Phillies: Hall of Fame cases for Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard in 2022

Despite voting nearly a year away, Tuesday kicks off what’s likely a decade’s worth of debate over whether two of the greatest Philadelphia Phillies of all-time are worthy of enshrinement in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard will be among several players eligible for the writers’ ballot for the first time in 2022, along with Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, Mark Teixeira, Prince Fielder, and the Phillies all-time saves leader Jonathan Papelbon.

Is Philadelphia Phillies star Jimmy Rollins a Baseball Hall of Famer?

The debate over Rollins, the franchise’s all-time hits leader, kicked off even before the class of 2021 was announced after MLB Network’s Jon Morosi tweeted some of the shortstop’s Hall of Fame credentials.

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Among the 32 players in baseball history who hold a team’s all-time hits record, 18 are in the Hall of Fame. Ryan Zimmerman is still an active player, and we’re still years away from Ichiro, David Wright, and Michael Young receiving consideration.

Todd Helton and Carl Crawford will likely be eligible in 2022, and Pete Rose is another story.

The only other all-time hits leaders not in the Hall of Fame are Garret Anderson, Luis Gonzalez, Tony Fernandez, and Luis Castillo. Anderson, who received only 0.2 percent of the HOF vote in 2016, is the only one with more hits for a franchise than Rollins. However, Anderson has a career 25.7 WAR compared to Rollins’ 47.6, which is arguably borderline on its own.

Rollins just missed some key career numbers with 2,455 hits, 231 home runs, 936 RBI, and 470 stolen bases. One more really good season would have pushed him into the 2,500 hits, 250 home runs, 1,000 RBI, and 500 stolen base clubs, but can we withhold him from the Hall of Fame for being one season short?

Rollins was a four-time Gold Glove shortstop, three-time All-Star, and in 2007 won the MVP. He was a team leader on a World Series team and passes the character clause with flying colors. Offensively his career is comparable and, in some cases, better than Ozzie Smith and Luis Aparicio.

There’ll be years of debate on Rollins, but there is a case to be made that he’s worthy of being in the Hall of Fame.

Is Philadelphia Phillies star Ryan Howard a Baseball Hall of Famer?

Howard will have a strong case if you’re a voter who looks at a players’ peak instead of an entire career. For seven years, he was one of the best players in baseball, with a career derailed by a postseason Achilles injury.

From 2005-11 only one player (Albert Pujols by one) had more home runs than Howard’s 284. Mark Teixeira followed that up with 250 home runs during that seven-year stretch.

During that run, Howard also led all of baseball with 859 RBI and was fifth with a .560 slugging percentage. If you expand the criteria to Howard’s full career from his 2005 Rookie of the Year season to his final campaign in 2016, he’s fourth in home runs and RBIs behind Pujols, Ortiz, and Miguel Cabrera.

Since 2000 Howard is one of 25 players with at least 10 25 home run seasons, the same number of 25 home run seasons as Jim Thome and Vlad Guerrero. Nearly every other player on that list will or have received serious Hall of Fame consideration. And from 2005-16, Howard was one of seven players with at least 10 25 home run seasons.

If you look at his overall numbers since 2000, Howard is one of only 15 players with at least 380 home runs and 1,400 hits. In the 150 year statistical history of baseball, Howard is only one of 72 players with those numbers. Considering there have been over 19,500 players to ever play in the majors, he’s in the third of one percent to have ever had a major league appearance.

Howard is also one of only 25 players to have won the Rookie of the Year and MVP award.

Howard, however, has his retractors and will need help getting into the Hall of Fame. His 14.7 WAR would be the worst among all Hall of Fame hitters since 1900. The Achilles injury prevented him from reaching milestone numbers such as 400 home runs (18 short), 1,200 RBI (6 short), 300 doubles (23 short), and 1,500 hits (25 short). Like Rollins, he was an average season away from having milestone numbers that push a player into the Hall of Fame.

Howard’s career is very comparable to Ralph Kiner, who played only 10 seasons due to a back injury. Playing in 100 more games than Kiner, Howard has 13 more home runs, 61 more doubles, and 179 more RBI. Kiner does have better career averages, but they are far from staggering with a .279 batting average and a .398 OBP.

It’s a tough argument for Howard, but if you’re someone who looks at a player’s peak, he’s easily one of the greatest home run hitters of his generation.

Rollins and Howard will likely be joined on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2022 by former Phillies (and in some cases former teammates) Billy Wagner, Scott Rolen, Bobby Abreu, and possibly Curt Schilling.

Jayson Werth will be eligible for the writers’ ballot in 2023, and the Chase Utley debate will begin in 2024.