Hall of Fame Poll: Scott Rolen

Next on our list is former Blue Jays third baseman Scott Rolen.

Scott played 17 seasons in the MLB, 7 with the Phillies, 6 with the Cardinals, 4 with the Reds and, most important, 2 with the Jays.

He hit .281/.364/.490 with 316 home runs in 2038 games. He was Rookie of the Year in 1997, won 7 Gold Gloves, made 7 All-Star teams, and received MVP votes 4 times. And, for a brief period, he was the GOAT. He had a stretch of 7 straight season with 25 or more home runs.

He was a favorite in his short time with the Jays. He was really get on defense. It helped that he started his Jays career with a 7 game hitting streak. He came to us in trade for Troy Glaus. And he left us for Edwin Encarnacion, Josh Roenicke and Zach Stewart. Edwin was a throw in and we are lucky he was thrown in.

His bWAR was 70.0 (fWAR 70.1), which putting him 67 all-time among position players.

You know, he’s one I’m not sure which side of the argument I fall on. With it being such a deep ballot, I don’t see him making the Hall this year, but he’s been well liked by reporters and well, everyone.

I was just looking at Brooks Robinson’s career, Rolen looks like a better version of Brooks, so I’ll vote yes.

You can see Scott’s stats here. For comparison, Brooks Robinson is here.

Matt’s chart:

Similar Players: Larry Walker (on ballot), Bobby Grich, Johnny Bench (elected BBWAA), Reggie Smith, Jim Edmonds, Gary Carter (BBWAA), Duke Snider (BBWAA), Yogi Berra (BBWAA). The tricky thing for Rolen is most of the comparable players elected were catchers.