Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
The “had you known then what you know now” question is a popular one in the media these days, being dodged left and right by politicians everywhere. When it comes to the Philadelphia Phillies and getting rid of longtime shortstop Jimmy Rollins, though, chances are that the answer would be an enthusiastic yes and there would be no dodging.
Rollins’ replacement, Freddy Galvis, is hitting .341 and the team currently is on a surprising six-game winning streak. One week ago, the team had the worst record in MLB and now the streak has lifted them out of the basement of the NL East. To make baby steps, the team needs babies. Rollins was getting long in the tooth and a little too comfortable with losing, so the Phillies shipped him off to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a pair of minor-league pitchers.
Had the Phillies known then what they know now, they would not only be comfortable with the move, but they might have made it earlier. While Galvis is hitting .341 in 37 games, Rollins is hitting .196 in 36 games. No one could predict Galvis would do that well at the plate, but the evidence was that Rollins was done as an effective hitter coming off .250, .252 and .243 seasons.
Then there was Rollins’ “tomorrow is another day” attitude. The attitude was so infectious in the clubhouse that a year ago manager Ryne Sandberg benched Rollins for a couple of spring training games. When asked about it, Sandberg said that Galvis was playing hard, great in the clubhouse and just an overall upbeat kind of teammate. A reporter then asked him if Rollins had the same qualities. “No comment,” Sandberg said. After each loss, Rollins would say “tomorrow is another day” or “baseball is a long season.”
Rollins finished out the season with the Phillies, but it became apparent his numerous jogs on ground balls to the infield and lazy right turns to the dugout did not sit as well with Sandberg as they did with former manager Charlie Manuel.
Now that Rollins is gone, the only dodging to the had you known then what you know now question involving him is being done, appropriately enough, by the Dodgers.
Mike Gibson is a Phillies writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @papreps , “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
