After Jimmy Rollins re-signed with the Phillies last offseason, a number of pundits questioned the deal. But J-Roll provided punch at the plate with 23 home runs and a team-leading 68 RBIs. Rollins also provided exceptional defense.
And his fielding skills helped him earn his fourth gold glove last week. Rollins was the lone Phillie to win such hardware this season.
“I try to do it all,” Rollins said during the season. “It’s not just about offense or defense, it’s about everything. You do everything and it helps you be able to win.”
Rollins won his first gold glove since 2009. He played stellar defense in virtually every game of the season. He played in 156 games, the most since his highwater mark back in 2007 when he won his first gold glove, as well as MVP.
The team’s lone active member of the 2,000-hit club is the only Phillies player to win a gold glove this season.
Carlos Ruiz was in the running but was blocked by the Cardinals’ Yadier Molina, who won his fifth straight gold glove. Molina is the defensive catcher of this generation.
“I can’t say enough about Chooch behind the plate,” Vance Worley said. “When I started working with him, it certainly made a difference. He calls a great game and you don’t have to worry about bouncing a ball. He’ll block it.”
Worley also gives props to his starting shortstop. He called him a baseball player disguised as a vacuum.
“What’s great about our defense is that you can pitch to contact,” Worley said. “You want them to hit the ball behind you in Jimmy’s general direction because he’s a vacuum. You know he’s going to come up with the ball and make the play. He’s as automatic as it gets.”
