St. Louis Cardinals: Will Scott Rolen have his jersey retired?

Does Scott Rolen's Hall of Fame inducement warrant a jersey retirement?

The St. Louis Cardinals' just added another Hall of Famer to Cooperstown in the form of third baseman Scott Rolen. After six years on the ballot, the all-around superstar finally gained enough votes for election, which was well deserved. Some have begun to ask the question though, will Scott Rolen see his number 27 retired in St. Louis?

Getting to Cooperstown is a step in the right direction for sure, but I have my doubts about having his number retired by St. Louis. The Cardinals have 14 retired numbers already, and with Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, and likely Adam Wainwright soon to follow, that number is getting very close to 20 already. The New York Yankees currently lead all of baseball with 21 retired numbers, and although the Cardinals have a rich enough history to warrant being in the same conversation, you do need to become a bit selective at this point.

Talent wise, Rolen is a guy who could have his number retired for sure. But after playing only six seasons in St. Louis, one of them significantly shortened by injuries, it's hard to see enough longevity to be in the same conversation as the other guys on the left field wall.

Let's be clear, Rolen was elite during his time with the Cardinals and may go into Cooperstown as one. During his six-year stint with the Cardinals, he slashed .286/.370/.510 with 111 HR and 453 RBI while earning four All-Star selections, three Gold Gloves, and finishing fourth in MVP voting while posting an insane 9.2 WAR, placing him in the top 115 best individual seasons ever. His elite combination of offense and defense makes him an incredible player and is even gushed over by guys like Brian Kenny, who is notoriously hard to impress.

Should the Cardinals decide to retire his number, I wouldn't blame them at all. He's incredible and was a huge part of some of the best Cardinals teams in recent memory. I personally wonder if playing only 35% of his seasons warrants that kind of recognition from the Cardinals, but we will see how they handle that in future years.