RSS
Home
The home run aside, why is Jimmy Rollins batting leadoff?
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
J-Roll isnt rolling at the top. (AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)
With the game tied at five on Sunday afternoon, Jimmy Rollins stepped to the plate having seen the same result over and over again. In his previous 16 at-bats, J-Roll headed back to the dugout, unable to make a difference with the stick. With each missed opportunity, the Phillies MVP shortstop continued to sink deeper into a season-long quagmire that would not let go.
On his fourth plate appearance of the day, Rollins connected on a 3-2 Josh Beckett offering that landed in the right field seats. Slump averted? Not exactly. While his fifth home run of the season was nice, look past the three RBI’s and the jack.
Rollins still went just 1-for-4, hardly an impressive performance considering his average stands at .217. Combine that with an on-base percentage of just .254, and your leadoff guy turns into just another player. But Young James isn’t supposed to be just another player. No one has ever mistaken him for the prototypical leadoff hitter during his career, even though he has over 4600 plate appearances from that spot.
This year, it’s clearly been a regression of the hitter that made us forget he wasn’t really a leadoff-type guy. During what has been a very impressive career hitting at the top of some very impressive lineups, Jimmy has been adequate. A .279 average starting it off is nothing to shake a stick at. The .334 on-base percentage leaves something to be desired, but that type of production has rarely hurt the Phillies. Hell, even with J-Roll being stuck in park now, the Phils have been a first-place team. However, it might be time for this run at the top to end – at least for the time being.
The Phillies have enough speed with Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth for them to be viable candidates at the top of the lineup. They each get on base enough to fulfill the “loss” that Rollins would present. Plus, a change of scenery seems more than necessary.
We’ve seen the damage that hasn’t been done at the top, yet I am still dumbfounded as to why Charlie Manuel continues to run him out there first when the lineup card is made. Even though 26 games is not a good test sample, our fair shortstop has done quite well in the sixth spot in the order. Let’s move him there, shall we Charlie?
In those 26 games, Rollins has hit at a .336 clip and has an OPS over .800. This season, Manuel placed him there twice, but in eight at-bats, Rollins has five hits. Again, it’s small trial size indeed, but one that has paid dividends for a struggling hitter.
Manuel’s decision to revert back to the old way has not worked, and it’s time for a flip flop once again. I have no problem with Rollins hitting leadoff; but after every option has been exhausted beforehand. If that means hitting sixth for a lengthier period, then so be it. Get the man heated up for a week, a month even, and then make the change. Until then, we just do not know how Jimmy will react. It’s been more miss than hit for him this year, so forget about it being a slump. This is a full-fledged season of despair, so before it goes completely in the tank, the switch must be made.
It’s time to make the change Charlie, or risk losing out on production from one of your leaders. For a championship contender, that just won’t do.
Related Articles:
Comments
