The Philadelphia Phillies announced that soon-to-be baseball hall of famer Scott Rolen will be inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame, the team announced on Tuesday. Rolen will be joined by executives John Quinn and Ruly Carpenter as the latest inductees. The honor will be bestowed on Saturday, August 12, as part of the Alumni Weekend.
In true Rolen fashion (wink, wink), the Hall of Famer will yet again miss “Scott Rolen Day” according to the release.
Rolen was famously out of the lineup on a Sunday in late 1998 when the Phils’ were honoring their only star. The move proved to be a public relations nightmare for the team, then manager Terry Francona, and the All-Star third baseman. It was also a sign of the times in the Phillies organization.
While not a root cause of his 2002 departure, the t-shirt day fiasco will always hold a place in Philly sports history.
Drafted by the Phillies in the 2nd round of the 1993 MLB June Amateur Draft, Rolen spent parts of seven seasons (1996-2002) in a Phillies uniform. Rolen won the National League Rookie of the Year award in 1996 and won four Rawlings Gold Glove awards as a member of the Phils. He was selected as the starting third baseman of the 2002 All-Star Game in Milwaukee.
Rolen slashed .282/.373/.504 with a .877 OPS, 150 HRs, 207 2Bs, 19 3Bs, and 559 RBIs in his Phillies career. He was traded on July 29, 2022 to St. Louis in exchange for Placido Polanco, Mike Timlin, and Bud Smith.
Ruly Carpenter
Longtime Phillies president of baseball operations Ruly Carpenter will finally take his place on the Wall of Fame. Carpenter joined the family business in 1962 and ascended to team president 10-years later. He famously recommended his father hire Paul Owens as the director of the Phils’ farm system. Together, Carpenter and Owens along with Bill Giles led the team to one of the greatest eras in Phillies baseball from 1976-1980.
Carpenter sold the team to Giles in 1981 for $32.5MM.
John Quinn
