35 Reasons to Believe

The Phanatic Magazine continues its preseason coverage of the Phillies, profiling one player per day to get you set for the 2007 campaign. Our 35 straight days of Phillies coverage kicked off on February 25th, and will continue to roll until Opening Day on April 2nd. Then we will hand it over to Michael Rushton, who will provide an in-depth season preview before the first pitch is dealt.

By Steve Lienert
The Phanatic Magazine

Day 33 - Jimmy Rollins

According to Jimmy Rollins, the Phillies are ready to J-Roll right into the playoffs, which would be a first for him in his career.

Much of that may hinge on Rollins, who has finally accepted his role as the leadoff hitter of the franchise.

Let's flash back to 2004, the year Kenny Lofton made Rollins' leadoff experience a pleasant one. Let's also remember that that team was Bobby Abreu's team and Pat Burrell's team, not Chase Utley's and Ryan Howard's.

Back then it seemed that Rollins was too cool for school, which wasn't unlike the attitude of other "team leaders" on the '04 version of the Fightin's.

But this is '07 and clearly Rollins' attitude has undergone an adjustment.

He's already come out and said that the Phillies are the team to beat in the NL East.

And he's backed that up in spring training with 22 hits in 57 at-bats for a robust .386 batting average. His 12 walks and .493 on-base percentage both lead the team this spring, but perhaps more importantly, he's struck out just four times and he has swiped five bags thus far.

Rollins has seemingly accepted his role in this baseball life. He's a leadoff hitter and a table-setter for the bigger guns further down the lineup, even though he fancied himself as one of the big guns himself.

He's also stepped up in the leadership category, especially since the Phillies dealt Abreu to the Yankees last summer. He seems more comfortable as part of the Utley- Howard regime, and a happier Rollins is a more productive Rollins.

He's also one of the best fielding shortstops in all of baseball. He's never committed more than 14 errors in a season and he made just 11 gaffes in 446 attempts in 2006.

While Mets' shortstop Jose Reyes gets most of the hype, Rollins is as close to Reyes as anyone can get without actually being Dominican.

Come Monday, here's hoping he can put his bat where his mouth is.

Tomorrow: Chase Utley