We all asked how Jimmy Rollins would respond from his MVP campaign of 2007, one of the best all-around seasons for a shortstop in recent memory. That season he reached career highs in home runs (30), runs batted in (94), batting average (.296), runs scored (139), hits (212) and triples (20), among other things. At 29, Rollins seemed to be at his absolute peak, and most predicted statistical analysis of 2008 had Rollins dovetailing from his MVP numbers.
While an ankle injury sidelined Rollins and likely ruined his chances to duplicate or surpass those numbers, running his current numbers over a 162-game season shows 2008 would’ve been shaping up to be pretty good, as well:
G – 162
AVG – .321
H – 208
R – 93
HR – 17
RBI – 93
SB – 40
Like most predictions, the power numbers regress; however, his contact hitting would be at career-high levels. And these numbers are all either right on or well over career averages. Moreover, he’s slugging .527 (close to last season’s .531) and getting on base almost 37 percent of the time, a little better than anytime in his career.
Best of all, Rollins is hitting .409 with runners in scoring position, and .571 in late-and-close situations. Those are the numbers that make MVPs.
Tim MalcolmTim first found the Phillies as a little infant at Veteran’s Stadium, cheering on a Juan Samuel game-winning home run in his very first game. With the pinstripes in his blood, he witnessed Terry Mulholland’s 1990 no-hitter, “Steve Carlton Night” at the Vet, game three of the 1993 World Series, countless games during the charmed 2008 championship season and various road excursions. Since November 2007 Tim’s been writing about them daily at Phillies Nation, becoming one of the world’s most popular Phillies scribes. You can catch him on Twitter and Facebook, as well. When he’s not talking about the Phils he’s relaxing with a St. Bernardus ABT 12 or one of his many favored brews.
