Tom Herr

Hall of Famer Billy Herman once said, “See, my idea of the Hall of Fame is not statistics, it’s winning. Who’s the guy who helps you win the most games?” The reason why some people think of Tom Herr as a Hall of Famer is because of his tremendous skill in all aspects of the game. If you ask him to do anything, he could do it. Herr was always very good in every part of the game but was never dominant in any category, but always finished high in his league fielding percentage and stolen bases. Herr simply came out every day and provided slick fielding, a valuable bat and uncontained hustle. Herr’s biggest claim to fame was the fact that he teamed up with Ozzie Smith, giving the Cardinals by far the best middle infield in the league for the better part of a decade. Tom Herr started his career with the Cardinals in 1979. He played in only 14 games that year and was a regular by 1981, when he batted .268 and led all NL second basemen in fielding percentage and assists. In 1982, Herr helped the Cardinals to the World Series Championship, and had a personal breakout season the following year with a .323 mark in 89 games. Herr batted .276 in 1984, setting the stage for the best season of his career. In 1985, Herr had an MVP caliber season, batting .302 and knocking in 110 runs despite hitting only eight homers on the year. That made him the first player since Hall of Famer George Kell in 1950 to reach 100 RBI’s in a season with less than ten homers. Herr slowed down a bit in 1986 (.252, 61 RBI’s), but threatened to achieve his great 1985 feat again in 1987 when he drove in 83 runs with only two homers. Herr split the 1988 season between the Cards and the Phillies, and batted .263 in 101 games. He had two more good seasons before he slowed to a stop in 1991. Tom Herr was a fine defensive second baseman, a remarkable clutch hitter, and a huge part of the Cardinals’ successes in the 1980’s. I don’t know if he’s a Hall of Famer, but he is definitely worth remembering.