Rolen misses HOF selection, gains votes
CINCINNATI -- Former Reds third baseman Scott Rolen did not gain entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday. But all indications show Rolen trending upward, and it appears he could be only a year away from getting the call to Cooperstown.
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In his fifth of 10 years of eligibility, the 46-year-old Rolen received 63.2 percent of the vote, while his name was checked on 249 out of 394 ballots cast by voters from the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
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Hall of Fame results were revealed on MLB Network on Tuesday evening, with only former Red Sox and Twins designated hitter David Ortiz gaining election on the BBWAA ballot. Ortiz received 77.9 percent of the vote, appearing on 307 ballots.
There has been steady progress since Rolen received 10.2 percent of the vote in 2018. He jumped to 17.2 percent in 2019 before surging to 35.3 percent in ’20 and 52.9 percent in ’21.
Rolen played 17 seasons from 1996-2012 with the Phillies, Cardinals, Blue Jays and Reds, and is viewed as the best defensive third baseman of his era.
The 1997 National League Rookie of the Year, a seven-time All-Star and eight-time NL Gold Glove Award winner, Rolen slashed .281/.364/.490 with 2,077 hits, 316 home runs and 1,287 RBIs in his career. He was a member of the 2006 World Series championship team with St. Louis.
Rolen has a lifetime WAR of 70, according to Baseball Reference. The final stop in his Major League career was with the Reds, who acquired him from the Blue Jays at the 2009 Trade Deadline for third baseman Edwin Encarnación, reliever Josh Roenicke and starting pitching prospect Zach Stewart.
In 330 games and 1,298 plate appearances for Cincinnati, Rolen slashed .263/.332/.438 with 36 homers and 182 RBIs. Although he missed chunks of playing time with injuries, his clubhouse presence was viewed as invaluable by the team.
Rolen offered leadership by example that helped the Reds win NL Central division titles in 2010 and ’12. His influence benefited key players like Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and others.
“You watch a great player with a fantastic track record perform in front of your own eyes, you think, ‘Whoa, this guy is really darn good.’ Then you get to play with him and watch how he works and his demeanor and all of a sudden, it changes your perspective,” Votto said about Rolen in 2020. “You say, ‘Wow, I want to be more like that.’ Playing with Scott was perfectly timed for a lot of our team.”