Scott Rolen’s Top 10 Defensive Gems

Even though he only spent a season and a half with the Toronto Blue Jays, Scott Rolen made a lasting impression with this team thanks to his constant dazzling plays on the third base side.

It’s a shame that Rolen wasn’t able to finish his tenure with the Blue Jays, but he will always be appreciated and remembered for his knack for timely hitting and incredible Gold Glove defense. As a tribute to the GBOAT, let’s take a look at Scott Rolen’s Top 10 Defensive Gems during his time with the Blue Jays.

10.) June 29th, 2008 vs. Atlanta Braves


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With the Blue Jays protecting a slim 1-0 lead and a runner on, Rolen makes easy work of a short hop infield ball and gets the out.

9.) May 21st, 2008 vs. Los Angeles Angels

Occasionally, Scott Rolen didn’t even need to rely on a glove to make the play. Rolen hustles and barehands an infield grounder to get his pitcher out of a jam.

8.) July 26th, 2009 vs. Tampa Bay Rays 

An ordinary man might be disoriented after spinning around, but Scott Rolen twists and makes the throw from his knees for another highlight reel play.

7.) June 25th, 2009 vs. Cincinnati Reds


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It’s rumoured that the Tomahawk cruise missiles were designed after the accuracy of Scott Rolen’s throwing arm. In this defensive gem, Rolen tosses to Overbay from one knee and still makes the play.

6.) July 10th, 2008 vs. Baltimore Orioles

In this dazzler from 2008, Rolen dives over the third base line stealing extra bases away from Nick Markakis while throwing him out from his knees across the diamond.

5.) May 18th, 2009 vs. Chicago White Sox


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Scott Rolen showed that he was deadly from his feet and his knees, reaching across the line and tossing this one-hopper to get the out.

4.) May 14th, 2009 vs. New York Yankees

Perfectly positioned on this play, Rolen tracks down this ball just inches above the ground to steal a double away from Alex Rodriguez.

3.) May 3rd, 2009 vs. Baltimore Orioles

At 6’4″ and 240 pounds, Rolen displays he is one of the most agile “big men” of the infield as he leaps across the grass to snag this liner.

2.) June 24th, 2009 vs. Cincinnati Reds 

This is the infamous “climbing the ladder” play where Scott leapt to unreachable heights to pull down a line drive.

1.) July 18th, 2009 vs. Boston Red Sox

Although Rolen’s position is third base, there is no territory that is unfamiliar to him on the field. With the defensive shift on, Rolen basically positioned at shortstop and makes the diving stab.

Ian Hunter

Ian has been writing about the Toronto Blue Jays since 2007. He enjoyed the tail-end of the Roy Halladay era and vividly remembers the Alex Rodriguez "mine" incident. He'll also retell the story of Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS to his kids for the next 20 years.

12 thoughts on “Scott Rolen’s Top 10 Defensive Gems

  • August 1, 2009 at 5:24 pm
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    Thank you, Ian.

    The only thing missing (and it's not your fault, it's because MLB.com doesn't have it up) is a couple of double plays he started. No team in the league was turning DPs like that because no other third basemen were scooping balls and then throwing rockets at the chest of the 2nd baseman like Scott was.

    I miss him already.

  • August 1, 2009 at 5:37 pm
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    You're right, I vaguely remember a few that weren't on the site. There was a point there during one week where it was highlight reel after highlight reel play – Scoots, Rolen and Hill were all in on it.

    Watching these videos makes me truly appreciate how blessed the Blue Jays were.

  • August 1, 2009 at 6:28 pm
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    *Single tear

    He is truly a human highlight reel. All class. Viva la Vida

  • August 1, 2009 at 9:15 pm
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    Rolen was simply a pleasure to watch night in and night out. I loved his blue collar approach and the impact he had on youngsters like Snider. Long live the GBOAT!

  • August 1, 2009 at 11:57 pm
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    It will be interesting to see how quickly the Reds come around on their W-L record without the daily error from EE. Imagine switching from 28 or 29 outs per game to 27, and with a few of those being hits with any other fielder — oops, we're gonna do that in reverse aren't we?

  • August 2, 2009 at 2:28 pm
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    Thank you for this. His defense is nothing less than thrilling. I love the Blue Jay fans' appreciation of him.

  • August 2, 2009 at 5:29 pm
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    Those were nice. Reminds me of his tenure in St Louis (seems like ages ago). I wonder if we will see ONE similar play from EE the rest of the season…

  • August 3, 2009 at 10:33 pm
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    I imagine that EE won't be many any Gold Glove calibre plays any time soon. He's never really been known to be a great defensive third baseman, but he does have a bit of pop. For the time being, I think Bautista will be fine at 3B.

  • August 4, 2009 at 5:06 am
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    Great post, Ian. A fitting tribute to the departed Rolen.

  • December 23, 2009 at 1:06 am
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    Thanks for the heads up man, that's pretty sweet. I appreciate the link!

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