This is cool:

Rolen was the only player voted in via traditional ballot this year, though he’ll join Fred McGriff, who enters by way of the Contemporary Era Committee.

Tim is writing something about Rolen that will go up on the site later day, though it seems like a large portion of Phillies fans would have him instead go into the Hall of Really Damn Good. Maybe his Philly exit influences some of those feelings, but when you scan articles and tweets from the baseball world at large, a lot of it is similar. Rolen was a seven-time All Star and won a World Series with St. Louis, the 1997 NL Rookie of the Year and a guy with eight Gold Gloves to his name. He was a killer two-way third baseman, but I dunno, when I think of that era of baseball I never thought of Rolen as a “superstar” per se, like he wasn’t on the same level as an A Rod, Pujols, Jeter, Bonds, Manny, Ichiro etc. I don’t really know how to explain it. Rolen was really really good, but I just never had him on the same level as the best of the best during that time, though it’s hard to make any kind of comparison during the steroid era. I think a different Tim makes a good point here:

Either way, it’s done. Rolen is going into the Hall. The Phillies will honor him at some point this summer, according to John Middleton, who put out this statement:

“On behalf of the Phillies, I want to congratulate Scott Rolen on his election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the highest honor that can be bestowed on a player.  He richly deserves this award.

“Philadelphia was privileged to have witnessed the beginning of his extraordinary baseball career.  In addition to being one of the most impactful offensive and defensive players of his era, Scott played the game the right way.  Whether taking an extra base with a headfirst slide or diving for a ball in the hole, his hard-nosed effort and selfless attitude resonated with our fans.  Along with his on-field contributions, Scott was a great teammate and a tremendous representative of the Phillies off the field.

“The Phillies look forward to honoring Scott for his momentous achievement at Citizens Bank Park this season at a date to be determined.”