Scott Rolen

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Scott Rolen
Scott Rolen on June 25, 2011.jpg
Rolen with the Cincinnati Reds
Third baseman
Born: (1975-04-04) April 4, 1975 (age 46)
Evansville, Indiana
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
August 1, 1996, for the Philadelphia Phillies
Last MLB appearance
October 3, 2012, for the Cincinnati Reds
MLB statistics
Batting average.281
Hits2,077
Home runs316
Runs batted in1,287
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Scott Bruce Rolen (born April 4, 1975) is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays and Cincinnati Reds. He was an eight-time Gold Glove winner, seven-time All-Star and the 1997 National League Rookie of the Year. In 2006, Rolen won a World Series Championship as a member of the Cardinals.

On July 18, 2018, he was hired as Director of Player Development for Indiana University's baseball team.[1]

Early life[]

Rolen was born in Evansville, Indiana and attended Jasper High School in Jasper, Indiana. During his senior year at Jasper in 1993, he was named Indiana Mr. Baseball,[2] played tennis, and was the runner-up for Indiana Mr. Basketball.[3] Rolen committed to play college basketball for the Georgia Bulldogs over competing offers from programs such as Oklahoma State.[4][5] However, when Rolen was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1993 MLB Draft, the club increased their bonus offer in order to successfully woo him away from basketball.[4]

Career[]

Philadelphia Phillies[]

Drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the second round of the 1993 MLB draft, Rolen reached the majors in 1996.[6] In the next season, he was named National League Rookie of the Year, becoming the first Phillie since Dick Allen in 1964 to win the award.[7] In 1998, he won his first of eight Gold Glove awards. Only Hall of Famers Brooks Robinson (16) and Mike Schmidt (10) have more at third base. Rolen was supposed to be one of the key pieces in the Phillies revival. However, claiming that management was not trying hard enough to win, as well as having constant friction with manager Larry Bowa, Rolen demanded a trade. On July 29, 2002, Philadelphia traded Rolen and Doug Nickle to the St. Louis Cardinals for Plácido Polanco, Mike Timlin, and Bud Smith.[8] On September 25, 2002, Rolen signed an eight-year, $90 million extension with the Cardinals.[9] Rolen was represented in negotiations by ACES Inc.[10]

St. Louis Cardinals[]

Rolen batting for the Cardinals in 2006

Rolen's 2004 season was one of his best. For much of the season, he led the National League in RBIs, often ranked among the league leaders in most offensive statistics, and had the highest vote total of any player for the All-Star Game. Despite being injured for the last stretch of the season, he finished the year with a career-high .314 batting average, 34 home runs, and 124 RBI.[6] He finished fourth in the National League MVP voting.[6] Rolen, along with Albert Pujols and Jim Edmonds earned the nickname "MV3" for their outstanding 2004 seasons. The 2004 Cardinals won the National League Central Division with 105 wins. Rolen's two-run home run in the sixth inning of Game 7 of the NLCS won the National League pennant for St. Louis by defeating the Astros in seven games.[11] However, the Boston Red Sox swept the Cardinals in four games to win the 2004 World Series.

On May 10, 2005, Rolen injured his shoulder in a collision with Dodgers first baseman Hee-Seop Choi and was placed on the disabled list two days later. He was expected to be out of action for up to six weeks.[12] On May 13, he underwent shoulder surgery; an additional MRI revealed a tear in the labrum.[13] He eventually opted to have season-ending surgery on his shoulder in August, rather than attempt to let it heal on its own and return for the playoffs.[14] He finally returned to full-time duties in 2006, a year in which Rolen was one of six nominees for the National League Comeback Player of the Year award. He finished 2006 hitting .292, hitting 22 home runs and 95 RBI.[6] Rolen and the Cardinals won the 2006 World Series over the Detroit Tigers. On September 15, 2006, Rolen set a personal record for RBIs in a game with 7 in a 14–4 win against the San Francisco Giants, hitting two home runs.[15]

The next year, however, Rolen faced more injury woes. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on August 31, 2007 because of his recurring left shoulder problems.[16] On September 11, Rolen had season-ending shoulder surgery "for the removal of scar tissue and a bursectomy and a manipulation of his left (non-throwing) shoulder".[17]

Toronto Blue Jays[]

Rolen with the Toronto Blue Jays in May 2009

On January 12, 2008, the Cardinals reached a preliminary deal to send Rolen to the Toronto Blue Jays for Troy Glaus (which became finalized on January 14).[18]

Rolen suffered a non-displaced fracture of his right middle finger during fielding drills at spring training. His fingernail was also torn off. As a result, Rolen missed the beginning of the regular season, having surgery to insert a screw in his broken finger.[19] Marco Scutaro was the Blue Jays' third baseman in Rolen's place. On April 25, 2008, Rolen was activated from the 15-day disabled list.[20] Two days later, against the Kansas City Royals, he hit his first home run as a Blue Jay.[21]

After coming off another stint in the DL in late August, this time for his shoulder, he modified his batting stance by lowering his shoulders and arms by six inches, enabling him to reestablish his offensive power for the season's final month and hitting a couple of home runs at the comfort of less strain on the shoulder, which he had three prior surgeries to correct. He finished the year with a .262 batting average, 11 home runs and 50 RBI in 115 games.[6]

Cincinnati Reds[]

On July 31, 2009, Rolen was traded to the Cincinnati Reds along with cash considerations for Edwin Encarnación, Josh Roenicke and Zach Stewart.[22] During the 2010 season, Rolen regularly started at third base. He hit his 300th career home run on June 28, 2010 off Kyle Kendrick of the Philadelphia Phillies.[23] His performance helped the Reds win the Central Division that year, their first division championship in 15 seasons. Rolen also won his eighth Gold Glove as a member of the Reds, the third team with which he received the award.[6]

A middle-of-the-order hitter throughout his career, Rolen finished with a career .281 batting average, a .364 on-base percentage and a .490 slugging percentage. He had 2,077 hits, 316 home runs, and 1,287 RBI, while scoring 1,211 runs. He finished with a career Wins Above Replacement (WAR) of 70.1, which ranks 10th all-time among third basemen.[6]

On July 15, 2011, he became the fourth third baseman ever to have 2,000 hits, 500 doubles, 300 home runs and 1,200 RBI, along with Mike Schmidt, George Brett and Chipper Jones.[24]

Rolen did not attend 2013 spring training, but also did not announce his retirement.[25]

Charity work[]

In 1999, Rolen created The Enis Furley Foundation[26] (named after one of Rolen's dogs), wanting to help children and their families who struggle with illness, hardship, or other special needs. The scope of the foundation was intentionally left broad to give the flexibility to respond to a wide range of personal circumstances. Externally, the Enis Furley Foundation is active in community outreach programs, "Hot Corner Kids," and the construction of outdoor retreats, such as "Camp Emma Lou" (named after another one of Rolen's dogs).[27] Rolen's goals for his charity efforts are simple: "To have fun, have a blast. Let's play."[27]

Rolen gave Indiana University a "major gift" to the Indiana University baseball program and its facility, Bart Kaufman Field. Rolen made the contribution in honor of his parents, Ed and Linda Rolen, who are longtime educators and IU fans.[28]

Awards and honors[]

  • 1993 Selected to the Indiana Basketball All Star Team
  • 1993 Mr. Baseball (Indiana)[29]
  • 1997 NL Rookie of the Year
  • 8-time National League 3B Gold Glove Award (1998, 2000–04, 2006, 2010)
  • 7-time National League All-Star (2002–2006, 2010, 2011)
  • National League Silver Slugger (2002)

Rolen has appeared on balloting for the National Baseball Hall of Fame since 2018, when he received 10.2% of the vote, well short of the 75% required for election, but above the 5% minimum required to remain on the ballot. His support has increased to 52.9% as of the 2021 ballot, his fourth appearance. A player may appear on the ballot a maximum of 10 times.

Personal life[]

Rolen currently splits his time between residences in Bloomington, Indiana, and Holmes Beach, Florida. On July 18, 2018, Rolen was hired as the Director of Player Development for Indiana University baseball.[1] Rolen and his wife Niki have two children together.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Mercer Tabs Rolen as Director of Player Development". Indiana Hoosiers. July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  2. ^ "Indiana Mr. Baseball Award - BR Bullpen". Baseball-Reference.com.
  3. ^ O'Brien, David (April 11, 1999). "Dunwoody: Rolen An Ace--in Tennis Too". Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on February 16, 2017. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  4. ^ a b "Richards finds calling on two fronts". Augusta Chronicle. March 22, 1998. Archived from the original on February 16, 2017. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  5. ^ "St. Louis Cardinals Thumbnail Sketches". ESPN. October 22, 2004. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g "Scott Rolen Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  7. ^ Baer, Bill (2012). 100 Things Phillies Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. United States: Triumph Books. p. 256. ISBN 9781617496189.
  8. ^ "Phillies deal Rolen to Cardinals for Polanco, Smith". ESPN. Associated Press. July 29, 2002. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  9. ^ "Rolen, Cardinals agree to an eight-year contract". ESPN. Associated Press. September 25, 2002. Retrieved March 6, 2009.
  10. ^ Stark, Jayson (September 27, 2002). "Cards lock up a gem in Rolen". ESPN. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  11. ^ "Rolen's homer off Rocket helps Cards win Game 7". ESPN. Associated Press. October 21, 2004. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  12. ^ "Rolen out up to six weeks". ESPN. Associated Press. May 12, 2005. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  13. ^ "Cardinals 3B Rolen undergoes shoulder surgery". ESPN. May 13, 2005. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  14. ^ "Rolen under the knife, shoulder surgery ends season". ESPN. Associated Press. August 21, 2005. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  15. ^ "Rolen, Duncan each hit two HRs as Cards rout Giants". ESPN. Associated Press. September 16, 2006. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  16. ^ Leach, Matthew (September 1, 2007). "No news is bad news for Rolen". St. Louis Cardinals. MLB.com. Archived from the original on January 23, 2012. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  17. ^ "***MEDICAL STATEMENT***". St. Louis Cardinals. MLB.com. September 11, 2007. Archived from the original on January 18, 2008. Retrieved January 18, 2008.
  18. ^ "Hot stove corner: Cards, Jays swap Rolen, Glaus". ESPN. January 14, 2008. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  19. ^ "Rolen has screw placed in finger, out few weeks". ESPN. March 24, 2008. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  20. ^ "Former All-Star Rolen rejoins Jays". Houston Chronicle. April 25, 2008. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  21. ^ "Blue Jays snap six-game slide behind Rolen, Rios". ESPN. Associated Press. April 27, 2008. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  22. ^ Sheldon, Mark (July 31, 2009). "Reds beat clock with two Deadline trades". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on August 3, 2009. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  23. ^ "Rolen's 300th HR leads streaking Reds as Cueto stops Phillies". ESPN. Associated Press. June 28, 2010. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  24. ^ "Scott Rolen - Baseball Coach". Indiana Hoosiers. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  25. ^ Calcaterra, Craig (February 12, 2013). "Scott Rolen sounds like a guy getting ready to retire". NBC Sports. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
  26. ^ "Enis Furley Foundation". The Enis Furley Foundation. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  27. ^ a b Elliott, Bob (July 18, 2010). "Rolen's hope for kids". SLAM! Sports. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  28. ^ "Scott Rolen Gift to New Bart Kaufman Field to Honor His Parents and Family". Indiana University Athletics. April 22, 2013. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  29. ^ "Indiana Mr. Baseball Award". Indiana Bulls. July 13, 2011. Retrieved November 7, 2012.

External links[]

Preceded by Sporting News NL Rookie of the Year
1997 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Todd Hollandsworth
 Players Choice NL Most Outstanding Rookie
1997 		Succeeded by
Kerry Wood
Preceded by Topps Rookie All-Star Third Baseman
1997 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from ""