That Balls Outta Here
FanSided

An early look at Phillies on 2020 Hall of Fame ballot

By John Town

PHILADELPHIA , PA - SEPTEMBER 07: Raul Ibanez #29 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a second inning homerun against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park on September 7, 2011 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Len Redkoles/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA , PA - SEPTEMBER 07: Raul Ibanez #29 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a second inning homerun against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park on September 7, 2011 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Len Redkoles/Getty Images) /
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DENVER-APRIL 27 : Scott Rolen #17 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits against the Colorado Rockies during the game at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado on April 26. The Rockies won 8-6. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) /

Scott Rolen

Rolen is not remembered fondly in Philadelphia after demanding to be traded in 2002. That should not discount the positive impact he made for the Phillies, Cardinals, Blue Jays, and Reds during his career.

Rolen started off his career well, winning Rookie of the Year in 1997 at 22 years old. This highlighted a seven-year tenure as a Phillie, recording 150 home runs, 559 runs batted in, 880 hits, and a .282/.373/.504 line. He won four Gold Gloves and a Silver Slugger award.

Altogether, Rolen totaled 2038 games played over 17 seasons. He finished with 2077 hits, 316 home runs, 1287 runs batted in, .281/.364/.490 line, and 122 OPS+. Rolen was an All-Star seven times and won eight Gold Gloves.

Rolen ranks 10th among third basemen in JAWS with 70.2 career WAR, 43.7 seven-year peak WAR, and a 56.9 JAWS. The average Hall of Fame third baseman has 68.4, 43.0, and 55.7, respectively, putting Rolen exactly where he needs to be. His combination of strong defense and offense is the key to his high rank in JAWS.

Rolen has a solid Hall of Fame case, leading to an increase in support this year. After receiving 10.2% of votes in 2018, his first year of eligibility, he received 17.2% this year. 11 voters also said they would have included Rolen if they had space.

Now that the ballot has cleared up, Rolen should continue to get support for the Hall of Fame. Like Wagner, he still has a long way to go, but he is trending in the right direction with plenty of time to do so.

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