Baseball Hall of Fame: Comparing Scott Rolen to Brooks Robinson
I think when looking at Hall of Fame caliber players, it is good to compare players of the similar position that have made it.
I will say for Scott Rolen, this can be somewhat troubling when making a reason for his candidacy for induction. When trying to compare him to guys who are in the Hall of Fame at third base, he is not as good as Wade Boggs, Mike Schmidt, or Eddie Matthews. Quite frankly, even the guy on the ballot that is a third baseman, Chipper Jones, had a distinctly better career during the same time frame.
However, one guy who Scott Rolen does compare well with is Brooks Robinson. By no means when I compare Brooks Robinson am I saying he is not worthy of the Hall of Fame. He was MVP in 1964, an 18-time all-star, and won two World Series, alongside 16 Gold Gloves. Wow.
On the surface, Brooks Robinson surpasses Scott Rolen regarding accolades. Twice as many Gold Gloves, 11 more all-star appearances, and Scott Rolen never won an MVP.
However, his MVP 1964 season, which was his best, was worse than Scott Rolen’s best season. In 1964, Robinson hit 28 home runs and had 118 runs batted in. He also slugged an impressive .521 and had an OPS of .889. His WAR according to baseball reference was 8.1, and my Predator Baseball PWAR (Wins Above Replacement) was 3.64.
In Scott Rolen’s best season, which I say was 2004, he hit 34 home runs and drove in 124 runs. He slugged an unbelievable .598 with an OPS of 1.007. His WAR that season according to baseball reference was 9.2, and my Predator Baseball PWAR was 4.04.
An argument would be that Robinson played more seasons than Rolen, which makes him better overall. While it is a fact that Robinson played more seasons with 23 compared to Rolen’s 17.; is it okay to continue playing if you are actually below average?
In Brooks Robinson’s career according to my Predator Baseball PWAA, in years 18 through 23, he was only above average one time out of the six extra seasons. In sum-total during those seasons, he had -0.23 PWAR.
The last comparison for the players comes from the defensive side of the ball.
Brooks Robinson is arguably the greatest defensive third basemen to ever play the game. He finished with a career .971 fielding percentage with 2,870 games at the position. His range factor was 3.10, and the league average was 3.09.
Scott Rolen, on the other hand, finished with a career .968 fielding percentage with 2,023 games at the position. His career range factor was less than Robinson’s at 2.75, but the league average was only 2.67 during his career. Rolen, in a more hitter-friendly period, was more above average defensively regarding range than Robinson with nearly the same fielding percentage.
Personal bias, Scott Rolen is the best defensive third basemen I have ever watched on a day to day basis, and Nolan Arenado is a close second.