Scott Rolen (2023)


Date of Birth: 4/4/1975
Birthplace: Evansville, Indiana

Scott Rolen played baseball and basketball in high school. In 1993, he was named Indiana Mr. Baseball.

Philadelphia Phillies

Rolen was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies on June 3, 1993, and he signed with them on July 22nd. He played in the minor leagues from 1993 through 1995. He played in 37 games with the Phillies in 1996, and he had 33 hits and a .254 batting average. He also played in 106 games in the minors that season.

Rolen was named the NL Rookie of the Year in 1997. He had 159 hits, 35 doubles, 21 home runs, 92 RBIs, 138 strikeouts to 76 walks, and a .283 batting average in 156 games.

In 1998, Rolen had career highs in games played, hits, and walks. He batted .290 with 174 hits, 31 doubles, 110 RBIs, and 141 strikeouts to 93 walks in 160 games. He was an outstanding fielder at third base and he won his first of eight Gold Gloves in 1998. Defensively, he made 319 assists, 135 putouts, and 14 errors in 159 games.

Rolen batted .268 in 112 games in 1999. He had 113 hits, 28 doubles, 26 home runs, and 77 RBIs. The following season he had 144 hits, 32 doubles, 26 home runs, 89 RBIs, and a .298 batting average in 128 games. He won his second Gold Glove in 2000, and he had 245 assists, 89 putouts, and 10 errors.

Rolen had 160 hits, 39 doubles, 25 home runs, 107 RBIs, and a .289 batting average in 151 games in 2001. Defensively, he had 325 assists, 104 putouts, and 12 errors, earning him a third Gold Glove.

St. Louis Cardinals

Rolen was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals on July 29, 2002. That season, he won his fourth Gold Glove and his only Silver Slugger award. In 100 games with the Phillies and 55 games with the Cardinals, he had 154 hits, 29 doubles, 31 home runs, 110 RBIs, and a .266 batting average. He played in his first postseason, and he had 3 hits, including a home run, in 7 at-bats in 2 games. Defensively, he made 335 assists, 133 putouts, and 16 errors in 155 games at third base.

Rolen had a career high in doubles in 2003. He finished the season with 160 hits, 49 doubles, 28 home runs, 104 RBIs, and a .286 batting average in 154 games. He won Gold Glove number five and he made 298 assists, 109 putouts, and 13 errors in 153 games.

In 2004, Rolen had career highs in home runs, RBIs, and batting average. He had 157 hits, 32 doubles, 34 home runs, 124 RBIs, and a .314 batting average in 142 games. In the postseason, he had 9 hits, 3 home runs, and 7 RBIs in 56 at-bats in 15 games. He excelled again defensively, winning his sixth Gold Glove as a third baseman. He had 325 assists, 93 putouts, and 10 errors in 141 games.

Rolen missed most of the 2005 season with a shoulder injury. He played in just 56 games and he had 46 hits. He came back strong in 2006, after shoulder surgery. He finished the season with 154 hits, 48 doubles, 22 home runs, 95 RBIs, and a .296 batting average in 142 games. In the postseason, he had 14 hits in 51 at-bats in 15 games. He won Gold Glove number seven and he had 320 assists, 93 putouts, and 15 errors.

Rolen's last season with the Cardinals was in 2007. That year he had 104 hits, 24 doubles, 58 RBIs, and a .265 batting average in 112 games.

Toronto Blue Jays

Rolen was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays on January 14, 2008. In 115 games in 2008, he had 107 hits, 30 doubles, 50 RBIs, and a .262 batting average.

Cincinnati Reds

Rolen was traded to the Cincinnati Reds on July 31, 2009. He finished the season with 145 hits, 36 doubles, 67 RBIs, and a .305 batting average in 88 games with the Blue Jays and 40 games with the Reds.

Rolen won his eighth and final Gold Glove in 2010. He made 259 assists, 83 putouts, and 8 errors in 130 games at third base. Offensively, he also had a good season. He had 134 hits, 34 doubles, 20 home runs, 83 RBIs, and a .285 batting average in 133 games. In the postseason, he had 1 hit in 11 at-bats in 3 games.

Rolen had limited playing time in his final two seasons in the major leagues. He batted .242 in 65 games in 2011, and .245 in 92 games in 2012. In his final postseason games that year, he had 4 hits in 16 at-bats in 4 games.

Awards

  • NL Rookie of the Year in 1997
  • Silver Slugger award in 2002
  • Gold Glove - 8 times

Career Statistics

Career batting statistics for Rolen include:

  • 2,038 games played
  • 2,077 hits
  • 517 doubles
  • 316 home runs
  • 118 stolen bases
  • 1,287 RBIs
  • 1,410 strikeouts to 899 walks
  • .281 batting average
  • .364 on-base percentage
  • .855 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Rolen at third base include:

  • 2,023 games played
  • 4,081 assists
  • 355 double plays
  • 1,478 putouts
  • 186 errors
  • .968 fielding percentage

Career postseason statistics for Rolen include:

  • 39 games played
  • 141 at-bats
  • 31 hits
  • 12 RBIs
  • 34 strikeouts to 15 walks
  • .220 batting average
  • .302 on-base percentage
  • .678 OPS

Post Playing Career

Rolen was hired as the Director of Player Development for baseball at Indiana University on July 18, 2018.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Scott Rolen
Baseball Reference - Scott Rolen

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