Jimmy Rollins was an all-time Phillies great.
The Phillies took Rollins in the second round of the 1996 draft. He went on to spend 19 seasons in the organization and played a major role in the best run of success in franchise history.
In honor of the number he wore during much of his stint as a Phillie, here are 11 numbers to remember from Rollins’ great career as we celebrate Jimmy Rollins Month at Phillies Nation.
One – Most Valuable Player Award
In 2007, Rollins fueled the Phillies to their first playoff berth since 1993 and won NL MVP just one season removed from teammate Ryan Howard doing the same. He slashed .296/.344/.531 that season, hitting 30 home runs and scoring 139 runs.
The most impressive aspect of Rollins’ season was that he became the fourth player in baseball history to hit at least 20 doubles, triples and home runs, while stealing at least 20 bases.
Three – All-Star Game Appearances
Surprisingly, Rollins never made the All-Star team in a season in which the Phillies made the postseason – which includes his 2007 MVP year. This is a result of playing during a time when the shortstop position was stacked. Rollins played in the same division as Jose Reyes and Hanley Ramirez, and Troy Tulowitzki was also in his peak around this stretch.
Four – Gold Glove Awards
Rollins was surehanded at shortstop and won the National League Gold Glove Award in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2012. He often made highlight reel plays and combined with Chase Utley to give the Phillies some of the best middle infield defense in baseball. According to Fangraphs, Rollins was the most valuable defensive infielder in baseball from 2003 to 2010.
2,306 – Hits as a Phillie
On June 14, 2014, Rollins passed Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt for the most hits in franchise history with a single against the Chicago Cubs. In total, Rollins has 2,455 career hits, which is 115th in baseball history:
470 – Career Stolen Bases
Rollins is not the all-time stolen bases leader in Phillies franchise history, as that honor belongs to Billy Hamilton. But Rollins comes second on that list and had at least 30 stolen bases in 10 different seasons with the Phillies.
Three – Seasons Leading League In Plate Appearances
For several seasons, Rollins was the leadoff hitter atop one of the most prolific lineups in baseball. This led to him leading the National League in plate appearances three times, and in 2007 – his MVP season – Rollins had 778 plate appearances, which is the most for any single season in MLB history.
Six – Seasons With 100+ Runs
This includes four consecutive seasons with at least 115 runs scored, as Rollins is just one of three players since 2000 to accomplish that feat. In 2007, he scored 137 runs, which no player has done in a single season since.
46 – Lead-Off Home Runs
Rollins offered some power from the leadoff spot, and his 46 lead-off home runs rank sixth in major league history.
One – Walk-off Hit In The Postseason
While he always played an integral role in helping the Phillies reach the playoffs, Rollins often struggled at the plate in October. His career .673 postseason OPS is well below his regular season OPS of .743.
But Rollins had one legendary playoff moment that came in Game 4 of the 2009 NLCS. Facing Jonathan Broxton with two outs in the ninth inning and two runners on, Rollins smacked a double into the gap to score both runs and give the Phillies a 5-4 win:
38 Games – Longest Hitting Streak
Rollins’ streak started at the end of the 2005 season, and continued into the beginning of 2006. This is the eighth-longest hitting streak in MLB history, and the longest for any player since 1987.
Three – Teams Played For In Career
After spending his entire career with the Phillies, Rollins was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers following the 2014 season. He played 144 games with the Dodgers before signing with the Chicago White Sox in 2016. Rollins played 44 games with the White Sox in his final season in the major leagues.
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