The National Baseball Hall of Fame gets a new third baseman.
The Baseball Writers’ Association of America voted Scott Rolen to Cooperstown Thursday night. An eight-time Gold Glover who played for the Phillies, Cardinals, Blue Jays and Reds, Rolen received 76.3 percent of the vote in the BBWAA vote in his sixth year.
Candidates must receive at least 75 percent of the votes for anchoring. Only Rolen met that requirement, though former Rockies first baseman Todd Helton (72.2 percent) came close.
A handful of former Yanks also appeared on the ballot, although neither received more than 60 percent of the vote.
Andruw Jones, best known as Atlanta Brave before ending his career in New York, led ex-pinstriper with 58.1 percent of the vote on his sixth attempt. A 10-time Gold Glover in the middle, Jones saw his share of the vote increase notably after earning 41.4 percent last year. Jones was arrested on a battery charge following allegations by his wife in 2012 that could affect his Hall of Fame chances as he nears 75 percent, as off-field behavior has historically affected other candidates’ cases.
Gary Sheffield, who spent three seasons with the Yankees, also made significant gains as his vote share rose from 40.6 percent in 2022 to 55 percent this year. However, the former hitter with ties to performance-enhancing drugs has just one year of eligibility left, meaning Sheffield will need an even bigger boost next year if he wants to take part in a BBWAA vote.
Carlos Beltrán, the first player linked to the 2017 Astros sign-theft scandal to appear on a Hall of Fame ballot, received 46.6 percent of the vote on his first attempt. Beltrán spent portions of three seasons with the Yankees after spending some of his prime with the Mets.
Alex Rodriguez, on the other hand, received only 35.7 percent of the votes on his second attempt. Rodriguez, fifth on the all-time home run list but one of the faces of baseball’s PED era, received 34.3 percent of the vote last year.
Andy Pettitte, a five-time World Series champion with his own ties to PEDs, received 17 percent of the vote on his fifth attempt, after collecting 10.7 percent last year. Bobby Abreu, who spent three years with the Yankees, posted a similar increase from 8.6 percent last year to 15.4 percent this year.
And then there’s the often injured Jacoby Ellsbury, who received zero votes in his first and last election attempt. Players need at least 5 percent of the votes to remain eligible.
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