SCOTT ROLEN

Rolen has enjoyed a very successful season in the Majors in 2010, and has resurrected his career with the Cincinnati Reds.

The Jasper, IN, native is currently hitting .307 with 14 homers and 45 RBIs. His 14 HRs ties him for second in the N.L., and he is just three away from leader Corey Hart (17). He is in the top ten in RBIs, just seven away from leader David Wright (52), and his impressive .307 average is good for ninth in the league (Andre Eithier leads with a remarkable .346).

Rolen, 35, began the 2009 season with the Toronto Blue Jays, where he hit .320 with eight home runs and 43 RBIs over 88 games. He was dealt by the Jays at the July 31 deadline, along with cash considerations to the Cincinnati Reds for Edwin Encarnacion, Josh Roenicke, and Zach Stewart. The 1997 NL Rookie of the Year finished the season with the Reds, and hit .270 with three home runs and 24 RBIs over 40 games.

A career .284 hitter with 297 career home runs, Rolen has always been impressive at the plate, but it has always been his defense which has made him standout. A 7-time National League Gold Glove Award winner at 3B, Rolen is third behind Hall of Famers Brooks Robinson (16) and Mike Schmidt (10) for most Gold Gloves by a 3B.

Originally selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2nd round of the 1993 draft, Rolen began his Reading Phillies career in 1995, playing in 20 games, and hitting .289 with three homers and 15 RBIs.

A year later, Rolen was back in Baseballtown, and excelled at the dish. He hit .361 with nine home runs and 42 RBIs — earning a promotion to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (AAA), where he continued to rake. He made his Major League debut in the same season for Philadelphia, and just a year later, he was the N.L. Rookie of the Year.

While injuries have played a big part of his career, there’s no denying that Scott Rolen has been one of the game’s greatest third basemen in the history of baseball. Along with his Rookie of the Year and Gold Glove awards, Rolen is also a 5-time All-Star (2010 should be 6), a World Series champion with the Cardinals in 2006, and a Silver Slugger Award winner in 2002. It is great to see that Rolen is healthy and back to form in 2010 — which has indeed been an impressive season for the former R-Phil.