Terry Francona compares newest Hall of Fame inductee to a 'linebacker'

This weekend, Scott Rolen will join the immortals in the Baseball Hall of Fame, entering as arguably one of the best third basemen ever to play the game. However, when revisiting Rolen's career recently, manager Terry Francona compared him to a player in an entirely different sport. 

"He played third base like a linebacker," Francona told Joe Noga of Cleveland.com. "But I mean that in a good way. He just ate up baseballs." 

Rolen's capabilities at the hot corner are well-known. An eight-time Gold Glove Award winner, Rolen's standout defense sometimes overshadowed the qualities that made him such a solid player over 17 years in the Majors. Rolen was tremendously consistent, finishing as a career .281 hitter with 2,077 base hits, 316 home runs and 1,287 RBI over 2,038 games. 

If anyone would know what makes Rolen worthy of the Hall, it would be Francona, who managed him for four of his first five MLB seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies. Besides talking up who Rolen was on the field, Francona praised his former player for being the type of player "you're looking for" when it comes to Hall of Fame worthiness. 

"Talk about respecting the game and the people in the game," Francona said. "He's that, and probably then some." 

A second-round pick of the Phillies in 1993, Rolen made his Major League debut three years later, winning National League Rookie of the Year in 1996. A deadline trade in 2002 sent Rolen to St. Louis Cardinals, where he'd make four All-Star teams while helping the franchise win its first World Series in 24 years in 2006. After his career with the Cards, Rolen played five more seasons for the Toronto Blue Jays and Cincinnati Reds, earning two more All-Star nods in his mid-30s. 

On Sunday, Rolen will enter the Baseball Hall of Fame alongside former Atlanta Braves standout Fred McGriff.