It felt at times like Scott Rolen’s story was as much “what could have been” as “what actually was.” But as time passes since the powerful, athletic third baseman hung it up, it’s easier to appreciate just how much he accomplished on a baseball field. It was quite a lot, both individually and at the team level.

Rolen was a seven-time All-Star, eight-time Gold Glover and one of the greatest defensive third basemen ever to play the game. He also played in two World Series, winning the whole thing in 2006, and participated in five postseasons. On the back of his many superlatives and accolades, Rolen, who was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2023 in his sixth year on the Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot, will be inducted into Cooperstown on Sunday.

Here are 10 of the top moments and achievements from his 17-season big league career.

1. Game 7
Oct. 21, 2004
The 2004 National League Championship Series was simply one of the greatest postseason series ever played. It came down to a seventh game. And, of course, Houston threw Roger Clemens in the decider.

No problem.

The Cardinals entered the bottom of the sixth trailing Clemens and the Astros, 2-1. St. Louis tied the game on a Roger Cedeno single, a sacrifice bunt and an Albert Pujols double. That brought up Rolen. Clemens went strength on strength, challenging Rolen with a first-pitch fastball, and Rolen was up to the task. He drilled the pitch down the left-field line and over the wall, giving the Cardinals a 4-2 lead they would not relinquish en route to their first pennant in 17 years.

2. Winning it all
2006
While the Cardinals’ run through the 2006 postseason was memorable, the early portions of it were a bit rocky for Rolen. He scuffled in the Division Series and NLCS and was even held out of the starting lineup for Game 2 of the LCS. He came alive in the World Series, though, and had a legitimate case for the MVP award that ultimately went to David Eckstein.

Rolen’s Game 1 homer off the Tigers' Justin Verlander was the Cards’ first run of the Series, and his RBI single in the clinching Game 5 provided greatly needed insurance. For the Series, Rolen had a slash line of .421/.476/.737, three doubles and five runs scored. That helped propel St. Louis to an improbable World Series title, its first in 24 years.

3. Eight Gold Gloves
1999, 2000-04, ’06, ’10
If you’re looking for an actual moment here, we could just say any given slow roller over the course of his career. Rolen was the absolute standard at third base, and if he had stayed healthy he likely would have easily amassed double figures in Gold Gloves.

As it was, he piled up eight, thanks to his remarkable combination of quickness, agility, range and arm strength. If he had one signature play, it was charging a slow dribbler on the infield grass, barehanding it and firing a rocket throw to first base. But he really could do it all defensively.

4. First and second homers
Aug. 21, 1996
Rolen was a highly touted prospect coming up through the Phillies’ system, showing moderate power, strong strike-zone judgment and the defense that was always his calling card. When he debuted in 1996, he hit well, but the power didn’t show at first. Then it did.

In his 21st big league game, Rolen cracked his first big league homer off Dodgers star Hideo Nomo at Dodger Stadium. It gave the Phillies a second-inning lead in a game they would go on to win, 6-0. Six innings later, he did it again, hitting a solo shot off Darren Dreifort.

5. Rookie of the Year
1997
Following his brief debut in 1996, Rolen’s first full season gave notice of exactly the kind of player he was going to be. He did a little bit of everything in ’97. He posted a .283/.377/.469 slash line, showing the combination of power and plate discipline that marked his entire career. He, of course, played first-rate defense. Rolen cracked 35 doubles and 21 homers -- and even stole 16 bases in 22 attempts. (He was probably underrated as a baserunner.)

It added up to a unanimous selection as the NL Rookie of the Year. Rolen outdistanced pitchers Livan Hernandez and Matt Morris after leading NL rookies in just about every relevant offensive category. In so doing, he became the Phillies’ first Rookie of the Year since 1964.

6. Postseason debut
Oct. 1, 2002
Rolen’s arrival in St. Louis via trade in July 2002 helped spur the Cardinals back to the postseason for a third straight season, and his presence in their lineup was one reason they looked like a threat for a deep run. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury in the second game of the Division Series against the D-backs. Before that, however, he made his mark on his first postseason.

Facing future Hall of Famer and NL pitching Triple Crown and Cy Young winner Randy Johnson in Game 1, Rolen smacked a go-ahead two-run homer in the fourth inning. It was the second postseason plate appearance of his career and the first hit, and it sent his team on the way to a series sweep.

7. MV3 season
2004
Over his first eight big league seasons, Rolen established himself as a very good player. A two-time All-Star and elite glove man entering the 2004 season, Rolen had never really been considered a superstar, an MVP-caliber player. In ’04 he changed that perception.

Rolen came out of the gate on fire, with seven homers and 23 RBIs in his first 12 games, and he never really let up. Rolen went on to enjoy by far his best individual season as part of a wrecking ball St. Louis lineup. He tallied career bests in home runs (34), RBIs (124), on-base percentage (.409), and slugging (.598) en route to another career-best: fourth place in National League MVP voting.

Rolen was joined in tattooing NL pitchers by a couple of teammates, as Albert Pujols (third) and Jim Edmonds (fifth) both also finished in the top five in the voting. The troika became known as the “MV3.”

8. Another run to the postseason
2010
It’s likely Rolen could have been in the Hall of Fame within his first couple of years of eligibility if he had remained healthy throughout his career. Unfortunately, injuries were a constant nuisance for him, especially in his later years. Injuries and a falling-out with manager Tony La Russa led to him being traded to Toronto after the 2007 season.

Rolen was traded again, to Cincinnati, during the ’09 season, and it appeared he was on the downside of his career. He had one last big year left in him, though, making the All-Star team in 2010 and helping lead the Reds to their first postseason berth in 15 years. He posted a .285/.358/.497 slash line and won his first Gold Glove since ’06 as Cincinnati won the NL Central.

9 300th homer
June 28, 2010
If there was one knock on Rolen’s Hall of Fame candidacy, it was his relative lack of counting stats. He did get to a few very nice round numbers though, topping 1,200 RBIs and runs. Then there are his 300 homers, which he reached during that resurgent 2010 season.

With the Reds at home against the Phillies, Rolen drilled a Kyle Kendrick pitch down the left-field line and off the pole, giving Cincinnati a 2-0 fourth-inning lead. It was his 17th of the year, and an appreciative Great American Ball Park crowd gave him quite the deserved ovation.

10. One final moment
Oct. 2, 2012
No one -- except perhaps Rolen himself -- knew it at the time, but the final home run of his big league career must have a little added significance in retrospect.

With the Reds having already clinched a postseason berth, Rolen faced off at Busch Stadium against longtime teammate Chris Carpenter. In Rolen’s first at-bat, Carpenter struck him out looking. But next time up, Rolen jacked a solo home run to left field, lifting the Reds into a 1-1 tie in the fourth inning against St. Louis in a game they would go on to win, 3-1.

It was the 316th and final homer of Rolen’s career, as he decided to hang it up the following spring. As it turns out, it was also the final game of Carpenter’s storied career, allowing the two to be connected one more time after all the success they enjoyed together as teammates.