The greatest Reading Phillie of all time finally joins the greats in Cooperstown

(This story was originally published January 25, when Scott Rolen was elected to the Hall of Fame.)

Scott Rolen will likely be uncomfortable when he takes the stage for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame this summer. He never cared much for the spotlight. Never craved the attention that comes with being a major leaguer.

He was Indiana to the core: Humble, self-effacing, unassuming.

In the nearly 30 years that I covered the Reading Phillies and Fightin Phils he was one of the toughest interviews — if you could find him. Before and after games Rolen always seemed to be off in a remote corner of the ballpark working on his game, out of sight of the media and fans.

When I eventually caught up with him he really didn’t care to talk about himself; he wasn’t interested in promoting Scott Rolen. His total focus was on making himself a better ballplayer. He was totally committed to that, to playing the game the right way, to being a good teammate and to helping his team win.

There wasn’t a single day during his 17-year career, Rolen said Tuesday after being elected, that he thought of himself as a Hall of Famer. Not many in Cooperstown can say as much.

To me it was pretty evident from the start that the Phillies had something pretty special on their hands.

Rolen arrived in Reading in mid August of 1995 as the R-Phils were making a push for an Eastern League championship. He homered his first day in town. He was 21 years old.

From the start he showed tremendous ability at third base, where he went on to win eight Gold Gloves.

He was a tremendous baserunner — an underrated part of his game. He wasn’t fast but he was still an excellent base runner. How many other guys can score from second base on a passed ball that rolls barely 30 feet from home plate?

Rolen didn’t spend much time in Reading. By June the following season, after batting .361 and sluggling .591, he was moved to Triple-A. By August he was in the majors for good.

When he graduated Double-A I was convinced he was the best to ever to play for the Reading Phillies, who saw the likes of Mike Schmidt, Ryne Sandberg, Julio Franco, Larry Bowa, Bob Boone, George Bell and Greg Luzinski wear their uniform.

Years later, after watching Pat Burrell, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Rhys Hoskins, Michael Bourn and Aaron Nola pass through my opinion remained unchanged.

Rolen will be just the third Reading Phillie to make it to Cooperstown, joining Schmidt and Sandberg. If there’s to be a fourth he hasn’t reached Double-A yet.

Rolen was a treasure, the kind of home-grown player an organization can take pride in, but Phillies fans don’t seem to be embracing his election. Many apparently still hold a grudge because Rolen forced his way out of town in 2002.

He clashed with his manager, Larry Bowa. He clashed with the front office. Eventually he clashed with Phillies fans. They didn’t want to hear his complaints about how bad the turf was at Veterans Stadium, or about management’s inability to produce a winner.

In retrospect, Rolen was right about all of that. The Vet surface was terrible. And the Phillies weren’t a well-run organization. They proved that when all they could muster in a trade for an All-Star third baseman in his prime was Placido Polanco, Bud Smith and Mike Timlin — none of whom ever saw their name on a Hall of Fame ballot.

Rolen refused to sign a long-term deal with the Phillies because he wanted to be part of an organization as committed to winning as he was. He found one in St. Louis, where he played in two World Series and won a ring.

Rolen was an All-Star seven times but still seemed unappreciated during his playing days. Maybe he suffered by comparison to Chipper Jones, a 2018 Hall inductee who was considered the best at his position during Rolen’s era.

A lot of people initially wrote Rolen off as a Hall of Fame candidate; he was named on just 10 percent of the ballots in his first year of eligibility. A deeper dive into his career would show you that he deserves a plaque in Cooperstown.

He was never one of the game’s great hitters yet ranks among the most productive third baseman of all-time.

Among the 17 other third basemen enshrined only five – Mike Schmidt, Eddie Mathews, Ron Santo, George Brett and Jones – have hit more than Rolen’s 316 homers.

Only three — Jones, Schmidt and Mathews — have a higher slugging percentage than Rolen’s .490.

Only six – Jones, Schmidt, Brett, Mathews, Brooks Robinson and Santo – have more than his 1,287 RBIs.

Rolen is one of just 35 big league hitters with at least 2,000 hits, 300 homers and 500 doubles. Throw in his 1,211 runs scored and that list shrinks considerably.

His career WAR – wins above replacement, which measures a player’s total contribution – of 70 is 10th among all third basemen. Nine are in the Hall; the 10th, Adrian Beltre, soon will be there.

Next to catcher, third base is the most demanding defensive position in the game. Maybe that’s why there are fewer third basemen in the Hall than any other position.

Rolen’s forte was defense. His glove, arm and range set him apart.

Only Robinson, with a record 16, and Schmidt, with 10, had more than Rolen’s eight Gold Gloves when he retired (Nolan Arendo has since passed him.)

Only Robinson, among Hall of Famers, has a higher defensive WAR .

This might be hard for Philadelphia fans to accept but Rolen may well be the best-fielding third baseman ever to wear a Phillies uniform.

Says who?

Well, long-time Phillies broadcaster Chris Wheeler, for one.

“He’s the best third baseman that I ever saw, and I watched Mike Schmidt,” Wheeler told philliesnation.com last year. “Here’s the thing that Rolen had that none of these other guys had: He was so big (6-4) and so quick that his range was unbelievable. Nobody had range like that playing that position.”

Several years after Rolen left Philly long-time Phillies beatwriter and columnist Bill Conlin wrote that Rolen, nine seasons into his career, was a better all-around player than Schmidt at that point.

Schmidt, too, gives the nod to Rolen defensively.

“(He’s) better than me,” Schmidt once said.

Who’s to argue with Mike Schmidt?