Comments on: Year In Review: Jimmy Rollins

By: PhxPhilly

PhxPhilly — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:26:49 +0000

How much better was Rollins than Pedro Feliz in 2009 as a no-hit/good field player?
Rollins is definitely more valuable due to his speed, GG defense, and power. But more is expected from JRoll. Feliz was ‘clutch’ with a .336 BA/RISP. JRoll has one awesome game winning hit but Ruiz and Stairs need to get some credit for setting up Jimmy.

Though I think his grade should be much lower (5.8 or so) he is extremely valuable for the Phillies. I really hope then can extend him for 4+more years for ~$10M/yr but probably need to drop him to 5th or 6th in the lineup in a year or two.

By: Bob in Bucks

Bob in Bucks — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:30:10 +0000

A 6 might be fair but only because of fielding. His hitting was not only bad, it was with the wrong effort. Fact is he is not a good bunter – you can see that when he bunts. He is a line drive hitter. A few years ago he finally stopped chasing high pitches. Now, he just loves to swing. When he is on he hits doubles/triples. Unfortunately he does have some pop, especially for a little guy. The worst thing that happens is that he hits a few HRs. This ruins him for six weeks. He just needs contact – lots of time in the batting cage and contact, not power. Nothing wrong with the power but it gets his mind back to chasing bad pitches and hitting those pop ups.

By: MikeB.

MikeB. — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:24:19 +0000

I thought that the Phillies pitchers did a fairly decent job against Jeter in the WS but Damon and Matsui, especially in that last game, were a different story.

By: ryan

ryan — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 07:28:57 +0000

since his MVP year his numbers have been in serious decline. I hope it’s just an aberration and he comes back to form. but last year his bat was seriously lacking and he was a downright terrible leadoff hitter. I’m worried that his skills may be in decline. I need him to prove me wrong. I love me some J Roll

By: Vernon Dozier

Vernon Dozier — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 18:45:51 +0000

I meant to say “the 7.9 “grade” is a little HIGH though…”

By: Vernon Dozier

Vernon Dozier — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 18:43:23 +0000

We’ve been going through this “try to change Jimmy into a leadoff hitter” routine for his entire career now, going all the way back to his rookie season. If he hasn’t figured it out by now, he’s not going to suddenly wake up and “get it”. He’ll always think that he’s helping the team more by swinging for the fences rather than getting on base to set the table for the big bats. And yes, the few times he’s been dropped from the leadoff spot (by both Bowa and Manuel) he’s shown a propensity to pout. So it’s a tradeoff between having a happy Rollins at leadoff or a sulking Rollins in the 7th slot. The funny thing is that Jimmy’s hero was Rickey Henderson, who’s career OBP was over .400.

One of the huge differences in the WS was that Jeter & Damon were consistently getting on base while Rollins & Victorino were stone cold. The Phillies had quite a few solo HRs in that series – maybe things would have been a little different if the top of the order was producing?

The bottom line is that Rollins is a very good shortstop (especially defensively) with obvious flaws that we’ve lived with for years and will live with for at least a couple more seasons. I do think the 7.9 “grade” is a little though…

By: Red McNertney

Red McNertney — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 17:42:53 +0000

The Dipsy is correct about Jimmy Rollins failure to bunt. I remember Brett Butler — a player with far less talent than Rollins — who would add thirty points to his batting average each year because of bunt hits. He was an excellent leadoff hitter and table setter for the Dodgers. Also, Richie Ashburn was an exceptional bunter, as was Willie Wilson and Vince Coleman. Rollins could really help this team if he would forget about home runs and learn to get on base more. Mastering the art of bunting is the key.

By: cxl

cxl — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 17:01:37 +0000

watch the world series on dvd again and jimmy was just terrible with the bat.

he didnt have a “clutch” post season in total, he had a clutch at bat.

his post season stats:
ab: 64
avg: .234
obp: .306
slg: .281
ops: .587
xbh: 3 (all doubles)
sb: 3
k: 10

By: MikeB.

MikeB. — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 10:38:55 +0000

I would grade Rollins out at a 6.5. Poor first half of the season and a terrible 0 for 28 slump in June. Unwillingness to take pitches most of the time to work the count out. All them pop ups. Big hit in the NLCS against the Dodgers but hit just .234 in the playoffs. Inconsistency drags his grade down.

By: WFC010

WFC010 — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 07:14:52 +0000

It’s Charlie’s call, but I also know that he doesn’t want to upset Jimmy, and if Jimmy doesn’t want to move down 1 or more spots in the lineup, Charlie won’t do anything about it.

By: GWFightinsfan

GWFightinsfan — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 05:53:27 +0000

I dont think J Roll, or anybody for that matter, can dictate where they hit in the lineup. Its obviously charlie’s call.

By: WFC010

WFC010 — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 04:13:54 +0000

A source of frustration for me is Jimmy’s apparent unwillingness to let Shane or Polanco take his place as leadoff man, although it may be that Charlie doesn’t want to move him down in the lineup either…i’m not sure

By: Manny

Manny — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 01:10:52 +0000

Wooooooooooooooaaaaaa 7.9 for the leadoff hitter who had .250 AVG, .296 OBP!!!!!!

Jimmy was a disappointment in 09, that’s the cold reality. I think he’ll come back this season, but he had a horrible year. No one expected it.

By: James Kay

James Kay — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:01:43 +0000

5.897 is probably a more realistic score. Those popups were painful. However, for a relatively small man with his consistent homer pop while playing a stellar SS he still contributes much even without the .300 average. Where have all the .300 Phillie hitters gone?

By: The Dipsy

The Dipsy — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 23:56:48 +0000

A source of frustration for me is Jimmy’s unwillingness to take pitches or bunt. When you can run as fast as Jimmy can you, should learn over the years to make getting on base, via walk or bunt, a prominent part of your game. But I do like the fact that Jimmy doesn’t strike out a lot. He’s our leadoff man by default but he would be much served batting 2nd or sixth. There have been times, like in the post season, where Jimmy has worked the count and he is a much better hitter when he does it. No doubt he is a good offensive player and a helluva fielder. I think 7.9 is just right.

The Dipsy

By: Brooks

Brooks — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 22:11:14 +0000

The thing of beauty = regardless of his leadoff shortcomings, the Phils won the East with relative ease. Jimmy will be back and that’s a real good thing!

By: Frank

Frank — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 21:06:09 +0000

He popedup wayyyyyy to much and he was not very clutch during the regular season. You know what your going to get out of him defensivley every year but he is soooo inconsistent offensivley. I would have given him about a 5-5.3ish

By: WFC010

WFC010 — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 20:42:45 +0000

He was great defensively, like always…but he was very frustrating for fans to watch offensively. Of course he still had a habit of coming through when it mattered most, such as in the NLCS. Overall, I would give him about an 8 score everything considered.

By: Greg V.

Greg V. — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 20:11:01 +0000

Come on Joel! Where’s that last .103 lost? Was it that last pop up?

By: Joel

Joel — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 20:06:55 +0000

With an On-base of .296 his grade should be lower. What good is a leadoff hitter who can’t get on base? He’s lucky Shane Victorino bat 2nd behind him, otherwise this team would be in trouble.

I give J Roll a 5.897