Jimmy Rollins: The Best of the Phillies Shortstops



From a certain set of Phillies fans, Jimmy Rollins gets no love.  It’s hard to see why.  Rollins is only the all time Phillies leader in hits (2,306) and doubles (479).  In stolen bases, he’s second only to the legendary Slidin’ Billy Hamilton, whose numbers may be inflated due to how stolen bases were credited in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.  He’s second only to Mike Schmidt in extra base hits and total bases.  In triples, he is third behind Hall of Famers Ed Delahanty and Sherry Magee.

Certainly, in a team that has suffered through the likes of Steve Jeltz and Ivan DeJesus, Rollins has been a highlight of the shortstop position.

Having grown up in the 1970s, I loved Larry Bowa.  He was a team leader.  In his twelve years with the Phillies, Bowa batted .264 with 1,798 hits and 421 RBIs.  But, in his fifteen years with the Phillies, Rollins edges out Bowa, his mentor, with a .267 average, and 887 RBIs.  Additionally, Rollins’ career fielding percentage is .983, compared to Bowa’s .980.

Indeed, Rollins’ statistics are comparable to those of the only Hall of Fame shortstop to spend any significant time with the Phillies, Dave Bancroft.  In his sixteen year career, Bancroft hit .279, with 2,004 hits and 591 RBIs.  In his six years with the Phillies, which included the first Phillies pennant winning season, Bancroft hit only .251.

With three All-Star appearances, four Golden Gloves and the MVP Award in 2007, Rollins can lay claim to being the best shortstop in Phillies history.  In history of the major leagues, only the legendary Honus Wagner can brag that he joins Rollins as shortstops with over 2,000 hits, 700 extra base hits and 400 stolen bases.  When Rollins’ career comes to an end, he should be in a position to receive serious Hall of Fame consideration.

 

References


“All-Time Leaders,” Phillies.com, available at http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/phi/history/all_time_leaders.jsp.

“Appreciating the Excellence of Jimmy Rollins,” The Sports Fan Journal (June 17,2014), available at http://www.thesportsfanjournal.com/columns/the-rev/appreciating-the-greatness-jimmy-rollins-philadelphia-phillies-mlb-shortstop-mike-schmidt/.

“Dave Bancroft,” Baseball-Reference.com, available at http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bancrda01.shtml.

Egan, Pat, “Phillies Pushing Away Hall of Fame Level Shortstop,” Phillies Nation (March 19, 2014), available at http://philliesnation.com/archives/2014/03/phillies-pushing-away-hall-of-fame-level-shortstop/.

“Jimmy Rollins,” Baseball-Reference.com, available at http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/rolliji01.shtml.

“Larry Bowa,” Baseball-reference.com, available at http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bowala01.shtml.

“National Baseball Hall of Famers,” Phillies.com, available at http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/phi/history/hall_of_famers.jsp.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Hall of Fame Should Reverse the Slight to Dick Allen

Image
Despite a career average of .292, 351 total home runs, 1,119 total RBIs, the 1964 NL Rookie of the Year award, seven All-Star appearances, and the 1972 AL MVP award, during his fifteen years of eligibility of 1982 through 1997, Dick Allen never garnered more than 20% of the vote from the BBWAA for Hall of Fame induction. The oft-cited reason for this has been the character issue. Baseball writers viewed Allen as a divisive figure in the clubhouse. Bill James has accused Allen of “manipulat[ing] racism as an explosive to blow his teams apart.” But far from manipulating racism, Allen was a victim of racism, who was saddled with an undeserved reputation because of his reactions to regrettable treatment by players and fans alike.  Allen broke into the major leagues in Philadelphia, a city Curt Flood described as “[t]he nation’s northernmost southern city.”  Philadelphia was infamous for its treatment of Jackie Robinson when he broke the color barrier in 1947. The Phillies, led b
Read more

Dick Allen: Integrating Philadelphia’s Baseball Culture

Image
Much of what has hurt Dick Allen in reaching the Hall of Fame has been his reputation in the press of creating racial divisions on the teams for which he played. This is a reputation that has been perpetuated unfairly. To the contrary, Allen has been caught in a world where American society in general, and baseball in particular, has had to come to grips with racial discrimination. While white America preferred to sweep the problem of racial discrimination under the rug, players such as Allen were outspoken, refusing to let the issue be covered up. It is his outspokenness, when many Americans preferred to turn a blind eye to societal ills, that handicapped Allen’s chances of being inducted into the Hall, and which to this day haunts his candidacy.  Some have called Allen Philadelphia’s Jackie Robinson. And rightly so. Allen’s career was marred by racial discrimination by fans in Philadelphia. His endurance of this mistreatment, while acting as one of the greatest power hitters o
Read more