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Jimmy Rollins, a true gold glove shortstop
by Scott Butler 4/30/09
The Phillies are four games over the .500 mark and a big reason why is their defense. The Phils have the best team defense in major league baseball with the highest fielding percentage and fewest errors of all teams. The Phillies have only committed five errors this season, four less than the next best team. Now seems like the proper time to give the defense the love it deserves. Over the next week or so, we will examine the fielding of some of the Phillies best defensive players.
To begin our examination properly, there is only one choice for who to look at first: Jimmy Rollins. For a somewhat flashy player who loves the lime light, Jimmy has quietly been the best defensive shortstop in the league for the last ten years.
Frankly, I have been a bit surprised at his solid defense at short. I was not always the biggest Jimmy Rollins fan. It bothered me to no end that he always tried swinging for the fences, didn't walk enough as a leadoff hitter, and absolutely refused to lay of the high fastball. In my mind, he kinda fit the role of a prima donna superstar. Any true prima donna would take any offensive struggles out onto the field with them, but Jimmy never did.
Jimmy is one of the most underrated defensive players in the league. Sportscenter loves to play Derek Jeter highlights over and over and over because he makes some pretty amazing defensive plays, but if you talk to a knowledgeable Yankees fan, they will tell you that he is actually a pretty average shortstop. He makes the crazy "Web Gem" plays, but oftentimes misses the routine ones. Jimmy is the exact opposite. He rarely makes a jaw dropping play, but he almost never misses the ones he is supposed to make. The ridiculous diving plays might look great on television, but the routine plays win baseball games.
It is likely during a typical game that J-Roll made one or two very difficult plays, but none of us even noticed because he made them look simple. That is what makes him so special. If you examine him closely, Rollins is a real treat to watch. His mechanics are perfect every time, almost like a figure skater who practiced each move for weeks (although I doubt he would like that analogy). On a groundball from a catcher he takes a couple steps before the throw. For the tough backhand plays he uses his patented pop up slide technique. When he needs extra strength he digs his feet in the dirt before firing. He takes the short hop on a chopper from a fast runner. On a double play opportunity, he feeds the ball to the chest of Chase Utley just about every time. These are just some of the intricate things Jimmy does to make some of the "boring" plays.
Here is a perfect example. You remember the double play that won game that clinched the NL East last year, right? There was nothing particularly exciting about the play, but when you realize that he cheated a little towards second base, made a sliding grab, and provided a perfect toss to Chase makes it a beautiful play. Nobody remembers that play in a 4-2 win over the Nationals in June.
We have been spoiled to watch Jimmy for a decade now. When you start to take Jimmy for granted, try to remember the days of Steve Jeltz, Dicky Thon, and Braulio Castillo and you will realize how good we have it in Philly.
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