2023 Baseball Hall of Fame: Scott Rolen does not understand if he’ll use Phillies or Cardinals hat on plaque

The National Baseball Hall of Fame revealed on Tuesday night that Scott Rolen, a veteran of 17 big-league seasons, has actually been voted into Cooperstown by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Rolen got a vote on 76.3 percent of the tallies, putting him simply above the 75 percent limit. He was the only member of the 28-player tally who was picked for enshrinement.

While Rolen’s candidateship can no longer be questioned, one dispute will sustain a while longer: simply which group’s hat, if any, will be included on his plaque?

Rolen, for those who might have forgotten, dressed with 4 various groups throughout his profession. He invested 7 seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, 6 with the St. Louis Cardinals, 4 with the Cincinnati Reds, and 2 with the Toronto Blue Jays. It stands to factor that if Rolen will be illustrated in a group’s cap, it will be that of either the Phillies or the Cardinals.

Rolen was initially prepared by the Phillies in the 2nd round of the 1993 occasion. He would reach the majors in 1996 and won the Rookie of the Year Award a season later on. Rolen would win 3 of his 8 Gold Glove Awards with the Phillies. He likewise notched a career-best 29 Wins Above Replacement with the Fightins, or about 3 wins more than he tallied as a member of the Cardinals.

That does not indicate Rolen was a slouch in St. Louis, obviously. He made 4 successive All-Star Games with the Cardinals and won 4 more Gold Gloves. He became part of 2 World Series groups, too, consisting of the 2006 champs. 

Here’s a breakdown of his profession numbers with the Phillies and the Cardinals:

It must be kept in mind that there is another possibility, which’s Rolen entering into Cooperstown without a group’s logo design on his cap. Back in 2019, for instance, both Roy Halladay (who was inducted posthumously) and Mike Mussina gotten in with blank caps as a way of paying regard to each of their groups.