Scott Rolen rolls on to the Hall! by Hank Indictor
In his sixth year on the ballot, Scott Rolen finally received the necessary 75 percent of the votes and will be joining Fred McGriff (Inducted in December's Veterans Committee ballot) as part of the newest class of Hall of Famers. Not only was this an honor that was well deserved but quite frankly somewhat overdue!
Rolen was very underrated, in part because he didn’t have the offensive milestones of other Hall of Famers but also because he wasn’t seen as a star despite being recognized as one of the greatest 3rd Basemen in Major League History. It’s also worth noting that during his time with the Phillies Rolen was arguably the best player for teams that were mostly rebuilding and rarely a factor in the pennant race.
In addition, while he improved his numbers by the time he was traded to the Cardinals, his production was also overshadowed somewhat by guys like Albert Pujols and Jim Edmonds (The trio would be known as “MV3” in 2004). Still from 1998-2004, provided he was able to stay healthy, he would consistently put up seasons with Batting Averages in the .270s, 25 home runs and 100 RBIs! Throughout his 17-year career, Rolen would be named to 7 All-Star Teams, win eight Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger and a World Series ring with the Cardinals in 2006. He would hit .421 with a HR and 2 RBI against the Tigers in a Series where he probably should've won the MVP award. He retired with a slash line of .281/.364/.490, 2,077 hits, 1,287 RBIs and 316 HRs!
Beyond the numbers, Rolen was also a gritty player who often played with a variety of pain, which included playing in the 2006 playoffs with a surgically repaired shoulder. He was a warrior on the diamond.
At this point, the only question remaining is which team will be on the cap in his Hall of Fame Plaque, as despite spending most of his career in Philadelphia, it was in St. Louis where he had his best years.
Perhaps those teams will also find ways to further honor him as the Cardinals will likely consider retiring his number, and if the Phillies fans are willing to bury the hatchet of his departure he might end up in their Wall of Fame on Ashburn Alley. However as happy as I am for Scott Rolen, I do believe he shouldn't have been the only one to have gotten inducted on the main ballot.
Out of all the players that didn’t make the cuts, Todd Helton came the closest with 72.2 percent of the votes, and I truly believe he got robbed.
The man had 2,519 hits, 369 HRs and a career batting average of .316 -- not to mention four silver sluggers, an RBI and a batting title. In other words, he could rake. And don't give me the Coors Field argument, he still had to play road games last I checked. Wanna know his slash line away from Denver? He was 287/.386/.469, and that’s better than Scott Rolen’s lifetime slash line! Do you know why else the Coors Card is moronic? Because it doesn't take into account his fielding as he won three Gold Gloves!
Having said that, I wouldn't feel too bad for Helton. After all, he made a near 20 percent jump in terms of votes received, and so in all likelihood, next year he’ll give Larry Walker company in terms of Colorado Rockies in Cooperstown. Still, it's another example of the flawed logic of these voters.
Other shafted players who I feel could have their chance next year are Billy Wagner (68.1 percent) and Andruw Jones (58.1 percent). Wagner was no Mariano, but on a near-yearly basis in his prime, he was in the conversation for best closer in baseball. His career ERA was a staggering 2.31 and he racked up 422 saves, ranking 6th all-time in that department. So why is he not in? It might have to do with his poor postseason performance (an ERA slightly over 10), but in my opinion that isn't a big enough sample size to justify keeping him out.
However, I think Andruw Jones is an even bigger snub. How does a true five-tool guy with 10 Gold Gloves and 434 HRs not get enough votes? Part of it could be because after he left the Braves his career took a downturn and he struggled to stay healthy but again holding that against him is unfair.
Now of course we get to some of the elephants in the room: Gary Sheffield, Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez and Carlos Beltran. I believe Carlos Beltran will likely get in before the three known ‘Roid users (that's if any get in at all), but regardless, I’m not surprised that their support from the voters was lukewarm at best. This isn’t to say I’m against putting them in so much as I’m supporting the ones who aren’t proven to have cheated.
That being said I’m still surprised that Sheffield even got over half the votes at 55 percent. Jeff Kent only got 46.5 percent of the votes in his last year of eligibility, and given that he's often in the conversation for all-time greatest second basemen, it never made sense to me how he struggled to gain traction with the votes, especially because he's had a reputation for getting clutch hits and has never seriously been linked to Steroid Scandals, unlike a certain teammate/adversary of his in San Francisco. That said, I can see him getting in through the Veterans Committee several years down the line, but that's the harder way of getting in.
In other words, great players got snubbed, but not the obvious ones that everyone likes to debate!
To sum it up this was a somewhat interesting year for the Baseball Hall of Fame in terms of its voting process. Scott Rolen was overdue, and it'll be great to see him have his day in the sun and join the company of other fellow third basemen such as Brooks Robinson and Mike Schmidt (the only player higher than him at his position in Phillies history).
However, while many can debate the worthiness of PED Users such as A-Rod, Ramirez and Sheffield, as well as the legitimacy of Carlos Beltran due to his involvement in the 2017 Astros saga, there are a significant number of Hall of Famers who I feel deserve to be in just as much if not more. Helton was an excellent hitter, Wagner was an excellent closer, Andruw Jones was a fantastic all-around player and Jeff Kent was an excellent second baseman! And despite this, you have yet to find their plaques in Cooperstown.
Hopefully, that changes sooner rather than later!