Good morning to everyone but especially to…
SCOTT ROLEN
The wait is over and the meteoric rise is complete for Scott Rolen. He is heading to the Baseball Hall of Fame after his sixth year on the ballot. He’ll join Fred McGriff, who was voted in by the Contemporary Era Committee in December, in the two-man 2023 class.
Over his 17-year career with the Phillies, Cardinals, Blue Jays and Reds, Rolen racked up seven All-Star Game nods, eight Gold Gloves, the 1997 NL Rookie of the Year and the 2001 Silver Slugger. He also won the 2006 World Series with St. Louis.Rolen’s 70.1 career WAR is 10th all-time among third basemen.Rolen received just 10.2% of the vote his first year on the ballot, lowest ever by a player eventually voted to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He received 76.3 percent this time around, five votes above the 75 percent threshold.
Rolen is unsure whether he’ll choose a Phillies or Cardinals hat for his plaque… or if he’ll have no logo at all. With 10 years eligibility available to players, it’s not all about who makes it. Gaining votes is a huge storyline, too — as evident by Rolen’s story — and several notable names did well there:
Todd Helton — 72.2 percent (11 votes shy of induction) in fifth yearBilly Wagner — 68.1 percent in eighth yearAndruw Jones — 58.1 percent in sixth year
Carlos Beltrán garnered 46.5 percent of the vote in his first year on the ballot, normally a solid number but, in this case, one complicated by his role in the Astros‘ cheating scandal. Where Beltrán’s vote share goes from here will be one of the biggest stories of the 2024 ballot, and our Matt Snyder examined what that ballot will look like here.
As for active players with Hall-of-Fame potential, Matt took a look at more than 50 names and…
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