Scott Rolen‘s dreams became reality late on Tuesday when he received the call that he had been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
Rolen played 17 seasons in the Major Leagues, spending time with the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, and Cincinnati Reds.
He earned Rookie of the Year honors in 1997, was a seven-time All-Star, won eight Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger Award, and a World Series ring with the Cardinals.
Walt Jocketty, the former general manager of both the Cardinals and Reds, traded for Rolen twice, once with St. Louis and once with Cincinnati.
He stopped by MLB Network to discuss the impact Rolen had on both of those teams.
Walt Jocketty traded for Scott Rolen twice in his career, as the GM of the Cardinals and later the Reds.
He joined #MLBTonight to talk about why the Hall of Famer was a valuable addition for each team.@YonderalonsoU | @CY24_7 pic.twitter.com/x8eFV0cqNX
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 26, 2023
Jocketty talked about Rolen’s work ethic and how that led him to acquire him twice.
The Reds had a young team in 2009 that appeared ready to take the next step, but they needed some veteran leadership.
Fortunately, Jocketty had a solid rapport with Rolen from their time together in St. Louis, and the fit was seamless.
Jocketty was also asked about what separates a good player from a winning player, with the crew on MLB Network listing examples of great players he had drafted and traded for, such as Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, and Adam Wainwright.
The former general manager also cited the work ethic of players of that caliber, specifically Rolen, as being the driving force in what led him to build such great teams in St. Louis and in Cincinnati over his career.
Jocketty took the Cardinals to the World Series in 2004 and 2006, with the team winning in ’06 over the Detroit Tigers.
He also led the Reds to the postseason three times.
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