Jimmy Rollins is not hitting right now at all, which everyone knows. He was benched for four games to try and get him out of his slump, but that has not seemed to work, which is why I think something should be changed. I don’t think the Phillies have to or need to trade him, because I think defensively he is still extremely valuable to this team, which he proved tonight. However, he is not helping them at all offensively, which is why I think he should be moved down to sixth in the lineup.
Although it is a small sample size, so far this season, Jimmy Rollins is 5-for-8 with two homeruns in the sixth spot in the lineup. I think Shane Victorino is a capable leadoff hitter, and even if he isn’t, he could certainly do a better job than what Jimmy is doing right now, which is not much at all. Rollins did have a walk tonight, but besides that, he has not looked good there all season long, and his average has now slipped to a pedestrian .205 for the season. This would be my order once Ibanez returns: 1. Victorino 2. Werth 3. Utley 4. Howard 5. Ibanez 6. Rollins 7. Feliz 8. Ruiz.
I am not saying that Rollins should necessarily be in the sixth spot permanently, but I think he should be put there for at least a couple weeks, if not a month, to see how he does. I don’t think Rollins would mind it that much either. The positives that I think that could happen here are that maybe Rollins could get on track again and start hitting, and if Rollins starts hitting again and the team is playing well, you keep him there, but if the team is still not playing well, then when you move him back to the leadoff spot, maybe he continues to hit well and the team starts to play better. I understand he has been a leadoff hitter his whole career, but he is not really the prototypical leadoff hitter. Yes, when he is at his best, he can be a good table-setter and steal bases and get this team going, but he is having a down year.
It is not a down month, it is June for goodness sakes, and he has still not come out of this funk! As you can see I do have mixed feelings about this, because I don’t know if moving him to sixth will solve everything, but I tell you this, I think there is a better chance he hits there than if he is in the leadoff spot. What are your thoughts? Do you think he should be moved in the lineup, stay where he is, be traded? Let me know your thoughts, and I’ll respond to them. The Phillies need your help!
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Yes. I think that Rollins should be moved to the sixth spot. Hopefully, this change will break him out of his slump. I definitely do not think that Rollins should be traded, as defensively, he is a necessary part of the team. Also, in the past, he was a motivator, a team captain, who could spur the team to victory.
Where is that Jimmy? We want him back!