Scott Rolen was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, preventing a lockout on BBWAA balloting for the second time in three years.
None of the other 27 players on the Hall’s 2023 ballot cleared the 75% threshold for election, though there were a couple of near misses. The poll results were announced Tuesday during a broadcast on MLB.com.
Longtime third-place finisher Rollin was selected with 76.3% of the votes cast in his sixth year of eligibility to earn the honor. Just missing out was former Rockies frontman Todd Hilton, who received support with 72.2% of the vote in his fifth attempt at the election.
Players can appear on the ballot for 10 seasons after a five-year waiting period following their retirement, provided they are named to at least 5% of the ballot during the voting cycle.
“Don’t even think about it,” Rollin told MLB Network. “You’re thinking about trying to do your best, playing for your team and playing the best you can, and there’s a long way to go. I never thought the Hall of Fame would be the answer.”
Rollin was a seven-time All-Star during his 17-year career, playing for the Phillies, Cardinals, Blue Jays and Reds. His eight Gold Gloves rank fourth for a third baseman. The 1997 NL Rookie of the Year was a member of the Cardinals when the club won the 2006 World Series.
Rollin, who ranked as the No. 5 World War II starting third baseman according to baseball-reference.com, was selected on just 10.2 percent of the ballot during his first year of eligibility in 2018, but has quickly gained support with each voting cycle. Pass.
The same upward trajectory was true for Helton, who started with a 16.5% percentage in 2019. His career hit is . 316 over 17 seasons, all spent with the Colorado Rockies, and Helton is a four-time Silver Slugger and three-time Gold Glover winner. His work is on first base.
Other players named with at least half of the votes included Billy Wagner (68.1%), Andrew Jones (58.1%) and Gary Sheffield (55%).
Wagner, one of the most dominant relievers of his era, steadily gained support during his years on the ballot. He received support with 51% of the polls last year. Next year will be his ninth season of eligibility.
Rolen’s narrow election means that the BBWAA still has refused to elect any new members only nine times in its polling history. The Writers also did not elect anyone in 2021. Last year, only David Ortiz was named a Red Sox great by the Writers.
The three-year period in which the BBWAA has elected only two players matches an all-time low. Since the annual vote has always been in 1966, the writers have never failed to elect at least two players during any three-year period. They also elected players only during the three-year terms ending in 1968 and in each season from 1996 to 1998.
Ironically, the scarcity of the elect comes only a few years after a certain fertile period for voting by the writers. During the three-year period ending in 2019, the BBWAA elected 11 new Hall of Famers and during the five-year period from 2015 to 2019, 17 new Hall of Famers were inducted by the writers.
Unlike in 2021, when no new Hall of Famers will be elected by writers or an era committee — for the first time since 1960 — there will be at least two inductees giving a speech in Cooperstown during the induction ceremonies on July 23. Fred McGriff, speaker, will enter the room alongside Rollin after being selected by the Era Committee at the December Winter Meetings in San Diego.
Progress has been slow for a few controversial candidates whose performance meets traditional Hall of Fame criteria but who have seen their cases undermined by associations with PEDs.
Alex Rodriguez, who has a career-high total of 3,115 hits, 696 homers and 2,086 RBI, was selected to 35.7% of the vote during his second year of eligibility, up from 34.3%. Rodriguez missed 2014 under suspension for violating MLB’s PED policies.
Similarly, Manny Ramirez, who hit 555 batters while raising a career-high 0.312 career batting average but was suspended twice for PED violations, has a slight lead during his seventh time on the ballot. After dropping at 28.9% last year, Ramirez has moved ahead to 33.2% this time around.
Conversely, the feared Sheffield basketball player gained little traction in his ninth year of eligibility. It was up 40.6% last year. Sheffield, who reached 509 employers but was named in the 2007 Mitchell Report, was not disciplined for PED use. Next season will be his tenth and final chance to win election via writers’ ballot.
Of the 14 first-timers on the ballot, only two had the 5% support necessary to be carried over for next consideration.
Carlos Beltran was one of the first to receive 46.5% of the vote. Beltran Hall’s case is solid on the merits of a career that has seen 435 homers, 312 steals, 2,725 hits and one of baseball’s most brilliant postseason records.
Beltran was a central figure in the controversial signal theft scandal that marred the 2017 World Series title for the Houston Astros, with whom Beltran played. His association with the controversy later led to his resignation as manager of the New York Mets prior to his first season in the role.
While it’s uncertain what role the scandal played in Beltran on his first ballot, his level of support bodes well for the future, and perhaps for candidates along the line for other Astros appearances.
The other second timer who will remain on the ballot is exempt Francisco Rodriguez, who was enough to save 10.8% of the ballot with 437.
While voters have been stingy in recent years, next year could see a more active induction week as a number of interesting candidates become eligible next winter. The list of newcomers is headed by third baseman Adrian Belter, catcher Joe Mauer, and second baseman Chase Utley.