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Phillies: Which alums can make it on the Hall of Fame ballot

By Andrew Snyder

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)
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) /
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26 July 2014: Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cliff Lee (33) winds up to pitch during a Major League Baseball game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Gavin Baker/Icon SMI/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
26 July 2014: Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cliff Lee (33) winds up to pitch during a Major League Baseball game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Gavin Baker/Icon SMI/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Cliff Lee

Career Numbers: 143W-91L, 3.52 ERA, 2157IP, 1824 Strikeouts

Accolades: 4x All Star, 1x Cy Young

The thing Cliff Lee must worry most about is his win total, which stands below the typical threshold for a Cooperstown-level starting pitcher. His MLB career also lasted ‘only’ 12 years, which hurt his overall statistical accolades, but what he did during that time was top tier.

Lee won 17 or more games three times, including a 22-win season with the Cleveland Indians in 2008, one year before he was moved to Philadelphia along with Ben Francisco.

Lee was dominant in the Phils 2009 World Series run, and remains one of the greatest strike-throwers and horses of his generation with 29 complete games.

Had he been able to extend his career a few more years, Lee very well may have increased his odds. And while Phillies fans want to see a fellow Yankee hater get into the Hall, it likely isn’t meant to be for the lefty.

Scott Rolen

Career Numbers: .281 average, 316 home runs, 2077 hits, 1287 RBIs

Accolades: 7x All-Star, 8x Gold Glover, 1x Silver Slugger

Scott Rolen is one of the best defensive third basemen to ever play the game, and he was no slouch at the plate, either. Rolen came up in the Phillies system, making his debut in 1996 at the age of 21. He went on to win NL Rookie of the Year the following season.

Rolen’s best statistical season came as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004, when he hit 34 homers and knocked in 124 runs, all while batting .314. He never finished higher than fourth in the MVP voting, but Rolen was a model of consistency defensively, and was an above-average hitter until his late years in Cincinnati.

This is not Rolen’s first year on the ballot, so the clock is beginning to tick for him a little bit. He earned 10.2 percent of the vote his first year, and last year he received seven percent more.

We’ll see how much the committee values defense, because if they do, it means Rolen has a solid chance to get into the Hall.

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