Photo Credit: Jason Bridge of USA Today
It was revealed Tuesday the Baseball Writers of America Association (BBWAA) voted Scott Rolen into the Hall of Fame as part of its 2023 class. Rolen will join Fred McGriff, who was inducted by the Contemporary Baseball Era committee in December.
Rolen received 76.3% of the vote, crossing the 75% threshold needed for induction. Todd Helton narrowly missed with 72.2% and Billy Wagner had the third most votes at 68.1%.
Rolen’s defensive prowess at third base pushed him over the top. Rolen ranks 10th all-time in WAR for third basemen (70.1), and he’s viewed as one of the better Hall-of-Fame defenders at third along with the likes of Brooks Robinson and Adrian Beltre (who will likely get in on his first ballot next year or second ballot in 2025).
Some notable players who missed induction include:
- Billy Wagner (68.1) – 8th year
- Carlos Beltran (46.5) – 1st year
- Jeff Kent (46.5) – final year on the ballot
- Andrew Jones (58.1) – 6th year
- Gary Sheffield (55.0) – 9th year
- Alex Rodriguez (37.5) – 2nd year
- Bobby Abreu (15.4) – 4th year
- Jimmy Rollins (12.9) – 2nd year
- Francisco Rodriguez (10.8) – 1st year
Players have 10 years of eligibility on the BBWAA ballot. Once players fall off the ballot, their fate rests with the Era Committees. (The three Era Committees rotate every three years, and players have to be placed on the ballot via an overview committee.)
Some players who were knocked of the ballot due to not receiving at last 5% of the vote include: R.A. Dickey (0.3), Matt Cain (0) and John Lackey (0.3).
