Scott Rolen has been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Rolen is the only player elected as part of the 2023 Hall of Fame class. Rolen was in his sixth year on the ballot, obtaining 76.3%. Ultimately, that is 5 votes above the required 75% needed to get the call to Cooperstown. Rolen joins Fred McGriff, elected by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee in December.
Rolen’s 10.2% in his first year on the ballot is the lowest in a player’s debut on the ballot who got in on the writer’s ballot (since voting returned to being annual in 1968).
One of the best third basemen of a generation is off to Cooperstown.
Scott Rolen is a Hall of Famer! pic.twitter.com/gOb58woH48
— MLB (@MLB) January 24, 2023
Scott Rolen’s Career
Scott Rolen’s career was excellent. Surprisingly, Rolen’s story does not begin and end with baseball. He played university-level basketball for the Georgia Bulldogs. The Philadelphia Phillies drafted Rolen in the 1993 Amateur Draft. He went in the second round and 46th overall. However, he proved throughout his career you do not need to be drafted in the first round to succeed. Rolen was often compared as being a successor to Mike Schmidt in the early years of his career. Although he is not Mike Schmidt in the eyes of many, he is still one of the best third basemen the game has ever seen. His selection into the Baseball Hall of Fame proves that.
Rolen went on to play for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, and Cinncinati Reds. He played for 17 years in the big leagues. Rolen was a seven-time all-star, the NL Rookie of the Year in 1997, an eight-time Gold Glove winner, and won the World Series in 2006 with the Cardinals. Rolen has Hall of Fame experience since he is already a member of the Cardinals Hall of Fame. On top of those accolades, he finished his career with 2,077 hits, 316 home runs, and an impressive .281 batting average.
Scott Rolen was big and powerful, yet glided at third base. Furthermore, his range was incredible on both sides. His all-time career WAR (wins above replacement) is ninth for a third baseman to ever play the game. In essence, Rolen meant a lot to the teams he played on. He was a difference-maker. Rolen was described as a “no-nonsense” star. He knew his role and how to do it well.
Charity Work
In addition to Rolen’s baseball talent, he was exceptional off the field. He regularly visited sick children in the hospital. Rolen started a charity with his family called the Enis Furley Foundation. The charity’s goal was to help brighten the days of sick children and their families. Further, he created a recreation space where people could visit and have expenses paid by the charity.
Scott Rolen Hall of Fame
Rolen will be inducted into the Hall of Fame during induction weekend from July 21st-24th, 2023. However, it is unknown if Rolen will wear a cap with a team logo on his plaque. Rolen will be the only player elected into the prestigious Hall of Fame from the ballot this year. Altogether, baseball looks forward to his well-deserved enshrinement into baseball history. Congratulations to the Class of 2023, Scott Rolen.
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