Philadelphia Phillies: Case for and against each Hall of Fame candidate
By Tim Boyle
The latest Hall of Fame ballot to hit the inboxes of MLB writers with a vote is full of former Philadelphia Phillies. Some are newcomers to the ballot while others have hung around for a few years.
Voters have until December 31st to submit their ballots. Aside from just the Phillies players, there are some notably great players with asterisks next to their name. The results could surprise us all with stars such as Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens on the ballot for the final time. Do the writers finally forgive them?
As far as the Phillies are concerned, there is less controversy (outside of one name) but still plenty of strong cases to make for and against each candidate. Whether they played a single day or their entire careers with the Phillies, this is the case for and against each Hall of Fame candidate.
Former Philadelphia Phillies star third baseman Scott Rolen is gaining momentum.
Is the fifth time the charm for Scott Rolen? The former Phillies third baseman started on the ballot in 2018 with only 10.2% of the vote. He then got 17.2% in 2019 followed by 35.3% in 2020.
In the most recent vote, Rolen went all the way up to 52.9% of the ballots. It’s not uncommon for a player to see his stock rise as time goes on. Rolen is a perfect case as to why this may be.
With advances in analytics, Rolen appears to be a much stronger player. A mix of top-notch defense and well-above-average offensive numbers give him a strong case for Cooperstown. He has eight Gold Gloves, seven All-Star selections, and a Silver Slugger.
His 70.1 WAR is the fifth-highest of any player on this year’s Hall of Fame ballot with only alleged PED users higher than him—several others below. The case is there. So why isn’t he in there yet?
Despite years of consistency, Rolen was never the best player in the league. He didn’t come all that close to ever winning an MVP. A single Silver Slugger to his name also hurts. We can probably blame Chipper Jones for some of this.
Another reason could be the fact that he played for multiple teams. I have a strong belief that guys who stick with one team always have a greater shot. Does the public think of Rolen as a Phillies player or is he remembered most for his St. Louis Cardinals days?
I would give my vote to Rolen if I could. Unfortunately, I think it could take another year or two until he is fully appreciated as the Hall of Fame quality player he was.