After his MVP season, the Cardinals rewarded Keith Hernandez with a five-year, $3.8 million contract. The contract made Hernandez’s salary more than 10 times larger than the $75,000 per season he had been earning, and meant the Cardinals wouldn’t have to worry about him hitting the free agent market after the 1981 season. “There was
Keith Hernandez Part 2: Champions in ’82, Traded in ’83 Read More »
This is Part 1 of a three-part series chronicling Keith Hernandez’s career, which includes Part 2: Champions in ’82, Traded in ’83 and Part 3: Post-Cardinals Career and Legacy. Even before Keith Hernandez was born, the St. Louis Cardinals figured prominently in his life. Hernandez’s father, John, had been a left-handed hitting first baseman in
Keith Hernandez Part 1: Road to the MVP Read More »
Without the efforts of Bob Kennedy and Lou Brock, Keith Hernandez may never have won the 1979 National League MVP Award – at least, not with the Cardinals. Hernandez was a 17-year-old out of Capuchino High School in San Bruno, California, when the Cardinals drafted him in the 42nd round of the 1971 draft. Due
How Keith Hernandez reached his potential – with help Read More »