Scott Rolen all set to charge up the Cincinnati Reds – MLB News
The Cincinnati Reds’ manager Dusty Baker commented on Sunday, March 11, that Scott Rolen is looking better than the past year, suggesting the player will be all ready to charge up both offence and defence for the club this year as he enters in, possibly,
his last season.
"He's already looking better than he did the whole year last year," Baker said. "He's swinging with more freedom. I don't see the wincing with pain and overall discomfort I saw last year. He's important defensively, offensively, his leadership on the field.
I just love having him around, and so does everybody else."
Things could not have gone worse than the last three months of 2011 regular season when the problems in the third baseman’s left shoulder culminated with his departure from the roster. Rolen had to go for the fifth surgery on his shoulder in his career that
spans almost two decades now.
Rolen himself thinks it is the last year of his career in MLB. Thus he wants to do something amazing. "This is the last year on my contract," Rolen said. "I'm OK looking at that. I want to go out and play and have a great year with my family. I'm not saying,
'It's over, I'm hanging it up.”
In 2011, Rolen could play 65 games and remained 252 at-bats, scoring a total of 31 runs with a .242 average and a .397 slugging percentage. His presence in the team was of crucial difference, but with the unexpected injury came a set of problems that could
not be overcome.
Having had an impressive career, Rolen has played a total of 1946 games, scoring a total of 1185 runs and hitting 1248 RBIs with an incredible .282 average and .494 slugging percentage.
From the ups and downs that this player has encountered in his career, to be playing his 17th season here, Rolen has inspired countless game aficionados. However, this will remain an important year in his career, as it will hold profound influence
on the team’s outlook as well given his experience and the presence of young players in the 40-man roster. It will be interesting to see what impact Rolen will have for the Reds during the upcoming regular season.
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