Phillies: Making a Case for Future Hall of Fame Candidates

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Aug 24, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins (11) celebrates his home run in the seventh inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies defeated the Cardinals, 7-1. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /

Jimmy Rollins

Jimmy Rollins in unarguably the greatest shortstop in Philadelphia’s history. We are talking about a player who now holds the franchise’s all-time hits record, a man who put a confidence of an entire city behind his team, but never quite had the entire city in his grasp the way his infield partner, Chase Utley, did.

Jun 14, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins (11) hits a single to right in the fifth inning to become the all time franchise hit leader and is congratulated by former record holder Mike Schmidt during a game against the Chicago Cubs at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Rollins’ successful run in Philadelphia is difficult to argue against. At a position that mainly calls for defensive prowess, Rollins brought much more to the table than most who came before him, played in his generation, or will play after him. In his article, Jimmy Rollins’ unique Hall of Fame case looking at this topic in 2014, Jayson Stark lamented that Rollins is the only shortstop in baseball history to steal 400 (470) bases and hit 200 (231) home runs.

Shall we add his 2,455 hits (more than 850 XBH) to those numbers? How about his four Gold Gloves, his MVP, and three All-Star appearances?

As J-Roll looks begins his 18th professional season with his fourth team, he hopes for a longer and more successful run than the previous two stops, which perhaps hurt his Hall of Fame prospects. Rollins looks up in the rankings at shortstops that have done more in individual categories, but he still sits among some of the best when you look at the whole player.

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