COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — One of the neater elements of the Baseball Hall of Fame’s induction ceremony is observing the bond that develops between members of class, linked forever by their simultaneous entry into the most exclusive club in sports.
But there’s something particularly poignant, unique and possibly prescient about the connection established between Fred McGriff and Scott Rolen, who officially became the 341st and 342nd members of the MLB Hall of Fame when they were inducted Sunday afternoon at the Clark Sports Center.
“Our families are linked forever at this point,” Rolen said during a press conference Saturday afternoon. “Which is great. We really appreciate that.”
Rolen, selected to speak last Sunday and thus the final honoree to stake the stage with his fellow Hall of Famers prior to the ceremony, was greeted with a hearty handshake and combination backslap/hug by McGriff.
“Just a great blessing being here with Scott,” McGriff said Saturday afternoon. “It’s awesome.”
Frank Thomas -Chipper Jones -Fred McGriff -Ken Griffey Jr -Dave Winfield -Jim Thome -Larry Walker -Cal Ripken Jr and Eddie Murray pic.twitter.com/77dPwc3kOU
— Jeffry Dunn (@DunnJeffry) July 24, 2023
No class in history has been so small and included inductees who’d waited so long for the ultimate honor.
McGriff, who finished with 493 homers and was a home run champion in both leagues, played his final game in 2004 and never got 40 percent of the vote during his 10-year period on the ballot distributed to eligible members of the Baseball Writers Association of America.
He earned unanimous election via the Contemporary Baseball Era committee — made up of a 16-person panel including Hall of Famers as well as baseball executives and writers, all of whom had a unique understanding of how impressive it was to nearly hit 500 homers in a career that began and ended after the steroid era — in December 2022.
“It’s hard to put today’s induction into perspective,” McGriff said during his speech. “This is baseball’s biggest honor. This is like icing on the cake. My goal was simply to make it to the big leagues and I exceeded every expectation I could ever imagine and then some.
“It was a great feeling being recognized for your hard work. And now to have a plaque forever hanging in the National Baseball Hall of Fame? It’s unbelievable.”
Rolen is one of four third basemen to finish with at least 300 homers, 500 doubles and 100 steals along with Hall of Famers George Brett and Chipper Jones and likely 2024 first-ballot inductee Adrian Beltre. He retired following the 2012 season and was elected in his sixth year on the ballot.
Talk about not forgetting where you came from:
Scott Rolen gave a shoutout to @inbullsbase —as well as Jasper HS —during his HOF speech.
Class act. pic.twitter.com/DFkbDoyQCv
— Phil Sanchez (@PhilSanchezTV) July 24, 2023
Rolen received 10.2 percent of the vote in his ballot debut in 2018, the second-smallest share ever recorded by a Hall of Famer. But he benefited from a renewed attention upon candidates at third base, which is a notoriously difficult position for voters to evaluate. Graig Nettles, Buddy Bell, Ken Boyer and Sal Bando all racked up more than 60 WAR yet never came close to election.
“This on the stage is baseball greatness,” Rolen said. “It won’t occur to me anytime soon that I will feel a sense of belonging with this group, but today, gentlemen, I am truly honored to be up here on this stage with all of you.”
Beginning next year, McGriff and Rolen will get to be the ones sitting behind the nervous disbelieving new inductees — some of whom are likely to follow the path carved by the class of 2023.
The next Contemporary Era election for modern players is scheduled for the winter of 2025 for the 2026 Induction Ceremony.
Jeff Kent, who received more than 40 percent of the vote just once in his 10 years on the writer’s ballot but ranks 19th all-time in WAR among second basemen, is a candidate to lead that ballot, along with Gary Sheffield, who received 55 percent of the vote — 20 percent shy of the minimum required for enshrinement — in his penultimate appearance on the ballot this year.
Stars from the 1980s such as Dwight Evans, Bobby Grich and Lou Whitaker — who combined for five appearances on the BBWAA ballot despite a collective WAR of 213.4 — are also eligible.
In addition, 10-time Gold Glove-winning centerfielder Andruw Jones, who garnered 58.1 percent of the vote this year in his sixth year on the ballot but may see his progress slowed the next two years by the presence of potential first-ballot inductees Beltre, Joe Mauer, Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia, could be positioned for election in 2026.
Further down the road, recently retired stars such as second baseman Chase Utley (debuting in 2024) and starting pitchers Felix Hernandez (debuting in 2025) and Jon Lester (debuting in 2027) have the type of candidacies that should have time to percolate a generation after they would have likely gone one-and-done.
Should any or all of these nine players eventually earn enshrinement, no one on a stage filled with legends who have a unique understanding of what it took to get there will have a better appreciation for their paths than McGriff and Rolen, linked together forever as the class for whom patience was rewarded.
“I think Fred and I, we knew each other and I had a lot of respect for Fred’s career and I knew he was a great person, great man,” Rolen said at a press conference Sunday afternoon. “But we got to interact here and I think we talked about it between us that our families — with (McGriff’s wife) Veronica and my family, us entering together, it’s going to be special for a long time.
“We’re the class of 2023.”
