The morning after: Rollins is on base
News blogs, sports blogs, entertainment blogs, and more from Philly.com, The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News.
The morning after: Rollins is on base
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
WASHINGTON -- And now we rest.
It's April, so that means off days in baseball to account for possible bad weather. Monday's first-pitch temperature was 78. Today it is supposed to reach the high 80s here in D.C. So much for that.
So the Phillies rest today, knowing Monday was just about as perfect of an opening to their quest for three consecutive National League pennants as possible. Roy Halladay was spectacular. Placido Polanco eschewed all the criticism from outside the organization about his signing and fulfilled the prophecies everyone around the Phillies predicted.
But I was most impressed with Jimmy Rollins.
Here is the 31-year-old shortstop whose best days are probably behind him. He came to camp with 2010 goals like stealing 50 bases, scoring 150 runs, hitting .300 and notching 200 hits. Lofty, at best.
On opening day, Rollins went 2-for-4 and reached base four times. He walked twice (one was intentional before a Polanco grand slam in the seventh).
Consider this: Jimmy Rollins walked two times in a game exactly four times in 2009. Four.
Three of those four two-walk games came in the first 12 games after Rollins' four-game mental break at the end of June last season. Over those 12 games, he hit .340 with a .456 on-base percentage. He walked two more times (10) than he struck out (eight).
We know this much to be true: Jimmy Rollins is not a prototypical leadoff hitter. Never has been. Never will be. Rollins' .292 on-base percentage in 2009 ranked second to last in the majors among players with at least 300 plate appearances as a leadoff hitter.
And this was one game, opening day against a flawed Nationals pitching staff. But as colleague Bob Brookover notes, Rollins didn't have a two-hit game until April 21 last season. He didn't have a two-walk game until May 12.
None of his preseason goals mentioned on-base percentage. Rollins won't say he needs to walk more or see more pitches because he says it's not the way he plays the game. He walked in 6.1 percent of his at-bats in 2009, well below the major-league average of 8.9 percent. And he's a leadoff hitter.
Here is the crazy part: Rollins still scored 100 runs with a .296 on-base percentage in 2009. In the MVP season of 2007, his on-base average was .344 and he scored 139 runs, a career high. Can he get back to that point? Likely not. But if Rollins' on-base percentage is closer to his career average of .329 than the .296 he put up in 2009, the Phillies lineup is that much better.
He's still younger than Jeter and a lot lot lot younger than Omar Vizquel.— Leegles
Jimmy Rollins is my favorite Phillie of all-time. He is great on the field and his leadership is unparalleled.— NickFromGermantown- Jeter hit .309 w/19 HR and 70 RBI at 31. The next year he hit .340-something, then "dropped off" to .320-something at 33. Rollins is well conditioned. I'm not saying he's going to become Jeter, but there's no reason he can't resume being the player he was before last year's drop off.— frankenslade
- He listened to his MOMMMA, the new leader of the pack— mick314
- Despite Rollins most likely never duplicating his MVP numbers, he is in his prime now. Other than the sprained ankle he got in NY getting back to a base, he has been incredibly durable as well. Rollins in my opinion can play till he is 40 and by that time he will have 3000 hits. His steady defense has been the cornerstone of this team for years and I am pulling for him to be a Phillie for the balance of his career and then go into the Hall of Fame.— bradco
- Hey B in DC, Herndon is a better fit in the bullpen then Contreras. I'm not saying Herndon is a world beater, but I think he (With his stuff) has more of an upside then Contreras. IMHO , Contreras will be gone by the All Star break.
- RE MJSI I believe that when you accept a rule 5 trade you must keep him on the 25 man roster.— wcoastphan
- What a disappointment - I was hoping I could read more McNabb news in the Phillies Zone too. Inky sports: get out of bed with the Eagles and give us more baseball and local sportswriting!— Muldog
Comment removed.- Rollins over the past couple years has made the mistake of comparing himself to Jeter. Now that is a joke. When Jimmy learns to use all those tools for the betterment of the team and not just Jimmy he will round a corner where Derek has been waiting for many many years. What I saw yesterday was the WHOLE team played aggressive baseball which was lacking last year. I think Polanco as I said before will make them pitch to Rollins but Jimmy must use those tools to OUR advantage and show he can maintain a high OBP. One game does not a season make but it was a nice start and something we all needed.— Wally 24
- Well, he's the best SS in franchise history and one of the best defensive SS ever. He is definitely in his prime. The fireman who said Victorino is the ideal leadoff man is way off - his OBP is not much better than Jroll's and he strikes out a lot for someone who is not a power hitter. Polanco is probably a better leadoff hitter than either because he puts the ball in play, although he doesn't have either's speed. Rollins leading off somehow works for this team. Leave it alone, and hope his goals spur him on to a better all around offensive performance.— steelydad
- Comment removed.
- As I said after his 1st appearance in Bradenton against the Pirates this spring....Herndon is the real deal. His stuff moves big and it looks much faster than his purported 91-92. His control and downward plane with his arm slot and sinker is made for CBP, and apparently other parks, too. I am not sold on Lidge ever getting his arm speed back, or if it does, it won't last long. herndon may one day be our closer and I bet he'll be a good one, too.— Mark1npt
- J-Roll is a wonderful player and I'm very thankful to have him here. He is not a leadoff hitter, never will be. Victorino needs to be hitting leadoff, and Rollins needs to bat sixth, Ibanez seventh, Ruiz eighth. Enough's enough.— andrewfrombrooklyn
- "Rollins won't say he needs to walk more or see more pitches because ... " that would be a public admission of error, and would therefore implicitly comment on how many seasons he wasted his potential with wild swinging. Rollins is a fine fielder, but his approach at the plate is alot like McNabb's accuracy: he will not take the necessary and obvious steps to improve because it will damage his ego and tarnish his "legacy." (iao).— Oppressed & Targetted
