on the right and call your friends and ask them to do the same.
Stories about Whitey
Do you have a personal story to share about Whitey that you would like to see on this site? Please share with us by emailing whiteyherzoginthehall@gmail.com and we'll post it to our site.
Petition
I, the undersigned, hereby request that all eligible voters for the Baseball Hall of Fame cast their votes for Dorrel “Whitey” Herzog for entrance into the Hall. Please, now is the time for Whitey!