June 24th was the last game Jimmy Rollins played before being bench by Charlie Manuel. At the time, Rollins was hitting .211 with a .254 on-base percentage and .328 slugging percentage. Despite his magnificent defense, Rollins wasn’t helping team; he was hurting them. Manuel benched him hoping that Rollins would clear his mind and come back fresh.
When Rollins returned on June 30, he went 0-for-5 against the Braves. He followed it up by going 0-for-3 in the next night. It appeared the benching didn’t help Rollins as his average plummeted to .205.
However, since July 2nd, Rollins’ production has increased by hitting .358 (19-for-his-last-53) with one home run. In addition, he has seven multi-hit games in a 13 game span. His numbers raised to .231/.286/.356. They are still bad, but the phrase “as JRoll goes, the Phillies go” is appropriate. After a June swoon, the Phillies are 11-3 in July.
Was Rollins due for hot streak, or is Charlie Manuel a genius by benching Rollins?
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