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ST. LOUIS, MO – OCTOBER 07: A general view of Busch Stadium during the national anthem prior to Game One of the NL Wild Card Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Philadelphia Phillies at Busch Stadium on October 7, 2022 in St. Louis. Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz / Getty Images)
The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced a new inductee Thursday night.
Scott Rolen was the only player to cross the 75 percent polling threshold. Induction at Cooperstown, Selected on 76.3 percent of ballots, the third baseman was narrowly cut on his sixth attempt.
Rolen batted .281/.364/.490 with 316 home runs in 17 MLB seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and Toronto Blue Jays. Yet the seven-time All-Star was more famous for his defense, winning eight Gold Gloves for working the hot corner.
According to baseball referenceRolen’s 70.1 WAR ranks 10th among all third basemen. Everyone is in the Hall of Fame except for Adrian Beltre, who enters the ballot in 2024.
Rolen earned NL Rookie of the Year honors in 1997 while hitting .283/.377/.469 for the Phillies. He finished fourth in the 2004 NL MVP balloting after he posted a career-high 34 home runs and 1.007 OPS with the Cardinals.
Two years later, Rolen won a World Series with St. Louis. He went 8-for-19 with three doubles and two walks during the Fall Classic.
first baseman Todd Helton (72.2%) and reliever Billy Wagner (68.1%) looks small to induct Rolen into the Hall of Fame. First baseman Fred McGriff will be inducted into the Class of 2023 along with Rolen after being selected in December by the Contemporary Baseball Era committee.
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