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Rollins' season adds intrigue to Phillies' options at shortstop

Jimmy Rollins was one of the last Phillies on the bus leaving Wrigley Field on Wednesday. This was a day to savor, and savor he would. He sat down in an almost-empty visitors clubhouse, dined on some salmon, adjusted his fancy travel outfit, and only then took a brief detour to discuss hitting home runs from both sides of the plate in one game - only the fourth time in franchise history someone had done that.

"I'm not motivated by this possibly being my last year," Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins said. (David Swanson/Staff Photographer)
"I'm not motivated by this possibly being my last year," Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins said. (David Swanson/Staff Photographer)Read more

Jimmy Rollins was one of the last Phillies on the bus leaving Wrigley Field on Wednesday. This was a day to savor, and savor he would. He sat down in an almost-empty visitors clubhouse, dined on some salmon, adjusted his fancy travel outfit, and only then took a brief detour to discuss hitting home runs from both sides of the plate in one game - only the fourth time in franchise history someone had done that.

In his 12 seasons as a Phillie, few days had been more individually satisfying than this one. And when it's a contract year, it means even more. Right, Jimmy?

"I'm not motivated by this possibly being my last year," Rollins said. "I play baseball the same way every single day, and the numbers are going to be what they are. I mean, you are who you are."

A few feet away, mere minutes earlier, manager Charlie Manuel sat back in his chair and admired Rollins' recent hot streak.

"This is his free-agent year," Manuel said.

Whatever the motivation, Rollins has delivered as free agency awaits. Sixty-five games remain, but credit is due. Rollins' increased dedication to his winter training and conditioning program (with the help of his wife, Johari) has allowed Rollins to appear in 95 of the team's 99 games through Friday. His batting average and on-base percentage are approaching levels not equaled since the MVP season of 2007. His adjusted OPS (or OPS+), a statistic normalized to league and ballpark averages, is the second highest of his career.

Using FanGraphs' version of wins above replacement (WAR), Rollins ranks as the sixth-most valuable shortstop in the majors behind Jose Reyes, Troy Tulowitzki, Asdrubal Cabrera, Yunel Escobar, and Jhonny Peralta. WAR accounts for both offensive and defensive contributions.

Granted, the Phillies do not have to make a decision on Rollins right now, and that is important. A torrid 15 games in July have inflated his batting average by 23 points and OPS by 58 points.

But Rollins is clearly in the upper echelon of the position. And that may not be praise for Rollins as much as an indictment of the current crop of shortstops in the majors.

Baltimore probably set the floor for a potential Rollins deal by signing J.J. Hardy to a three-year, $22.5 million deal last week. Injuries have limited Hardy to just 68 games this season. Fourteen home runs and an .817 OPS have more than demonstrated his value. Still, Hardy, who will turn 29 in August, has not played in more than 115 games in a season since 2008 and hit .229 just two seasons ago.

Rollins has a track record and possibly more off-the-field value in a Derek Jeter sense - a fact Rollins' agent, Dan Lozano, will trumpet. There's no questioning Rollins' place as the face and soul of this franchise. He's the player who was there from the beginning, who took a team-friendly extension in 2005, and who declared predictions for all of baseball to hear.

The 32-year-old shortstop will want at least three years in a new contract. He'll seek a raise upon his current $8.5 million salary. With shortstop such a barren position, a full season of his current production will create more suitors and possibly drive the price north.

Team officials are quick to point out a possible internal alternative in Freddy Galvis. Baltimore's best shortstop prospect, Manny Machado, is 19 and years away from the majors. The Orioles' hand was forced with Hardy.

The concern with Galvis will always be his bat, but the 21-year-old Venezuelan has displayed promise in 2011. And given the positional dearth at the major-league level, it's not impossible to win without significant offensive production from shortstop. It just would need to come from elsewhere.

Everything is connected, of course, including the impending trade deadline. Let's say the Phillies were willing to surrender the bounty of prospects it will take to acquire Houston's Hunter Pence - only because he has two years of (expensive) arbitration remaining. They then sign the 28-year-old to a long-term extension and lock up the two corner outfield spots (Domonic Brown the other) for a lengthy period.

That money to sign Pence comes out of the Rollins budget, but now the Phillies can forge ahead with a defensive-minded shortstop because of increased offensive production from the outfield.

It's all hypothetical. The Phillies could still acquire Pence, go year-to-year with him, and still extend Rollins. The point is, there are alternatives, and the organization is considering all of them.

Galvis has made things interesting. Talent evaluators inside and outside the organization believed before this season that he played a major-league-ready shortstop. His 16 errors are said to be a product of his expansive range and less an indication of an inability to make the routine plays.

A strength program the team pushed upon Galvis this past winter has helped raise his slugging percentage by more than 70 points, although it is important to note Galvis is repeating double A. A promotion to triple-A Lehigh Valley is not far off.

Maybe the Phillies find offense in other spots in 2012 and pair Galvis with a cheap veteran shortstop off the scrap heap. But 97 games have only proven that option to be a greater risk than sticking with Rollins.

"If I have a good year, I'll probably spend the rest of my career here," Rollins said in spring training. "There's no doubt about it. And if I don't, it'll be a tough decision for them."

That's a prediction he can take to the bank.