Former scout Trcka signed Hall of Famer Rolen, several other big leaguers

BY STEVE KRAH
http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Scott Rolen, who was a standout at Jasper (Ind.) High School and for 17 Major League Baseball seasons for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and Toronto Blue Jays, will be enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., this summer.
July 23 is the big induction day.
The man who signed the future Hall of Famer who was selected in the second round of the 1993 MLB First-Year Player Draft is also a Hoosier.
Hobart’s Scott Trcka was an area scout with the Phillies when he secured Rolen.
“I followed him all summer,” says Trcka, who saw Rolen play multiple times and became friendly with his family. “I did all the leg work. I did all the (research on) make-up and signability.”
The popular theory in the scouting world was that Rolen would pursue his hoops option instead of baseball.
“Indiana’s a basketball heaven,” says Trcka. “Both of his parents (Ed and Linda) were teachers. He had a scholarship for basketball at (the University of) Georgia.
“(Other scouts) didn’t think he would sign. I had a handshake. It was a tough negotiation. It was a long summer. But it got done.
“He was not like a $1,000 college senior. He was a high school player and you needed to spend some time on him.”
It was a different environment three decades years ago.
“Today they’d walk away from a guy like that or drop a ton of money on him,” says Trcka. “Compared to the player he is, I gave him nothing. I gave him fair money for the round and the place. I didn’t over do it.
“It was a trust thing.”
At Jasper, Rolen was a third baseman, shortstop and pitcher.
“He had a fastball he could pump up to 93 (mph),” says Trcka. “He showed his arm strength then and all it did was improve. When he got up to the big leagues he had a rocket.
“With his arm and his agility he could’ve played shortstop in the big leagues.”
Track notes that average major league runner gets down down the line from the plate to first base in 4.3 seconds. Rolen was clocked in 4.01.
“That’s flying — especially for a big man.” says Trcka of player who was 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds in the majors. “He had pretty good instincts on the bases. He’d take that extra bag.
“He was a special guy.”
Rolen went into the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2019 and is now Director of Player Development at Indiana University.
In a New York Times article by Tyler Kepner dated Jan. 24, 2023, Trcka is credited with Dick Lawlor and Marti Wolever as scouts that recommended Rolen to former Phillies scouting director Mike Arbuckle.
Like so many relationships he made in 27-plus years as an MLB scout, Trcka enjoyed the one he made with Rolen’s parents. He still gets Christmas cards from them and still hears from players, families, coaches and other scouts.
“It was a great game,” says Trcka. “I loved it. Even though the job did take me away from the family, I couldn’t ask for a job that I enjoyed more.”
In various capacities Trcka scouted for the Phillies 1989-2001 and 2013-16, San Diego Padres 2002-05 and New York Mets 2006-12.
He covered winter ball in the Dominican Republic from 1998-2001. In 2005, he was assigned four MLB teams in spring training along with 24 minor league teams during the season. In 2007, he spent two weeks covering pro baseball in Japan.
“It was a good job,” says Trcka. “I enjoyed my time. I met a lot of great people. If you were to tell me I’d have access to go into major league clubhouses and things like that when I was a kid, I would probably lose my marbles and couldn’t wait to grow up.
“I signed a lot of big leaguers. That was the biggest thrill.”
Besides Rolen, Trcka also signed the following MLB players as an area supervisor: Steve Parris (1989, fifth round), Gary Bennett (1990, 11th), Mike Grace (1991, 10th), Tony Fiore (1992, 28th), David Doster (1993, 27th), Kevin Sefcik (1993, 33rd), Jason Boyd (1994, eighth) and Kevin Plawecki (2012, first, 35th overall selection).
New Haven (Ind.) High School graduate Doster played mostly second base at Indiana State University and in the bigs and Japan.
Westfield (Ind.) High School alum Plawecki was a catcher at Purdue University and played his eighth MLB season in 2022.
As a crosschecker, Trcka recommended Pat Burrell, Jason Michaels, Jorge Padilla, Brett Myers, Marlon Byrd, Gavin Floyd, Khalil Greene, Tim Stauffer, Colt Morton, Dirk Hayhurst and Aaron Nola.
The first time Trcka saw LaTroy Hawkins he was a lanky freshman at Gary (Ind.) West Side High School.
“He was a good kid,” says Trcka. “I really liked him. He had a whip for an arm. You knew he was going to be pretty good.
“He turned out to be a real gem.”
Hawkins went on to pitch 21 seasons in the majors and went in the IHSBCA Hall of Fame in 2018.
Trcka helped fellow scout Bill Bryk conduct tryout camps for the Pittsburgh Pirates in northwest Indiana.
It was during the change toward more analytics and less traditional scouting that Trcka was let go by the Phillies.
“Everything has changed now,” says Trcka. “Baseball people don’t run the game anymore.
“It was once a great game, but it’s far from that anymore. Statistical information doesn’t tell what a real player is about inside.”
Not that Trcka ignored the numbers.
When scouting college players, he always sought out the press box and found the stat sheet.
He wanted to know how many times a batter struck out or walked and how many stolen bases a player had.
“Doubles were always big,” says Trcka. “Doubles can show what the future holds for you as far as home run power.
“We looked at all that stuff. All scouts did that. Not just me.”
What about WAR (Wins Above Replacement)?
“I don’t know how to do it and I don’t want to know,” says Trcka. “It was a different time. I know you’ve got to move with the times, but when something’s not broke don’t fix it.”
In recent years, Trcka has been focused on his family including grandchildren.
When he happened to be watching a game on TV and saw a batter make the last out in one inning and start on second base in extra innings, he was introduced to what commonly is called the “ghost runner.”
“What’s going on in this game?,” says Trcka. “They’re doing a fine job of trying to destroy the game.
“It’s a sad commentary.”
The son of Dick and Joan Trcka, Scott spent his first three years of high school at Hobart and his senior year at Calumet, graduating in 1976.
As a Warrior, Trcka played for his father and against future big league slugger Ron Kittle, who was a senior at Gary Wirt High School.
Dick Trcka spent 28 years in a variety of coaching roles at Calumet and won more than 200 games as head baseball coach. The field at what is now Calumet New Tech bears his name.
Scott Trcka was Director of Player Personnel and Development for the summer collegiate wood bat Northwest Indiana Oilmen in 2019.

Scott Trcka.

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New IHSBCA Hall of Famer Rolen reflects on family, baseball career

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Circumstances kept the family of Scott Rolen away as he was inducted into the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

But the former Jasper (Ind.) High School standout and 17-year major league third baseman had his loved ones on his mind during festivities Friday, Jan. 18, 2019 in Indianapolis.

Scott and Niki Rolen have two children — Raine (14) and Finn (11). Their daughter got sick at basketball practice so they were unable to be at the Sheraton at the Crossing.

Now the director of player development — a volunteer position — on head coach Jeff Mercer’s baseball staff at Indiana University, Rolen is around the lend his expertise.

By rule, he does not coach individuals and can only recruit on-campus. But he can evaluate and provide input to that the Hoosiers can use.

“I can coach the coaches, basically,” says Rolen. “I can talk with them about practice strategies and what each player can work on.

“It’s a great fit. There’s a real good thing going there right now.”

The position allows him freedom for family time.

“The kids are my first priority,” says Rolen. “I bounce in and bounce out.”

Last summer, Scott and Dan Held coached their sons on an Indiana Bulls 10U Grey travel team. Rolen lives in Bloomington and brought six players from his neck of the woods, including son Finn. Held, who lived central Indiana and served as Bulls executive at the time, added six players, including son Boston.

The team played a small schedule and was done by the first part of July.

“Everybody could go on vacation, have fun or play other sports,” says Rolen. “They could swim, throw the frisbee, have a blast.”

He anticipates a similar schedule for an 11U team in 2019. Dan Held is now assistant coach/recruiting director at IU.

Rolen played for the original Bulls team co-founded by Dave Taylor in the early 1990’s. The club featured top talent from around the state and played when the baseball landscape was much different than today.

The travel baseball world has really morphed into something big,” says Rolen. “I’m very careful with my son.

“I love high school sports. I love rec sports. There’s spot for some extra baseball, but I believe in playing year-round everything.

“I believe in the athlete. I don’t believe in the baseball player. I’d like to see a little more well-rounded athlete.”

Rolen, who was Indiana Mr. Baseball and runner-up to Indiana Mr. Basketball as a Jasper senior, also played tennis in high school. He was offered a basketball scholarship to the University of Georgia before being selected in second round of the 1993 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies.

He was the 1997 National League Rookie of the Year and went on to play for the St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and Toronto Blue Jays. He finished with .281 average, 2,077 hits, 316 home runs and 1,287 runs batted in and 1,211 runs scored. He was an eight-time Gold Glove winner and recipient of a Silver Slugger Award in 2002. He earned a World Series ring in 2006 with St. Louis. He has had four shoulder surgeries and is scheduled for back surgery next week.

Scott grew up the youngest of Ed and Linda Rolen’s three children behind Todd and Kristie.

Mom and dad were teachers and the Rolen kids were busy with sports. But they found a way to get together at meal time.

“We have a real close tight-knit family,” says Rolen. “My parents never missed a ball game, whether it was mine, Kristie’s or Todd’s. They split up, divided and conquered.

“They really put us in a nice position to succeed in sports and school and gave us a nice solid upbringing.”

Rolen made a major gift of an unspecified amount for the construction of IU’s Bart Kaufman Field in 2013 and the clubhouse is named in honor of his parents.

Scott makes a point of telling his father how much appreciates his father. Ed Rolen, who is now in Florida and unable to travel, can’t understand the fuss.

“Dad’s the kind of guy that when I thank him, he says ‘for what?,’ says Scott. “Well, for being a great dad.

“He was there and he loved us — always.”

Rolen, with brother Todd as executive director, has been showing love to other families through the Enis Furley aka E5 Foundation.

“It’s named after an error at third base,” says Rolen. “You poke a little fun at yourself from time to time.”

Through E5, Indiana Children’s Wish Fund and other organizations, four families with special needs children are identified and all their expenses are paid to come to Camp Emma Lou, a property of about 75 acres on Lake Monroe near Bloomington.

These kids get to experience a petting zoo, baseball field, bond fires, swim in the lake and more.

“It’s just a little something that we can give back,” says Rolen.

The foundation also brings sixth graders in Monroe County — about 1,000 kids — to the camp in spring and fall for leadership field trips and team-building activities.

“We talk to them about things that are going on in their lives,” says Rolen.

Scott (Class of 1993) and Todd (Class of ’91) played baseball together for IHSBCA Hall of Famer Terry Gobert (induction Class of 2007). In Todd’s senior year, the Wildcats rebounded from a tough start to advance to the IHSAA State Finals.

Rolen, who was inducted into the 41st annual Hall of Fame class with Ron McClain, Fred “Cy” Williams, Bob Schellinger and Pat O’Neil, recalls Gobert’s effective methods.

“Coach Gobert was pretty laid-back,” says Rolen. “We were able to practice in shorts. But if we need to slide, we need to slide.

“We had to get our work done. If we don’t do our work, we’re going to wear pants and we’re going run.”

Rolen was nominated for the Hall of Fame by Ryan Berryman, head coach at Western High School and also an Indiana Bulls coach.

Hall of Famer Ray Howard (induction Class of 1990) is executive director of the IHSBCA Hall of Fame, located on the Vincennes University campus in Jasper, and was again behind the mic at Friday’s banquet. The Hall is about to unveil more display space.

Jasper Hall of Famers (from left): Ray Howard (inducted in 1990), Scott Rolen (2019) and Terry Gobert (2007). Hall of Fame executive director Howard is a former Jasper (Ind.) High School head coach and current assistant. Rolen played for head coach Gobert at Jasper then for 17 years in the majors. (Steve Krah Photo)

Scott Rolen is director of player development on head coach Jeff Mercer’s baseball squad at Indiana University. (Indiana University Photo)

Scott Rolen, who was Indiana Mr. Baseball at Jasper High School in 1993, played for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and Toronto Blue Jays. He is now an Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer. (Cincinnati Reds Photo)