Ozzie Smith Marquee Hall of Fame 2002

San Diego traded him to St. Louis after four seasons, and the 1982 Cardinals won the World Series in his first year there. He won a Gold Glove every season from 1980 through 1992, thirteen in a row, and was chosen for fifteen All-Star teams. He took the field on opening day with a backflip.

He was not a hitter when he arrived and became a useful one: 580 stolen bases, 1,257 runs and a .262 average. His best year at the plate was 1987: 182 hits, 40 doubles and 104 runs. In the 1985 National League Championship Series he hit the home run St. Louis still talks about, and was named that series' most valuable player.

He played 2,511 of his 2,573 games at shortstop and hit 28 home runs across nineteen seasons, which is the whole argument for him. He was elected for what he prevented rather than what he produced, a case the box score is not built to make. The writers put him in on the first ballot in 2002, with 433 of 472 votes.