Schmidt: Rollins needs to be more "Pete Rose-like"
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Schmidt: Rollins needs to be more "Pete Rose-like"
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
"I look for Rollins to push a 200-hit year," Mike Schmidt said at spring training Wednesday. (Yong Kim/Staff Photographer)
Mike Schmidt spent about 30 minutes fielding questions for a small group of reporters today at Bright House Field, and the Hall of Fame third baseman had some interesting things to say.
I'm in the middle of transcribing the tape, but for right now I'll leave you with his thoughts on the Phillies' offense, which in his opinion has underperformed the last few years. Specifically, he zeroed in on Jimmy Rollins, who he said hasn't played within himself.
"I look for Rollins to push a 200-hit year," Schmidt said. "I look for Victorino to have a 200-hit year. We are talking in those terms. 100 walks. 200 hits. Sort of out-there goal for these guys that you haven't seen in the last few years. They are part of a winning team, don't get me wrong, but I still think they are underachieving as players. Jimmy Rollins can't do what Pete Rose did. Just take a year. Pete Rose had 200 hits 10 straight years. Jimmy's faster, you know.
"I just think Pete understood more what his role was. Jimmy kind of gets to being Jimmy. Jimmy needs to be more Pete Rose-like in his approach to the game, and more accountable for getting on base and understanding that offensively, he's about running and getting on base and getting hits and leading the lead in hitting. He wants to look at the USA Today or the Inquirer or whatever and see his name right up there in the top three in hitting. It should be, right? So should Victorino's. And they now feel that way. So I look for big things all the way around."
More to come.
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Comments (70)
As an up and coming team, that Rollins "Team to beat" prediction was epic and put a swagger on this team for this era. Now the Rollins pre-season predictions seem stale to me - like arrogance. '100 wins?' Wha? Why predict anything but a WS win at this point - or just say nothing at all and do it on the field. Still a Rollins fan (vs Dodger NLCS gap game-winning double still gives me goosebumps to watch) but can do without the mouthiness. Just sayin.— jamesiri- Those two have been like that for years now. Vic and Jimmy under-utilize their speed by swinging for HR's. If Jimmy changes his approach, he can hit .300 with 100 runs scored, 5 HR's. Shane? I'm not so optimistic about him getting 200 hits. Guy can only hit fastballs now. WTH?
- I'll believe it when I see it. If Schmidt can get through to these guys he'll belong in the H of F twice.— HighDrama
- Jimmy does "IT" his way. When Jimmy goes, The Phillies Go.— docphilly
- Shut up Mike Schmidt.— madecaro
Comment removed.- Easy buddy.. the point of the comment was that Mike Schmidt's comments about Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino underachieving as players needs to be conveyed differently, and not necessarily in the press. A true leader would know that much better. Schmidt was probably the best 3b of all time, but that doesn't make him a great motivator, leader, coach, visiting instructor.. but rather a guy who gets invited to Spring training out of courtesy. If he had that much of a desire to really groom players, he would have coached a bit longer than one season. So, my shut up was directed to him saying what he said, in the manner that he said it. Schmidt-- great player. As far as who I am, I am Pat Gillick's advisor :) — madecaro
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- I love Mike Schmidt but laughed out loud for 10 minutes after seeing madecaro's comment. Hilarious!
— Sam Crow - Comment removed.
- @mainline- maybe you should chill out, pappy. Relax and take some time to smell the roses for pete's sake! — Sam Crow
- JRoll apparently needs to take up gambling and marrying several womwn with same name,— NewMick314
- Everybody's forgetting that this is J-Roll's last shot at a big contract. He's going to do whatever it takes to get a big deal. This probably means more swinging for the fences, but I'm sure he realizes that another World Series win would drive his value up a little further. If they win another WS this year, it's completely reasonable for him to ask for more money than Jeter just signed for, which is probably his best-case scenario.— tdog330
Every time Rollins hits a HR, he should be fined $500! That's what Howard is for!!! Rollins should make it his business to GET ON BASE everytime he comes to bat!!! 200 Hits and he can talk trash to god!— baworks- Rollins is what he is and he is going to hit some HRs. I don't have a problem with him being aggressive, he just needs to raise his avg and score more runs. If he hits 15 dingers and still scores 200 runs, I won't complain.
THANK you, Mike Schmidt. Victorino was ridiculously impatient at the plate, seeing the least amount of pitches last season among the starting 8. Lowest OBP of the starting 8 as our catalyst in J-Roll's absence, but not as if Jimmy is a patient man either. 100 walks would be AWESOME for each.
just a young kid from ohio with 2 bad knees...and a dream.....to be a major league baseball player wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....- Both guys are block heads and play for themselves. Not for the team. If they played for the team they could win 105 games this year. But both will swing for the homer and team will still win in the 90's because of pitching.
- in complete agreement with SJDevilBoy here, and all others who see Rollins as just a play-for-his-stats guy. He has no interest in playing small ball, of getting on base any way he can, of bunting or slapping it the other way.
When the Phils facve a lefty, Rollins would be my right-handed 5th batter. He's going to swing for homers anyway and if he catches a few, maybe he can be the protection Howard needs in the order. As for when the Phils face a righty, forget it, I'd hit him 8th. He has no idea (nor does Victorino) what he's doing left-handed anymore.— advantasux - Perfectly worded by Mike Schmidt. Rollins has to stop being Willie Mays Hayes and just get on base...
- As for the sentiments expressed in the column, Aaaaaaamen! Aaaaaaaaaaaaamen! Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen.— orange rhino
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- I'm glad Schmitty challanged Rollins. Understanding your role is important. Game 6 against the Giants still makes me nuts. In the 5th Rollins got on to lead off the inning. He didn't run just stayed put.
After 2 flyouts with Rollins still on first Howard doubles and Jimmy stops at 3rd. As we all know the inning ends and we don't score.
The little things mean a lot. If Jimmy steals 2nd and you bunt him to 3rd, the 2nd fly out scores the run and certainly Howard's double does. We had chances in the 5th,6th, 8th and 9th but played for the big inning.
I understand Jimmy was hurt but Carlos Ruiz hit 60 points better than him during the season. Hitting 243 with a free swinging bat and very few walks is not a leadoff hitter.— Fan74 - I wish he hadn't challenged him like this. Rollins is pig-headed. The more he gets challenged like this in public, the less likely he will be to play the type of offensive game he should play. — DPL
- I knews the "Willie Mays Hayes" ignorance had to surface somewhere here. Nothing intelligent to say so resort to that garbage. Best shortstop in Phillies history, league MVP, World Series champion and how many gold gloves? And all you clowns can do is whine. Pathetic.— JLH
Schmidt thinks every small player needs to be Pete Rose. Fact is, Rollins has a different skill set. He does hit for more power, hits a lot more doubles as a percentage of hits than Rose, and of course way more triples (a function of his speed). Rose was a slap-hitter who focused on singles. For Rollins to be at his best, he needs to hit line drives into gaps and RUN. Rollins shouldn't even try to mimic Rose.... although he should stop swinging for the fences every time up.- I totally agree with the first poster---the "Team to beat" quote was awesome and perfect. Its getting old, predictable and feeling a bit forced at this point. Just stop, Jimmy.
And JLH---you have a valid point, but so do all of us "whiners" that just want him to make a discernable consistent effort to ACT LIKE A REAL LEADOFF HITTER. Its not asking too much, despite all of his other great qualities.— Zee77 - I really have to agree that the Rollins/Rose comparison just isn't going to work. They need more contact hitting at the top of the order but I don't know that the answer is to try and turn Rollins into Rose. I still struggle with whether he should be leading off. There's no obvious upgrade in my opinion. The dynamics of this lineup are way different than the one Schmidt was a part of. I like that he's not afraid to put the comments out there though. JRoll is a great shortstop. In my mind the best in Phillies history. You give him a shot to be JRoll and see where he is around May sometime before trying to reinvent things too much.— s
- Mike Schmidt. HOF. Listen to him.— ACBaughman
- Willie Mays Hayes huh? can't you at least come up with something original and less ignorant if you're going to berate the best shortstop in Phillies history? League MVP. World Series Champ. Gold Gloves. Longest hitting streak in Philles history. Yeah he's just horrible.— JLH
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- Rollin's job? Get on base. Victorino's job? Get on base. And then what? As Earl Weaver said, "the most important play in baseball is the three run homer".— Albert
- madecaro.....why should Schmidt shut up? He makes valid points but of course, you know more than the greatest 3rd baseman in MLB history.
And just to clarify to some of the posters - Schmitty did not say J-Roll needs to be Pete Rose - he said he needs to be "more Rose-like".....I was never a big Rose fan, personality-wise, but no one played the game harder. He would do anything to get on base....when's the last time Rollins tried to bunt for a hit?!— jimyd0315 - Uh-oh....Cardinals' Wainwright out for season, Tommy John surgery likely. Does this mean the Cards go after either Blanton or Kendrick??? carrot league baseball today on Google
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- Kendrick for Pujols, straight-up. 8-) I really believe either Kendrick or Blanton will be traded. — s
- Millwood just turned down the Yankees. I guess he can see that giving up 30 HR in 2010 combined with their short RF and LF porches, plus playing in the universal NY would not be a good fit. I could see the Cards offering KM a minor league deal
-carrot league baseball today on Google - Schmidt should never shut up. Love the guy. Personality-wise, the Pete Rose of the current Phillies team is Chase Utley. I often wonder how Utley would be as a lead-off hitter. He's not of the traditional mold either but you wonder how he might adapt. You figure if two of the top three (assuming that's Rollins, Victorino, and Polanco) can up their OBP we'd have a lot less to talk about.— s
- I think Jimmy will change his approach this year, right after Iverson becomes a pass first PG and Andy Reid runs the ball 70% of the time. Enough guys. After 10 years in the league, he is what he is.— figgypop
- What Rollins and Victorino are is 180-lb wannabe home run hitters. That might have worked in 1931. It certainly does not work in 2011.— orange rhino
- Who stole my avatar?— orange rhino
- Who stole my avatar?— orange rhino
- JIMMY knows, when JIMMY goes, Phillies goes. Yeaaah JIMMY!— manyhats
- so Rollins needs to start betting on baseball????— wolfburn
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You mean he needs to pop "Greenies" and amphetamines before every game, and ignore coaches calls that help the team win games? Please.... Charlie H-H-Hustle was tweeked out for most of his career, and then ... well we all know the low down dirt y shame that guy brought on baseball— Pluski- Comment removed.
- Let me start by saying, three of my favorite players are Schmidt, Rose and Rollins. That being said, just because Schmidt is the greatest 3B ever, does not make him a baseball expert. He has always been as strange as Carlton and Dutch with some of his comments.
Rollins needs to SCORE RUNS no matter how he gets on base. Schmidt comes up with this 100 walk stat. Guess what? Rose walked 100 times ONCE in his career. He averaged 71 walks and 194 hits per 162 games.
However, he "only" averaged 98 runs per 162. Rollins averages 108 Runs per 162 with 55 and 184 BBs and hits.
The goal of the leadoff hitter is to score runs and when he is healthy, Jimmy is as good as any player in baseball today scoring runs. Jimmy also averages 30 more total bases per season than Pete did, not to mention 28 more stolen bases.
Pete Rose is a Hall of Fame player if not for the haircut, I mean the gambling. But let's not make him out to be Ricky Henderson. He was a singles hitter and a wineer and while he got a lot of them, he was a one base at a time guy. Over the course of the season, Pete was on base slightly more than one time per week more than Rollins.
Pete was 3 and 3 in the World Series. By the end of 2012, Jimmy will be 3-1, hopefully.— NMPartners - JRoll should take a page out of Mike Schmidt's book and show up for practice with a Pete Rose wig on. — s
- Hopefully that fires Jimmy and Shane up a little bit.— jayflyte
- this would have been great commentary by Schmidt if it was 5 years ago, but I think both players are way too set in their ways and their approach to get 100 walks or 200 hits. I think Rollins goal for this year is to just stay healthy, and continue with the same approach he's always had for the game.— recoveryroad
- Jimmy Rollins is the most overrated athlete in the history of Philadelphia sports. I've never seen an athlete have his talents so overstated like this guy's throughout his career. Defensive? Top notch. Basepaths? Very good. But everything else about this guy's game is average to below average. They succeed in spite of Warning Track Power J-Roll not because of him. If he batted 8th and shut his gap toothed mouth, I would feel differently about him. But if he wants to talk and try and keep the charade of a lead off hitter going, he better bring it.— Blackbird32
- I looked up the 1980 Phils' stats the other night and was stunned to see that Rose had 1 HR the entire season. And if you ever saw Rose play, he was plenty strong -- more solid and stronger than Rollins and Victorino, easily. But, as Schmitty says, we didn't need him to hit for power. So, he hit for average, had 64 doubles (more than twice as many as anyone else on the team), showcased his trademark hustle -- and we won the whole thing, with a team less talented overall than we are this year or were in 2010.— eman
- I think you should have written down the stats you looked up instead of guessing. Rose had 42 doubles in 1980, not 64. 64 would have been the 2nd highest number in baseball history.
Also, "Pete Rose hit for average" is not totally accurate either. In 1980, he hit .282. His lowest average since 1964, his 2nd year in the majors.
Also, in 1980, Pete had his lowest on base percentage since 1966 at .352
So, in a season that ranked in the bottom half of Pete's career, the Phillies won the WS despite all that.
All this pontificating (I wonder if I spelled that right?)is nice for now but this season will come down to clutch hitting in October. The Phils had it in 2008 and through the NLCS in 2009. The Giants had it last year.— NMPartners - I usually can't stand when Michael Jack opens his mouth, but in this case, Amen brotha. Jimmy needs to stop giving predictions and worry about getting on base. Period. A guy hitting .250 with hamstring problems has no business hitting at the top of any lineup at any level. I want to throw up every time I hear someone recite the adage 'When Jimmy is on, it sets the stage for the whole lineup' (or something to that effect). Well, in place of 'Jimmy,' insert 'Any leadoff hitter, anywhere'. Because that's what a leadoff hitter is supposed to do. Find me one team that consistently scores runs without a leadoff hitter who consistently gets on base
- Neither J-roll or Victorino are in the same class as hitters as Rose,but schmidt is right,these guys have got to play to their strenghs,singles,doubles and stolen basses.They both should concentrate on getting on base and scoring runs.— schmitty71
- Schmidt and Rollins are both delusional. Hey fans, wake up. First of all, J-roll ain't gonna' try for 200 hits by bunting and slapping the ball around. Sorry, Mike. But secondly, Rollins is shot anyway. He's going to be 33 and on the down side of a career in witch his numbers were boosted by, guess what? The juice of course. Look what he's done since his 30 HR, 20 triples year. Not a whole lot. He won't be resigned by the Phils after this year. In fact he will once again be an injury prone liability. You heard it here first.— baabyrrej
Jimmy Rollins only needs to be like Jimmy Rollins.
Pete Rose disgraced baseball, and how dare Mike Schmidt lump J-Roll into that category.
How's this: Mike Schmidt needs to be more like a library--"quiet".- rollins is who rollins is I would not mind at all if he hits 30 hrs. again it is all about scoring runs and winning when he is healthy he scores runs, would like to see his avg for the year at .283 or higher but other than that if he is healthy he will score and drive in runs. rollins is NOT rose stop the b.s.— only 9
- Very nice! My opionion is you can't change people, Rollins and Victorino are who they are! Question is will Rollins be able to bat close to 300?....if not bat him 5 and put Victorino at 1 with a hope and a prayer. Bigger question, will Utley, Howard, Ibananez make it happen??— PhilZone1
- Jroll is the key. Get on base, and stir the pot. Schmidtty is right. We need Jroll big time.
- I love Rollins' glove and in game energy and he seems like a nice guy. But I see him as the last vestige of the underachieving Phillies. Last year when Milt Thompson was fired, Rollins was quoted as saying he didn't need coaching- yet we all see him take a poor approach at the plate. Also, he normally comes to camp as late as possible. The guy could put up much better numbers with HRs if he took his craft more seriously.— jtj06
- I love Rollins' glove and in game energy and he seems like a nice guy. But I see him as the last vestige of the underachieving Phillies. Last year when Milt Thompson was fired, Rollins was quoted as saying he didn't need coaching- yet we all see him take a poor approach at the plate. Also, he normally comes to camp as late as possible. The guy could put up much better numbers with HRs if he took his craft more seriously.— jtj06
- mike schmidt has his opinion on the leadoff guys..ok i love it..fire up the troops..but, pete rose like?? no no ..leave pete to himself.he's still the best singles,doubles hitter of this era,and j-roll and the flyin hawaiian,can't catch up to him. let em play their game,and not mold them into someone they're not...these guys know they're the cataylists for the offense,so let them play their roles...its up to the cleanup guys to come thru.— t_darb_56
- mike schmidt has his opinion on the leadoff guys..ok i love it..fire up the troops..but, pete rose like?? no no ..leave pete to himself.he's still the best singles,doubles hitter of this era,and j-roll and the flyin hawaiian,can't catch up to him. let em play their game,and not mold them into someone they're not...these guys know they're the cataylists for the offense,so let them play their roles...its up to the cleanup guys to come thru.— t_darb_56
- mike schmidt has his opinion on the leadoff guys..ok i love it..fire up the troops..but, pete rose like?? no no ..leave pete to himself.he's still the best singles,doubles hitter of this era,and j-roll and the flyin hawaiian,can't catch up to him. let em play their game,and not mold them into someone they're not...these guys know they're the cataylists for the offense,so let them play their roles...its up to the cleanup guys to come thru.— t_darb_56
- mike schmidt has his opinion on the leadoff guys..ok i love it..fire up the troops..but, pete rose like?? no no ..leave pete to himself.he's still the best singles,doubles hitter of this era,and j-roll and the flyin hawaiian,can't catch up to him. let em play their game,and not mold them into someone they're not...these guys know they're the cataylists for the offense,so let them play their roles...its up to the cleanup guys to come thru.— t_darb_56
- Maybe instead of focusing on Rollins' liabilities, more focus should be put on the team's insistence on batting him leadoff when he NEVER was a great leadoff hitter. It's one thing in the early years when you're hoping he learns how to be patient. But after all these years he is who he is. There's no reason to think he'll suddenly start taking walks and working pitchers.— VicM
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