BY SCOTT LAUBERA few days ago, when the Phillies were in New York, I caught up with Jimmy Rollins, who had begun to swing the bat a little better. Actually, he was swinging it a lot better. During an eight-game stretch, from April 27 to May 6, J-Roll batted .306 (11-for-36) with a .342 on-base percentage, not a torrid streak but certainly an improvement over his woeful .162 average and .207 on-base percentage in his first 16 games. Nobody seemed to notice, though, because we were all focused on the Phillies' starting pitching problems.
Anyway, Rollins admitted that he struggled with a World Baseball Classic hangover. After playing high-energy games for three weeks with Team USA (and batting a team-leading .417), he said he returned to spring training and felt lethargic. "It was a big thing to go there," said Rollins, sitting at his locker at Citi Field. "You were focused right away. Everything counted. It was the importance of it all, and it helps playing in a team like that. You're playing with some of the best players in baseball. But when we got back, even with Shane [Victorino], the first couple games were like, what am I doing? It was rough. Your skills and effort don't change. It was just hard to get up."
And while that feeling may have carried into April, Rollins assured that things were back to normal. He said he felt "refreshed," like he had gotten "the air back in that balloon." Likewise, he said he'd found his swing. "My body is remembering what it's supposed to do now," Rollins said. "I'm putting myself in position to hit and hit the ball strong."
Well, not quite.
Rollins went 1-for-5 that night in New York and 1-for-5 again the following night against the Braves. He went 0-for-4 on Saturday and 0-for-5 yesterday, dropping his average back to .195 and his on-base percentage to .231. As colleague Martin Frank wrote in today's News Journal, those are hardly the numbers expected from a leadoff hitter. (Rollins also zoomed past reporters -- he hasn't moved that quickly all year -- and declined to answer questions, not the behavior you'd expect from a team leader. But that's a subject for another day.)
So, the question was raised yesterday to Charlie Manuel: How much longer can an unproductive J-Roll possibly bat in the leadoff spot?
"You tell me where he can go," Manuel said. "Believe me, I go over that every night. Tell me where we've got a leadoff hitter who can go up there and have an on-base percentage and everything."
And that's the problem. The only other leadoff option, Shane Victorino -- suddenly in a rut, by the way, going 0-for-13 after singling in his last at-bat Thursday night to extend his career-high hitting streak to 16 games -- is not a good situational hitter. Witness the ninth inning yesterday when he swung at the first pitch from Rafael Soriano and made the game's final out (Rollins swung at a first pitch, too). But even if Manuel put Victorino in the leadoff spot, where would Rollins bat? The Phillies' lineup is stacked with lefties, and Manuel is in love with Chase Utley in the No. 3 spot and Ryan Howard in the cleanup spot. So, if Rollins moves down in the lineup, Jayson Werth likely would have to go to the No. 2 spot, leaving three straight lefties (Utley, Howard, Raul Ibanez) in the middle of the lineup. That doesn't work either, for reasons detailed (again) within the notebook. To me, if Rollins moved, Utley and possibly Howard would have to move, too.
Spent some time thinking about this yesterday. To achieve a balanced lineup and move Rollins, it seems this is one of the only solutions, and I'm not sure this is much better:
1. Victorino
2. Utley
3. Werth
4. Howard
5. Feliz
6. Ibanez
7. Rollins
8. Ruiz
So, I'd like to hear from you. How would you structure the lineup? Would you leave Rollins in the leadoff spot and hope he turns things around, or would you shuffle the deck? If so, how?
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8 comments:
I like the idea of shaking up the lineup, but even a struggling Rollins is deserving of better than 7th. I do agree that Victorino (despite recent struggles) is the a much better "cookie-cutter" form of a leadoff hitter. What if you had Rollins split the lefties?
1.) Victorino
2.) Werth
3.) Utley
4.) Howard
5.) Rollins
6.) Ibanez
7.) Feliz
8.) Catcher
9.) Pitcher
btw, I follow you on Twitter (TK2575) and appreciate the quick updates! All the best in your continued high quality of work.
Chase Utley is far and away the best hitter on this team...why not let him get the most at bats? I understand the prototypical best hitter at the 3 spot but Utley brings excitement everytime he is up.
1.)Utley
2.)Werth
3.)Ibanez
4.)Howard
5.)Rollins
6.)Victorino/Feliz
7.)Feliz/Victorino
8.)Coste/Ruiz/Marson
9.)Pitcher
You definetly have to start thinking about reworking the line-up. And I agree that you don't want to jam pack the middle of the line-up with lefties because of what could happen in the later innings of the game. I don't like putting Rollins at 5 because right now he isn't that threat to keep pitchers pitching to Howard. With that in mind, this is the best line-up I can come up with.
1) Werth
2) Victorino
3) Utley
4) Howard
5) Feliz
6) Ibanez
7) Rollins
8) Ruiz
9) Pitcher
If you look at Feliz's play at the plate this year, he is really flying under the radar. This is more because of the play of Ibanez. But I think Feliz can be that 5 hole hitter. He did it in San Franscico behind Bonds. He seems to be a bit more patient behind the plate too.
Another option I was thinking about was throwing Rollins in the 9 spot, and do a LaRussa. But, I am not a big fan of that.
I like the suggested lineup with the exception that I would put Ibanez in the 5-spot. I like Rollins in the 7 hole because his speed can pay dividends when the bottom of the order can move him along.
I too like the idea of shaking up the lineup.
Why doesn't management try this on for size:
1. Tony Taylor
2. Johnny Callison
3. Dick Allen
4. Roy Sievers
5. Tony Gonzalez
6. Danny Cater
7. Clay Dalrymple
8. Bobby Wine
9. Pitcher
Put Brett Myers in the lineup. He hits pretty hard,ask his wife!
Lets go real unconventional.
1.) Werth
2.) Ibanez
3.) Utley
4.) Howard
5.) Feliz
6.) Victorino
7.) Coste/Ruiz/Marson
8.) Pitcher spot
9.) J-Roll
Take the pressure off Jimmy, just have him get on base [play small ball & use his speed] and get the lineup turned over. He needs to be a table setter & learn some patience at the plate.
IMO the only lineup without Jimmy at the top that makes sense is this ...
(1) Victorino
(2) Utley
(3) Werth
(4) Howard
(5) Ibanez
(6) Rollins
(7) Feliz
(8) Coste/Ruiz
This lineup keeps the speed at the top of the lineup, balances the lefties and righties, and ensures guys on base in front of Howard and Ibanez. NOTE: Howard and Rollins should NOT hit back-to-back because it could become an automoatic double K situation.
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