1. Jimmy Rollins
While it was a tight race for the number one spot on the list of greatest shortstops in Phillies history, Jimmy Rollins takes the cake. Donning the red pinstripes for 15 years from his debut season in 2000 through 2014, the smooth switch-hitting shortstop accomplished everything from the greatest individual awards to the greatest team achievement.
Rollins is the franchise leader in at-bats (8,628), hits (2,306), doubles (479), second in games played (2,090) and stolen bases (453), third in runs scored (1,325), and top 10 in home runs (216), RBI (887), and bWAR (47.6).
From 2004 through 2014, as a Phillie, Rollins slashed .267/.327/.424 with his best year coming in 2007 when he won the NL MVP Award while hitting .296/.344/.531 with 41 stolen bases, 20 triples, 212 hits, 139 runs scored, 30 home runs, and 94 RBI. He was an All-Star three times, won the Gold Glove Award four times, won the Silver Slugger Award once, and received MVP votes in five seasons, including his rookie year, where he came in third in Rookie of the Year voting.
May 2nd, 2001. Jimmy Rollins hits his first MLB Home Run! pic.twitter.com/qltYfXLWIF
— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) January 3, 2024
Rollins was a true leader at one of the most successful times in Phillies history. He famously proclaimed that the Phillies were the team to beat in the NL East in 2007 after the Mets ran away with the division in 2006. He indeed backed it up, winning the NL MVP that year while the Phillies won the division — their first of five consecutive division titles from 2007 to 2011. They went on to win back-to-back NL pennants in 2008 and 2009 and brought home the franchise’s second championship by winning the World Series in 2008.
He was a beloved figure in Philadelphia for as long as he played there and has remained a fan favorite long after retiring from baseball in 2016. As the greatest shortstop in Philadelphia Phillies history, it’s just a matter of time until Rollins is inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame and maybe even has his number retired.