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.

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