After the announcement that Rolen will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, Dominican fans expressed their disagreement, comparing the American’s career with that of another third baseman with similar numbers, Aramis Ramírez.
Scott Rolen has received the call to immortality and together with Fred McGriffwill be part of the class of 2023 of Cooperstown Hall of Fame. With 76.3 percent of the votes obtained, the third baseman was the only one selected by the voters of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA).
Rolena renowned defensive back with a high-level offense finished his career with the 10th-best number of wins above replacement level (WAR) among inducted third basemen. Hall of Fameso his immortality pick makes sense to stat connoisseurs.
However, the Dominican fans do not see Rolen as a Hall of Fameor at least, they do not do it above their compatriot, Aramis Ramirezwho played 18 years in the Big leaguesbut left the ballot to Cooperstown in his first year. Unfortunately, the comparison between the two players turns out to be a mistake.
Starting with the metric of WAR aforementioned, Rolen finished his career with 70.1 in 17 years, while Ramirez he had a respectable 32.4 WAR.
Regarding accumulated general statistics, in 2,194 games played, Aramis Ramirez he exhausted 8,136 official at-bats in which he batted for a .283 average, with a .341 on-base percentage (OBP) and .492 slugging percentage (SLG), good for an .833 OPS. He hit 386 home runs and drove in 1,238 runs, scoring 1,098 times. The Dominican finished with a 115 OPS+, which means he was 15 percent above the league average during his tenure in MLB.
on your side, Rolen he played 2,038 games in which he exhausted 7,398 at-bats. He hit .281 with a .364 OBP and .490 SLG, which translates to an .855 OPS. He hit 316 home runs and drove in 1,287 runs, scoring 1,211 times. His OPS+ was 122.
Coming soon to Cooperstown! #RolenHOF pic.twitter.com/36DwHIDw5V
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) January 25, 2023
As for stolen bases, Ramirez he managed to steal 28 pads in 47 attempts and Rolen 118 in 167 attempts.
In the postseason, the Dominican hit .191 with a .721 OPS, four home runs and 10 RBIs over five series, while the American batted .220 with a .678 OPS, five home runs and twelve RBIs in nine series, however, he was an essential bat during the World Series 2006, when he won his championship ring with St.Louis Cardinals.
Finally, comparing defensive metrics, Aramis Ramirez he finished with -72 defensive runs saved (DRS), meaning his defense cost his teams 72 runs, and he finished his career with a -25.2 ultimate zone rating (UZR). Rolenon his side he had a DRS of 114 and a UZR of 107.1 in his career, proving to be an elite defensive player, well above the Dominican.
Happy 40th birthday to Aramis Ramírez! #EverybodyIn pic.twitter.com/f58zBAgnvQ
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) June 25, 2018
In short, the comparison between the two players ends up being a mistake. Rolen had a better case as Hall of Fame that Aramis Ramirez. What can be said is that the Dominican had a good race, but good races are not enough to get to Cooperstown.
