Philadelphia Phillies: Jimmy Rollins has solid case for MLB Hall of Fame

Just by glancing at the voting results, one would think that Jimmy Rollins would not have much of a case for the Hall of Fame. Through 84 publicly released ballots tracked at Ryan Thibodaux’s Baseball Hall of Fame vote tracker, he has received just seven votes. While the former Philadelphia Phillies shortstop has the third most votes of any first year player on the ballot, he is far away from being enshrined.

But that first year total does not mean much provided it allows Rollins to remain on the ballot. After all, Scott Rolen hovered around 10% in his first year and has earned enough votes where it seems that he will inevitably be elected to the Hall of Fame. Rollins could follow a similar path.

Former Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins has solid Hall of Fame case

Rollins had a solid all around career, one that is better than many may realize. He posted a .264/.324/.418 batting line, hitting 231 homers and 511 doubles while stealing 470 bases. He was a key catalyst to the Phillies’ run of success in the late 2000s and into the 2010s as the franchise transformed into contenders.

Despite that success, Rollins was somewhat overlooked. He won the 2007 NL MVP award, a year in which he became the fourth player in MLB history with 20 doubles, 20 triples, 20 homers, and 20 steals in the same season, but was not named to the All Star Game. He was a three time All Star and four time Gold Glove winner, but deserved more recognition than he received.

Rollins was a solid defensive player as well. Although he slowed down in his latter years, he saved 51 runs in total at short, leading the league in zone runs at short twice. He was one of the best fielding shortstops in the history of the game, ranking fourth all time with a .983 fielding percentage.

It may be a matter of the ballot clearing up. Three borderline candidates are in their final year, taking votes away from a player such as Rollins. As he gets more time on the ballot, his career will be able to be better appreciated with the gift of hindsight, giving Rollins a chance to be inducted.

Jimmy Rollins is not going to be inducted into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot, but the former Philadelphia Phillies shortstop has a solid resume.