Philadelphia Phillies starting lineup of the all-time greats

Now stepping to the plate for the Philadelphia Phillies is SS Jimmy Rollins.

I had a tough time knowing where to put Jimmy Rollins in this lineup. He spent his best days batting first, but I couldn’t do Ashburn dirty like that. And then comes Delahanty to show off what he can do. By the time we get to the number three spot in the lineup, it’s time to add some power into the mix.

I was never the biggest fan of Rollins, but there is no denying how much of a franchise legend he is. From 2000-2014, he was the guy at shortstop. Whether he was struggling to hit .250 with a bad OBP or leading the league in things like triples, stolen bases, and runs scored, you could often find him playing Gold Glove-caliber defense.

What separates Rollins from other notable shortstops of Phillies’ lore like Larry Bowa is how much of an impact he had at the plate. His Phillies career included a .267/.327/.424 slash line, a surprisingly high 216 home runs, and a far more impressive 453 stolen bases.

Rollins was so very different from a lot of shortstops. He got things rolling for the club even when his numbers didn’t really show his importance. During the team’s glory days in the 2000s, he was at the epicenter of everything good that happened.

Hitting him seventh in this lineup is not ideal but think of how effective he can be at times. If he singles and steals a base, suddenly the bottom of the order becomes a dangerous weapon.