COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. – Welcome to the Hall of Fame, Scott Rolen! The longtime St. Louis Cardinals third baseman was officially enshrined into Cooperstown on Sunday after years of top-notch production at the hot corner and in the batter’s box.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame has officially inducted Rolen and Fred McGriff among baseball’s all-time greats. Elected in January, Rolen now holds a special place as the only primary third baseman in the Hall of Fame to ever play for the Cardinals.

Rolen, born and raised near redbird territory in Evansville, Indiana, rocked a Cardinals cap in his Hall of Fame plaque. He largely credits his time in St. Louis for his Cooperstown call, decorating his case with four Gold Gloves, four All Star nods and a World Series title from 2002-2007.

“I really believe that my time there, me being able to be inducted, is a reflection of my time in St. Louis, from a team success point of view,” said Rolen via ESPN ahead of his Hall of Fame induction. “I don’t think there’s any doubt that that’s the part of my career that really speaks loudest.”

In his Hall of Fame speech Sunday afternoon, Rolen thanked his family for sustained support and said one of the best parts of his baseball experience was the memories he made with his mother and father in the stands.

“Seeing mom and dad walk to their seats from my position at third base was a feeling never topped again in my 17 years,” said Rolen.

Rolen may not hold the record-book numbers of a typical Hall of Fame, but built that pedigree behind an unwavering commitment to excellence.

“I tried to play on both sides of the baseball,” said Rolen via the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in a baseball writer’s roundtable Saturday. “[Former Cardinals coach] Hal McRae tried to tell me, ‘put something in the basket everyday.’ No matter what it was, put something in the basket they couldn’t take away. Whether it’s a walk, RBI, run scored, do something every day and tally it up at the end of the year.”

At the of his career, the whole package led Rolen to more than 2,000 hits, 300 home runs, 1,200 RBI and one of the best defensive ratings ever among third basemen (21.4 dWAR). In his peak years with the Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies (2001-2004), Rolen paired a Gold Glove at least 25 home runs and 100 RBI each season.

Rolen retired after 17 seasons in 2012 and first became eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2018. He earned 10.7% of votes in his first try, pedestrian to the 75% Hall of Fame mark but enough to give him hope.

“I want to thank the baseball writers for having faith and sticking with me,” added Rolen during his Hall of Fame speech.

Rolen said watching his Hall of Fame case rise, one of the largest increases from start to finish (76.3% in 2023), was a great experience to share with his family. He remembered his son at basketball practice getting notified of results from his first year on the ballot. That started a tradition that molded into baseball glory just six years later.

“The older he got, the more he was paying attention to it,” said Rolen. “It became a process I quite enjoyed because he was following and get texts from his friends. I didn’t follow it that closely, but he was always telling me. Anytime you can do something like that with your son, your family, it’s worth it.”

Rolen felt a little more nervous this year compared to his previous five runs, but was delighted from a special phone call, at his Indiana home surrounded by family and close friends, in January.

“The phone rings, and it says, ‘National Baseball HOF’ on it,” said Rolen. “That’s pretty cool. I wanted to screenshot it, and thought better not do that [and answer]. It was great.”

Fred McGriff, joining Rolen in the Hall of Fame, said the head-to-head matchups with him were always enjoyable.

“Just watching Scott across the diamond, he played the game right,” said McGriff. “If you hit it to third base, you were going to be out. He was just a professional.”

Rolen echoed a similar sentiment to McGriff. “I was always enamored by him by how strong he was, how he threw the bat head,” said Rolen. “We can get to first base, I’d be scared to death, and he would talk to me. I always looked up to Fred.”

How does Rolen hope to be remembered? Near the end of his Hall of Fame speech, he emphasized, every way possible in his baseball journey and through the support of those who made his baseball dreams possible.

“I’ll finish with this. In baseball, I am a Jasper Wildcat, I am an Indiana Bull, I am a Philadelphia Phillie, I am a St. Louis Cardinal, I am a Toronto Blue Jay, I am a Cincinnati Red, and today, because of all of your support, I am a National Baseball Hall of Famer” said Rolen.

“In my life, I am a friend, I am a brother, I am a son, I am a husband, and I am the greatest gift, a father,” added Rolen, emotionally and holding back tears. “Niki, Raine, Finn, Todd, sis, dad, and mom, thank you. I love you.”

Rolen is the 39th former Cardinal and 18th third basemen inducted into Cooperstown, adding to a position with the fewest Hall of Fame members.