The Hall of Fame is a huge honor for any baseball player. Whether it's the team's Hall of Fame or the Baseball Hall of Fame, anyone would be honored to pick up that distinction. That's why it came as a huge surprise when St. Louis Cardinals legend David Freese declined an invitation to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. When asked why, here was his response:

ā€œThis is something that I have given an extreme amount of thought to, humbly, even before the voting process began. I am aware of the impact I had helping the team bring great memories to the city I grew up in, including the 11th championship, but this honor means more to me.ā€

Freese, a St. Louis native, was critical to the Cardinals' championship in 2011. Fans mostly remember his game-tying triple and eventual walk-off hit in Game 6 against the Rangers. That does not tell the full story, though. Freese was on fire throughout the entire postseason, and especially in the World Series. It's no surprise that Cardinals fans have a lot of love for Freese despite his decision.

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Some might argue that Freese's overall career doesn't warrant a selection in the Cardinals' Hall of Fame. After all, he was a slightly above-average hitter before and even after that playoff run. However, a team's Hall of Fame is much less stricter about ā€œaccomplishmentsā€. When your bat almost single-handedly delivered the city's 11th championship, that deserves to be immortalized.

In any case, even though Freese might not be ā€œofficiallyā€ in the Cardinals' Hall of Fame, he will be in the fans' hearts. And frankly, that matters a lot more.