QUESTION: Where do you think Scott Rolen ranks all-time among the game’s top third basemen?

DERRICK GOOLD

As the folks in the press box will gleefully tell you (by way of needling me) I have a manic fondness for the Hot Corner, right down to my collection of Robin Ventura baseball cards and list of lefty-throwers who have played the position. When it comes to the Hall of Fame, it is a criminally underrated and under-represented position. I wish I had the chance to have seen Brooks Robinson play defense in person, especially in the World Series. I imagine it would be like watching Scott Rolen now. He is the best defensive third baseman of his generation, and its not close. He’s in the conversation for greatest glove at third of all time. But when it comes to all-around, all-time third baseman, Rolen is like Robinson and Chipper Jones and few others – in that tier below the most complete third baseman, Mike Schmidt.

RICK HUMMEL

Defensively, Rolen ranks with any I’ve ever seen. He most reminds me of former Cardinals star Ken Boyer in that he is a big man who moves with grace but with a quick first step, who doesn’t have to dive for many balls and who has a strong, true arm.

Persistent shoulder ailments have curtailed Rolen’s offense in the last half dozen or so years,  dropping him a bit in the overall assessment. But his reaching the 2,000-hit plateau is not to be dismissed.

JEFF GORDON

Certainly he is the best defensive third baseman of his era, taking away so many hits with his aggressive fielding and rocket arm. Whether that defensive prowess earns him Hall of Fame consideration remains to be seen. But he can’t stack up to guys like Brooks Robinson and Mike Schmidt, iconic players who became the face of a franchise during their playing days. Rolen has moved around during his career and battled injuries. Had he stayed healthy, stayed in one place and won a bunch with his team, his story would be different.

LARRY BOROWSKY (Founder of Viva El Birdos and editor of “Maple Street Press Cardinals Annual”)

I’d put him at the back of the top 10. He might have ranked in the top 5 or even top 3, but his 2005 injury (at age 30) sharply reduced Rolen’s HR power and knocked him out of the top tier of 3B hitters. He clearly ranks behind Eddie Mathews, Mike Schmidt, George Brett, Wade Boggs, Chipper Jones, and late entrant Alex Rodriguez, who spent 8 seasons as an everyday SS but will probably retire with a dozen or more years as a third-sacker. Even if we limit A-Rod’s totals to the years he’s spent at 3B, he has hit nearly as many homers (281) as Rolen has amassed in his whole career (307) while compiling a better batting average, OBP, and slugging percentage – and winning two MVP awards.

Rolen is jockeying for position with players like Ron Santo, Graig Nettles, Ken Boyer, and Al Rosen. As a defender he’s in the very top rank, as valuable as any 3B in history except Brooks Robinson. I’ve always loved watching the guy play and regarded him as a class act. It should not be overlooked that the La Russa-era Cardinals went 6-1 in playoff series in which Rolen appeared – and 3-6 in those he didn’t.