The best shortstop in Phillies history will be up for enshrinement in Cooperstown New York. Jimmy Rollins will be added to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame ballot this year and he absolutely deserves to be in. Its a crowded ballot. Rollins will join former teammates Ryan Howard, Billy Wagner, Jonathan Papelbon, Scott Rolen, and Bobby Abreu. As well as Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, Tim Lincecum, Mark Teixeira. Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds and Curt Schilling are on the ballot for the final time. A candidate needs 75% of the vote to be inducted, and while I dont think Rollins will make it in his first try, he should one day join the greats in Cooperstown.
Jimmy Rollins played 2,275 games in the majors. In those 2,275 games he was DAMN good:
- 1421 runs scored
- 2455 hits
- 511 doubles
- 115 triples
- 231 home runs
- 936 RBI
- 470 stolen bases
- 1 MVP
- 1 Silver Slugger
- 4 Gold Gloves
- 3 time All-Star
- A member of the 20-20-20-20 club
So that’s his resume. The analytical nerds will look at some stat they just invented, but when it comes to being productive, Jimmy Rollins was it. Jimmy Rollins played the majority of his career for the Phillies, a team that has been around since 1883. Their first season ticket holders were civil war vets.
- Jimmy Rollins ranks FIRST in franchise history in hits (2306) at-bats (8628) and doubles (479)
- Jimmy Rollins ranks SECOND in franchise history in games played (2090) and stolen bases (453)
- Jimmy Rollins ranks THIRD in runs (1325) and triples (111)
Ok but that’s just one franchise. And being a franchise great doesn’t guarantee you enshrinement in Cooperstown. After all, Fred McGriff is an franchise great for the Tampa Bay Rays and hes not in Cooperstown… (that was written in sarcasm font.)
If you’re still not a believer then maybe this will help you come around
- Jimmy Rollins is just 1 of 7 shortstops with 2,000 hits and 700 extra base hits
- Jimmy Rollins is just 1 of 5 shortstops with 2,000 hits and 400 stolen bases
- Only Jimmy Rollins and Honus Wagner have 2,000 hits, 700 extra base hits, and 400 stolen bases
- Rollins is the ONLY SHORTSTOP EVER to win an MVP in addition to 4 Gold Gloves
- Among shortstops with at least 10 years of service time, Jimmy Rollins ranks second in fielding percentage behind Omar Vizquel
Ok, lets put this nail in the coffin. Lets compare Jimmy Rollins to other Hall-of-Fame shortstops.
- Jimmy Rollins has more runs, hits, doubles, triples, homeruns, and stolen bases than Barry Larkin. He also has 1 more Gold Glove than Larkin.
- Jimmy Rollins has more runs, doubles, triples, home runs, RBI AND a better fielding percentage than Ozzie Smith
- Jimmy Rollins has more triples, stolen bases, and Gold Gloves than Cal Ripken Jr.
- Jimmy Rollins has more triples, and stolen bases than Derek Jeter. He also has a better slugging and fielding percentage than him as well.
- Jimmy Rollins is better than Phil Rizzuto in everything but thats not fair because Phil RIzzuto is universally known as probably the least deserving Hall-of-Famer
These numbers are facts but they were also (admittedly) hand picked to fit my argument BUT they are also an example that at the very least Jimmy Rollins deserves to be in the mix. And that’s if you’re being super super SUPER selective.
IN CLOSING
Jimmy Rollins is an All-Time great for a franchise that has been around for 138 years. He is a Hall-of-Famer only when compared to OTHER Hall-of-Famers. There isnt a metric on leadership, but Jimmy Rollins had it in spades.
Ill see you in Cooperstown Jimmy
