Scott Rolen headlines Phillies Wall of Fame Class of 2023
Scott Rolen, MLB Hall of Fame third baseman and former member of the Philadelphia Phillies, will be inducted into the organization’s Wall of Fame this summer along with former GM John Quinn and former owner/president Ruly Carpenter.
Scott Rolen Headlines Wall of Fame Class of 2023
John Quinn and Ruly Carpenter will be inducted onto the Wall of Fame as part of Alumni Weekend on Saturday, August 12th, ahead of the Phils’ matchup against the Minnesota Twins. Rolen, due to scheduling conflicts, will join the Wall of Fame on Friday, September 22nd, before a late-season game against the New York Mets.
John Quinn, the longest-tenured GM in franchise history, led the way from 1959-1972, drafting or acquiring multiple franchise legends like Mike Schmidt, Larry Bowa, Steve Carlton, and more.
Ruly Carpenter was named President of the franchise in 1972 and was the leader during three NL East titles and the first World Series in franchise history in 1980.
Scott Rolen’s career started off in Philadelphia, slashing .282/.373/.504 in 844 games. Rolen played from 1996 to the first half of 2002 and was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for Placido Polanco, Mike Timlin, and Bud Smith.
The flashiest part of Rolen’s game was his defense, winning eight gold gloves throughout his career, with four of them coming in Philly. He’s a World Series Champion, Rookie of the Year, 7x All-Star, and a Silver Slugger Winner.
Rolen has a career slashline of .281/.364/.490 in 17 MLB seasons. He played four years with Cincinnati following his time in St. Louis and ended his career with the Toronto Blue Jays. Rolen retired after the 2012 season and became just the 18th third baseman to be enshrined in Cooperstown back in January.
While Rolen is definitely deserving, here’s my issue…
Scott Rosen is entering Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals on July 23rd. Maybe I’m just petty, but because of that and the way he left the city of Philadelphia, I’m not really sure he deserves a spot on the Phillies (pointless but nice) Wall of Fame.
I will say, that after a shaky Philadelphia exit, Rolen had nothing but praise for the Phillies organization after being officially elected into the MLB Hall of Fame earlier this season and following the announcement he’d be in the Wall of Fame at Citizens Bank Park.
“I am humbled and honored to join so many great Phillies on the team’s Wall of Fame. My years in Philadelphia, I wouldn’t trade for anything. It taught me how to play the game, how to hustle and play hard. I’m grateful to Philadelphia and the Phillies for the important role they played in my career.”
That’s nice, right? We’re not going to boo Rolen on his return, right everyone?
Regardless, I’m sure Rolen’s fate will be decided in late-September and will almost certainly be impacted by the Phillies’ place in the NL East standings.
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