CINCINNATI -- Former Reds third baseman Scott Rolen is statistically considered one of the top 10 players to ever play at the position but was widely viewed as a borderline Hall of Famer. For Rolen to become an actual member of the Hall of Fame, he will need a lot more votes.
Results of balloting from the Baseball Writers' Association of America were released on Wednesday. In his first year on the ballot, Rolen received 10.2 percent of the vote. Eligible candidates need to receive at least 75 percent of the vote for election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.
• Complete voting results 
The BBWAA did elect four more players in Chipper Jones, Jim Thome, Vladimir Guerrero and Trevor Hoffman.
Fortunately for Rolen, he got 43 votes of the 422 ballots cast and finished with enough room above the minimum 5 percent required to return to the ballot in 2019. He will have nine more chances for election following this year.
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. He finished his career in Cincinnati from 2009-12.
The 1997 National League Rookie of the Year, a seven-time All-Star and eight-time NL Gold Glove Award winner, Rolen batted .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, now 42, has a lifetime WAR of 70.0, according to Baseball-Reference.com. Of the 13 third basemen currently in the Hall of Fame, the average WAR is 67.5, meaning Rolen will continue to deserve a closer look on future ballots. But as the results for this year are revealed, it is looking like he will need a lot more momentum going forward to be enshrined among the immortals in Cooperstown.