There’s a new member of the Nationwide Baseball Corridor of Fame. The Baseball Writers Affiliation of America has voted Scott Rolen into Cooperstown, it was introduced Tuesday. Fred McGriff, who was voted into Cooperstown unanimously by the 16-person Up to date Period Committee in December, is the opposite member of this 12 months’s two-person 2023 Corridor of Fame class.
Rolen was one in every of 28 gamers on the BBWAA’s Corridor of Fame poll this 12 months. He appeared on 76.3 p.c of submitted ballots and completed solely 5 votes above the 75 p.c threshold wanted for induction. Listed here are Rolen’s voting percentages in his six years on the BBWAA’s poll:
2018: 10.2 p.c (lowest first 12 months share for any participant ever voted in)2019: 17.2 percent2020: 35.3 percent2021: 52.9 percent2022: 63.2 p.c (highest amongst gamers not voted in)2023: 76.3 p.c
Rolen is the 18th third baseman within the Corridor of Fame. Up to now, he and Chipper Jones are the one full-time third basemen to start their careers after 1982 to be voted into Cooperstown.
In elements of 17 MLB seasons from 1996-2012, Rolen authored a .281/.364/.490 batting line with 2,077 hits and 316 residence runs. That features a .298/.380/.532 batting line throughout his seven-year peak from 1998-2004. Rolen was additionally a superb defender who gained eight Gold Gloves. He retired with 70.1 WAR, tenth all-time amongst third basemen, and went to seven All-Star Video games whereas receiving MVP votes in 4 seasons. Rolen was additionally the 1997 NL Rookie of the Yr.
“On behalf of the Phillies, I wish to congratulate Scott Rolen on his election to the Nationwide Baseball Corridor of Fame, the best honor that may be bestowed on a participant. He richly deserves this award,” Phillies proprietor John Middleton mentioned in an announcement. “Philadelphia was privileged to have witnessed the start of his extraordinary baseball profession. Along with being some of the impactful offensive and defensive gamers of his period, Scott performed the sport the fitting method. Whether or not taking an additional base with a headfirst slide or diving for a ball within the gap, his hard-nosed effort and selfless angle resonated with our followers. Alongside together with his on-field contributions, Scott was a terrific teammate and an incredible consultant of the Phillies off the sector.
We’ll quickly discover out whether or not Rolen will put on a Philadelphia Phillies or St. Louis Cardinals cap on his Corridor of Fame plaque, although he did not have a alternative in thoughts Tuesday evening. A clean cap can be attainable. Rolen performed extra video games with the Phillies than he did the Cardinals (844 vs. 661), although he had extra All-Star Recreation choices with the Cardinals (4 vs. one), and likewise completed fourth within the NL MVP voting with St. Louis in 2004. Rolen additionally performed for the Toronto Blue Jays and Cincinnati Reds late in his profession.
“On behalf of your entire St. Louis Cardinals group, I wish to congratulate Scott Rolen on the well-deserved honor of being chosen to the Nationwide Baseball Corridor of Fame,” Cardinals chairman Invoice DeWitt Jr. mentioned in an announcement. “Scott was a cornerstone of our infield and lineup throughout his six seasons in St. Louis, and helped create many fond reminiscences as a part of the good Cardinals groups of the mid-2000s.”
Almost 400 votes have been forged this 12 months and the complete voting outcomes can be found on the BBWAA’s website. Listed here are the highest 5 vote-getters:
Scott Rolen: 76.3 p.c
Todd Helton: 72.2 p.c (11 votes wanting induction)Billy Wagner: 68.1 percentAndruw Jones: 58.1 percentGary Sheffield: 55.0 p.c
Helton (5 extra years), Jones (4 extra years), and Wagner (two years) have all made regular features the previous few years and are trending towards induction earlier than their 10 years on the BBWAA’s poll are up.
This was the tenth and remaining 12 months on the BBWAA’s poll for Jeff Kent, who obtained 46.5 p.c of the vote. Traditionally, gamers of their remaining 12 months on the poll get a lift in assist, although the ultimate 12 months soar wasn’t sufficient to get Kent in. He could be thought of for the Corridor of Fame once more when the Up to date Period Committee holds their subsequent participant vote in December 2025.
Sheffield will the be lone participant on the BBWAA’s poll for the ultimate time subsequent 12 months. Manny Ramírez and Álex Rodríguez, two gamers with Corridor of Fame credentials who’re unlikely to get into Cooperstown given their performance-enhancing drug suspensions, might be on the poll for the eighth time and third time subsequent 12 months, respectively. A-Rod obtained 35.7 p.c of the vote this 12 months. Ramírez was at 33.2 p.c.
Carlos Beltrán was the one first-timer on the poll to obtain even 15 p.c of the vote. He completed at 46.5 p.c, which bodes nicely for the long run since he can stay on the poll for an additional 9 years. That mentioned, Beltrán was recognized as a ringleader within the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal. Which will harm his Corridor of Fame candidacy and finally preserve him out of Cooperstown.
Gamers should obtain at the very least 5 p.c of the vote to stay on the poll one other 12 months. John Lackey, Huston Avenue, and former Cy Younger winner R.A. Dickey are among the many notables to fall wanting the 5 p.c threshold this 12 months.