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2008 Rollins won last year's NL MVP award, but on a per-game basis his offense was a cut below that of the game's top hitters. He wasn't even the league's most productive shortstop-that was Hanley Ramirez. Still, he was always there, setting a record for most plate appearances in a season, and is without a doubt one of the most visually dynamic players in the game. Add in his key role on a Cinderella team, and that he was the only one of that team's three MVP candidates not to lose any time to injury, and it's not surprising that he was crowned. Fun Stat: Most home runs in a season with 20 or more triples: Willie Mays 35 in 1957; Jim Bottomley 31 in 1929; J-Roll 30 in 2007. Chances are we just saw Rollins' peak, and while he has several good seasons ahead of him, he won't be mentioned in the same breath as Mays again. 2007 Rollins entered 2006 on a 36-game hitting streak, but only managed to extend it by two games before falling into a slump that dragged on until the end of May. Although his batting average never completely recovered, his power soared to new heights, essentially doubling his normal homer output. Still, his overall value didn`t appreciably change. Any further increase in power should push him away from the leadoff spot, something his low on-base percentage has been arguing for years only to lose the debate to the powerful counter-argument made by his speed. 2006 Instead of building on his career-highs in BA/SLG/OBP from 2004 on his way to a Durham career (Ray, not N.C.), Rollins instead took a small step backwards. However, he did have his best year stealing bases since 2001, and his range was improved as a result of better positioning. Rollins had said privately for years that he couldn`t wait to leave the Phillies as a free agent, though the departures of Bowa and Wade plus a Brinks truckload o`cash may well change that. At 27, he`s headed into his walk year. It`s time for him to establish himself as a top-flight player. 2005 Rollins has always run well and been extremely durable, and the fact that he cut his strikeouts by nearly 40% while mashing 69 extra-base hits suggests that he's on the verge of several All-Star appearances. PECOTA doesn't expect too much more improvement, but at the very least Rollins looks a safe bet for a Ray Durham career path, which is pretty darn good. 2003 A seemingly disastrous sophomore season for Rollins wasn’t all bad. He failed to show any development in his game early in the season and was awful in the second half. But Rollins hiked his walk rate a bit and smacked 54 extra-base hits, just one less than he collected in his supposedly stellar rookie season. Bowa has made suggestions about Rollins bunting more and slapping at pitches for infield hits. Since Rollins’s line drive power is his primary offensive strength, this is a recipe for disaster. 2002 Rollins’s season probably would have won him the Rookie of the Year Award in most years, even if on the whole it wasn’t as valuable as most people believed. His walk rate is barely adequate, and he’s not a .300 hitter. On the other hand, he’s at an age when even a good prospect is typically in the high minors, and he plays a position at which some offensive holes can be forgiven. A real hitting coach could make a big difference to a guy like Rollins. 2001 Just like in 1999 at Double-A, Jimmy Rollins suffered through a hideous start both offensively and defensively while adjusting to the new level. Once he worked through it, he produced some outstanding results for the rest of the year. Rollins has good range in the field and more pop in his bat than you would expect from a 5'8 player. The Phillies will have to decide whether they want to risk exposing him to the Vet's boo-birds at the start of the season, but whenever he takes over, he’ll fill a large hole in the lineup. He’s a sleeper candidate for Rookie of the Year. 2000 At 20, he was young for Double-A and hopelessly overmatched early in the season. He managed to turn it around somewhat in the second half, but he needs more time at Reading. There are some reports that the Phillies are considering moving him to second base, which wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world. 1999 Has his defenders, and to be fair, he was battling a pair of injuries while being among the FSL's youngest. Still, the year was completely miserable with the bat, and Rollins' glove, while good, will not make him a major-league regular. Except perhaps with the Mets. 1998 The Phillies’ second-round pick in 1996, he’s another small (5'8", 165) switch-hitter. He was also the only position player in the system to be named a league top 10 prospect by Baseball America, just sneaking in at #10 in the Sally League. A cousin of Oriole outfielder Tony Tarasco, he’s very good on the bases and in the field, but needs to work on hitting, particularly on getting his average and walks up. I like the across-the-board improvement in his second season, even though I think he’s a good candidate to fall back a bit in high-A ball.
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