I think Scott Rolen is the biggest reason for the turnaround of the Reds in the last few years. Great role model, and I hope he sticks in some capacity in the organization.
I think Scott Rolen is the biggest reason for the turnaround of the Reds in the last few years. Great role model, and I hope he sticks in some capacity in the organization.
I will always have fond memories of him. It's a damn shame he was often injured because I think he was on track to be a 1st ballot HOFer.
Barry On Baseball Also blogging at Banished to the Pen.
Oh it is possible, but I know he has young kids and if I had to guess he will want to make up for alot of lost time.
Griffey is the exception, you just don't see guys that are set for life especially a great player like Rolen wanting to go out as a bench player.
Great players like Rolen value their legacy.
"Boys, I'm one of those umpires that misses 'em every once in a while so if it's close, you'd better hit it." Cal Hubbard
I don't think you can underestimate the value of a professional, strong work ethic player like Rolen around young, very talented players. Rolen was just like them in his day, he certainly has a ton of wisdom to share and seems to be able to do so respectfully and helpfully.
"Rounding 3rd and heading for home, good night everybody"
Agreed, and Rolen's influence has been a big plus, but other than Mesoraco, this team isn't really all that young anymore. As of opening day 2013, Hanigan is 32, Votto is 29, Phillips is 31, Cozart is 27, Frazier is 27, Ludwick is 34, Heisey is 28, Stubbs is 28 and Bruce is 26. I'd be fine with Rolen in a 2 or 3 starts per week role in 2013, but they need a bat more than they need a leader IMO - preferably a LH bat who mashes RHP.
All my posts are my opinion - just like yours are. If I forget to state it and you're too dense to see the obvious, look here!
Cincinnati Reds: Farm System Champions 2022
Unfortunately, it's impossible to quantify a lot of the traits that made Rolen so valuable through his career. I hope the Hall of Fame voters don't lose sight of that.
Get MLBtraderumors Reds updates on Facebook.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Reds-R...33794710005587
http://i.imgur.com/1bCKpaH.jpg
In the FWIW department, Fangraphs has Rolen 11th all-time among 3B:
ARod: 114.6
Schmidt: 110.6
Matthews: 107.2
Boggs: 94.7
Robinson: 94.6
Brett: 91.5
Jones: 90.3
Santo: 79.4
Killebrew: 78.5 (I wasn't aware Killebrew played that much 3B -- over 700 games)
Molitor: 75.2
Rolen: 75.0
Nettles: 71.8
Of course, a big part of that comes from Rolen's defense. Of the guys above him, only Schmidt and Boggs were his peers defensively (Brooks Robinson had no peers...), but he's got multiple seasons worth of PA less than most of those guys due to injury issues.
Third base has generally been a tough position when it comes to HOF voting and Rolen is right there on the border. But in this era where a bunch of guys with steroid questions are going to be backing up the ballot, I think Rolen gets in to spite them.
Games are won on run differential -- scoring more than your opponent. Runs are runs, scored or prevented they all count the same. Worry about scoring more and allowing fewer, not which positions contribute to which side of the equation or how "consistent" you are at your current level of performance.
I also wonder though if Rolen feels a little unfulfilled, the way the season ended. And I'm also wondering if he feels a little miffed that his career ends by him striking out when he had a couple men on base.
Knowing this team, and knowing the future of this team, Rolen may decide the give it one more season. Even if all he does is basically take Cairo's place, Rolen could have a decent enough year to feel he is leaving on a high note.
As long as he knows his everyday status is over, I'd love to have him back as a reserve player.
“I think I throw the ball as hard as anyone. The ball just doesn't get there as fast.” — Eddie Bane
“We know we're better than this ... but we can't prove it.” — Tony Gwynn
A bunch of guys who are (or will be) in the hall of fame and Craig Nettles?ARod: 114.6
Schmidt: 110.6
Matthews: 107.2
Boggs: 94.7
Robinson: 94.6
Brett: 91.5
Jones: 90.3
Santo: 79.4
Killebrew: 78.5
Molitor: 75.2
Rolen: 75.0
Nettles: 71.8
Molitar and Killer got in based on a body of work that included time at DH and first base.
Nettles didn't get over 10%.
I can still see the vote going either way for Rolens.
"Even a bad day at the ballpark beats the snot out of most other good days. I'll take my scorecard and pencil and beer and hot dog and rage at the dips and cheer at the highs, but I'm not ever going to stop loving this game and this team and nobody will ever take that away from me." Roy Tucker October 2010
Board Moderators may, at their discretion and judgment, delete and/or edit any messages that violate any of the following guidelines: 1. Explicit references to alleged illegal or unlawful acts. 2. Graphic sexual descriptions. 3. Racial or ethnic slurs. 4. Use of edgy language (including masked profanity). 5. Direct personal attacks, flames, fights, trolling, baiting, name-calling, general nuisance, excessive player criticism or anything along those lines. 6. Posting spam. 7. Each person may have only one user account. It is fine to be critical here - that's what this board is for. But let's not beat a subject or a player to death, please. |