3 Reasons why Scott Rolen should be in the Hall of Fame

On Tuesday, Scott Rolen and the 27 other players on the National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot will find out if they will be forever enshrined in Cooperstown. At 6 p.m. EST, the announcement will be made of which, if any, players were elected.

"If I had a vote, here is my 2023 #MLB Hall of Fame Ballot. @MLB," L.A. Rice tweeted.

Experts and fans around the world have speculated which player or players may find themselves inducted into the Hall of Fame this year. After receiving 63.2% of the required 75% of the votes last season, Scott Rolen has emerged as the most likely to be elected this year.

Here is a deeper look into Rolen's career and why he deserves to hear his name called tonight.

#1, Scott Rolen is one of the best defensive third basemen of all time

Rolen is synonymous with defensive greatest at third base. Throughout his MLB career, Rolen won the third base Gold Glove Award eight times, which places him only behind Brooks Robinson, Mike Schmidt and Nolan Arenado.

According to fangraphs.com, Rolen's 126.0 defensive value places him behind only Adrian Beltre on the all-time list at third base.

"Is Scott Rolen a HOFer? 2,077 hits, 316 HRs, 70 WAR, 122 OPS+ & the top shelf defense," Stirrups Now! tweeted.

Despite his career being cut short due to injury, Rolen has fewer defensive errors in comparison to the other superstar third basemen in his defensive tier.

Rolen was responsible for 186 defensive errors, whereas Brooks Robinson committed 263, Adrian Beltre 311 and Mike Schmidt 313. Nolan Arenado currently has 114 career errors. However, he is still in the middle of his career.

#2, His offensive contributions were underrated

While Scott Rolen is best known as a defensive superstar, he was a strong contributor on offense as well. Throughout his 17-year career, Rolen recorded 2,077 hits, 316 home runs and 1,287 RBIs. He also maintained a career .281 batting average, along with a .364 on-base percentage.

"2023 @baseballhall candidate Scott Rolen has an undeniable career resume after 17 MLB seasons. @jonmorosi gives a glimpse into how the 8x Gold Glove winner carried himself off the field and took on a leadership role from a young age in the Big Leagues. @LaurenShehadi | #HOF2023," MLB Network tweeted.

Rolen had five seasons with over 100 RBIs, doing so for both the St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies. The best offensive season of his career came in 2004 with St. Louis, which saw the third baseman hit 34 home runs and 124 RBIs while posting a .314 batting average.

#3, How he stacks up historically to other players at his position

Rolen's eight Gold Glove Awards placed him fourth all-time for a third baseman. His all-time wins above replacement places him 10th all-time among third basemen. Of the players ahead of him, only Adrian Beltre is not in the Hall of Fame, only because he is not yet eligible.

Based on his career WAR, and that of other Hall of Fame third basemen, Scott Rolen deserves to find himself enshrined in Cooperstown.