WATCH: Jimmy Rollins talks Philadelphia, ’08 playoff run, and more with Whistle Sports
Phillies legendary SS Jimmy Rollins recently sat down with Whistle Sports in their newest edition of “Player Breakdowns,” talking about the city of Philadelphia, his greatest moments as a Phillie, and more.
WATCH: Jimmy Rollins on “Player Breakdowns” from Whistle Sports
Rollins started off the video by saying, “I went out there and proved a lot of people wrong,” and he isn’t lying. He is undoubtedly the greatest shortstop in Phillies history. Rollins is the franchise’s all-time hits leader, and a World Series Champion. Throughout 15 seasons with the Phillies, Rollins was selected to three All-Star teams, won a Silver Slugger award, four Gold Gloves, and the 2007 National League Most Valuable Player Award.Â
Rollins is a career .267/.327/.424 hitter in Philadelphia. The legendary shortstop tallied over 9,500 at-bats in Philadelphia, with 216 HRs, 887 RBIs, 470 stolen bases, and a career OPS of .751. J-Roll’s name was on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time in 2022, finishing with 9.4% of the votes, passing the requirement of 5% to keep him on the ballot for 2023.
Jimmy Rollins wasn’t happy when he first found out he was drafted by the Phillies.
“The All-Star Game was in Philly the year I was drafted. Astro-turf field, yellow seats, brown seats, green seats, all types of seats, I was like Nah.”
Jimmy’s mom was the main reason that his confidence grew from the start, telling him that there “really wasn’t anybody in front of you.” That sparked Rollins, and the rest is history. Rollins said in his interview that he “never considered himself fast,” even though the star shortstop stole 457 bases throughout his career and was caught just 95 times.
Jimmy Rollins Secures the All-Time Phillies Hits Record
Rollins broke Mike Schmidt’s all-time Phillies hits record on June 14th, 2014. He didn’t really know what was going on when he laced the single into right field, seeing Schmidt walk out onto the field in the middle of a game.
“I saw him walk down the line with my bat, I was like…Why is he on the field right now? We’re playing a ball game.”
There will never be another shortstop like Jimmy Rollins, as his love for the game mixed with his attitude on the field meshed perfectly in a city that loved everything about the star.
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