Phillies All-Time Great Scott Rolen Elected To Baseball Hall Of Fame

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Longtime Phillies third-baseman Scott Rolen, the greatest player from an oft-forgotten era of 1990s Philadelphia baseball, was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame Tuesday evening.

Rolen received 76.8 percent of the vote, surpassing the 75 percent needed from the members of the Baseball Writers Association of America to gain induction. He was the only candidate elected Tuesday.

Rolen has stated he's not yet sure if he'll enter the Hall officially as a Phillie, a St. Louis Cardinal, or with a blank cap. He spent the first seven years of his career with the Phillies and the next six with the Cardinals. He could choose to enter with a blank cap, like all time great Roy Halladay, who spent much of his career with the Toronto Blue Jays before coming to Philadelphia.

If Rolen does enter the Hall as a Phillie, he'll become the first to do so in 17 years, and just the seventh in history. Players in the Hall with a Phillies cap are Robin Roberts (1976), Chuck Klein (1980), Steve Carlton (1994), Richie Ashburn (1995), Mike Schmidt (1995), and Jim Bunning (1996).

Though the Phillies never succeeded much while Rolen was in town, he slugged 150 home runs, earned multiple Gold Glove awards and a National League Rookie of the Year Award, had an .877 on base plus slugging percentage (OPS), and amassed 29.2 wins against replacement from 1996 through 2002.

Rolen will be formally inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer alongside longtime Atlanta Brave Fred McGriff, who was chosen by the Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee in December.

Rolen was known as well for his elite defense as he was for his big bat. He had speed in his younger years, finishing his career with 118 steals to go along with 316 home runs. He earned MVP votes in four different years of his career.

While Rolen is the best known face of a dark time for the Phillies, several other Phillies will be on the ballot in the coming years. The 2024 class will once again include Jimmy Rollins and Billy Wagner, who received some support on the 2023 ballot. Next year's ballot will also include Philadelphia fan favorite Chase Utley for the first time.

Players have 10 years on the Hall of Fame ballot to reach the needed 75 percent of votes. A player must gain at least 5 percent of the vote each year to remain on the ballot. Another Phillies great from the 2007-2011 dynasty, Ryan Howard, fell off the ballot last year after failing to reach the 5 percent threshold. Typically, players who are "borderline" Hall of Famers gain more support each year they remain on the ballot. All time greats are known as "first balloters" and are typically inducted the first year they're eligible.

In 1997, in the midst of his Rookie of the Year campaign, Rolen once answered a 10-year-old Little League pitcher and future Patch reporter's question in the official Phillies newsletter "mailbag" section. The question was, "what is the hardest pitch for you to hit?" Rolen's answer was a slider, low and away, from a right-handed pitcher.