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2023 Baseball Hall of Fame voting results: Scott Rolen squeaks in, will join Fred McGriff in Cooperstown

2023 Baseball Hall of Fame voting results: Scott Rolen squeaks in, will join Fred McGriff in Cooperstown


There is a new member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The Baseball Writers Association of America has voted Scott Rolen into Cooperstown, it was announced Tuesday. Fred McGriff, who was voted into Cooperstown unanimously by the 16-person Contemporary Era Committee in December, is the other member of this year’s two-person 2023 Hall of Fame class.

Rolen was one of 28 players on the BBWAA’s Hall of Fame ballot this year. He appeared on 76.3 percent of submitted ballots and finished only five votes above the 75 percent threshold needed for induction. Here are Rolen’s voting percentages in his six years on the BBWAA’s ballot:

  • 2018: 10.2 percent (lowest first year percentage for any player ever voted in)
  • 2019: 17.2 percent
  • 2020: 35.3 percent
  • 2021: 52.9 percent
  • 2022: 63.2 percent (highest among players not voted in)
  • 2023: 76.3 percent

Rolen is the 18th third baseman in the Hall of Fame. Thus far, he and Chipper Jones are the only full-time third basemen to begin their careers after 1982 to be voted into Cooperstown.

In parts of 17 MLB seasons from 1996-2012, Rolen authored a .281/.364/.490 batting line with 2,077 hits and 316 home runs. That includes a .298/.380/.532 batting line during his seven-year peak from 1998-2004. Rolen was also a brilliant defender who won eight Gold Gloves. He retired with 70.1 WAR, tenth all-time among third basemen, and went to seven All-Star Games while receiving MVP votes in four seasons. Rolen was also the 1997 NL Rookie of the Year.

“On behalf of the Phillies, I want to congratulate Scott Rolen on his election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the highest honor that can be bestowed on a player. He richly deserves this award,” Phillies owner John Middleton said in a statement. “Philadelphia was privileged to have witnessed the beginning of his extraordinary baseball career. In addition to being one of the most impactful offensive and defensive players of his era, Scott played the game the right way. Whether taking an extra base with a headfirst slide or diving for a ball in the hole, his hard-nosed effort and selfless attitude resonated with our fans. Along with his on-field contributions, Scott was a great teammate and a tremendous representative of the Phillies off the field.

We’ll soon find out whether Rolen will wear a Philadelphia Phillies or St. Louis Cardinals cap on his Hall of Fame plaque, though he didn’t have a…

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