 Rolen committed to play college basketball for the Georgia Bulldogs over competing offers from programs such as Oklahoma State.However, when Rolen was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1993 MLB Draft, the club increased their bonus offer in order to successfully woo him away from basketball.Drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2nd round of the 1993 amateur draft, Rolen reached the majors in 1996.