Rolen headlines group to be inducted into Phillies Wall of Fame

John Quinn and Ruly Carpenter will be honored posthumously as part of Alumni Weekend festivities before the Phillies vs. Minnesota Twins game on Saturday, Aug. 12, at Citizens Bank Park. Because of a personal scheduling conflict, Scott Rolen is unable to attend the Aug. 12, ceremony. He will be honored before the Phillies vs. New York Mets game on Friday, Sept. 22, at Citizens Bank Park.

“In different but important ways, Scott Rolen, John Quinn and Ruly Carpenter all left an indelible mark of greatness on our organization, and we are proud to honor them,” said Phillies Managing Partner and CEO John Middleton said. “Philadelphia is the place where Scott Rolen laid the foundation for a magnificent Hall of Fame career. It was a privilege to watch him play. We look forward to seeing him and his family on September 22.” Middleton continued, “From the executive and ownership levels, John Quinn and Ruly Carpenter both made monumental and everlasting contributions to our organization, and the fruits of their labors produced wins on the field and beyond. We are pleased to welcome their families to Citizens Bank Park on August 12.”

Rolen, who spent parts of the first seven seasons of his 17-year major league career with the Phillies, was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in January. The eight-time Gold Glove third baseman and seven-time All-Star will be enshrined into Cooperstown on July 23. A second-round draft pick of the Phillies in 1993, Rolen debuted in the majors in August 1996. During his time in Philadelphia, he hit .282 with a .373 on-base percentage and a .504 slugging percentage. He had 207 doubles, 150 home runs, 559 RBI, 426 walks, 533 runs and 71 stolen bases as a Phillie.

The highlight of Rolen’s tenure with the Phillies came in 1997 when he was the unanimous choice as National League Rookie of the Year. He was the first Phillie to win that honor since another young third baseman – Dick Allen – did so in 1964. A brilliant defender, Rolen earned four of his Gold Gloves as a Phillie, the first as a 23-year-old in 1998. He hit .290 with 45 doubles, 31 home runs, 110 RBI and a .923 OPS while playing in 160 games for the Phillies that season.

Rolen moved on to St. Louis in 2002 and later played in Toronto and Cincinnati. He won a World Series with the Cardinals in 2006. He finished his career with a .281 batting average, 517 doubles, 43 triples, 316 home runs, 1,287 RBI, 899 walks, 1,211 runs, 118 steals and an .855 OPS in 2,038 games. His 70.1 bWAR during his career ranked sixth in baseball in that span, trailing only Alex Rodriguez (116.4), Albert Pujols (91.5), Barry Bonds (88.8), Chipper Jones (82.4) and Derek Jeter (73.2).

“I am humbled and honored to join so many great Phillies on the team’s Wall of Fame,” Rolen said. “My years in Philadelphia, I wouldn’t trade for anything. It taught me how to play the game, how to hustle and play hard. I’m grateful to Philadelphia and the Phillies for the important role they played in my career.”

The longest-tenured general manager in Phillies history, Quinn presided over the club’s baseball operations from 1959-72. During that time, he drafted, signed or traded for Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Larry Bowa, Greg Luzinski and Bob Boone, who together formed the core of the Phillies’ first World Series championship team in 1980.

Other Phillies greats whom Quinn acquired include Dick Allen, Jim Bunning, Johnny Callison and Tony Taylor. In drafting Schmidt, signing Allen and trading for Carlton and Bunning, Quinn is responsible for acquiring four of the nine Phillies who have had their jerseys retired, an extraordinary legacy.

Under Quinn’s leadership, the Phillies became fully integrated and fielded the first racially diverse team in franchise history. He was also responsible for hiring Gene Mauch, who became the winningest manager for the club before being surpassed by Charlie Manuel, the team’s 2008 World Series-winning skipper and a fellow Wall of Famer.

The Carpenter family, who owned the Phillies from 1943-81, appointed Ruly as team president in 1972, after he had served in various capacities with the club for 10 years. At the age of 32, Ruly became the youngest team president in the league. During his tenure in this role, the Phillies won three straight division titles and their first World Series in a five-year span from 1976-80. In that same window, the club hosted the 1976 All-Star Game, debuted the Phillie Phanatic in 1978, hired Dallas Green as manager in 1979 and acquired several future Wall of Famers.

The Phillies made the postseason in five of the nine years that Carpenter was president and posted a 763-640 record. Prior to being named president, Carpenter was responsible for recommending the hiring of Paul Owens, who began as farm director and ultimately became general manager and architect of the 1980 World Series-winning team.

Quinn and Carpenter are just the third and fourth executives to earn Phillies Wall of Fame honors. Owens, general manager from 1972-84, was inducted in 1988. Pat Gillick, who had stints as both general manager and team president, was inducted in 2018.