Philadelphia Phillies World Champion Jimmy Rollins introduces Senator Joe Biden on stage on the eve of Election Day 2008. This is the last rally before Election Day for the Biden/Obama campaign.

James Calvin "Jimmy" Rollins (born November 27, 1978 in Oakland, California), nicknamed "J-Roll," is an All-Star and MVP shortstop for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball.

Though Rollins has developed into a five-tool player during his career due to significant increases in his power hitting, he is perhaps best known for his baserunning skills. He has stolen at least 20 bases every season since 2001, with a career high of 47 in 2008. This emulates Rollins' childhood baseball hero, Rickey Henderson.[1]



Defending the division title

Early on, Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran said that with the recent acquisition of Johan Santana, that he believed that the Mets would win the division. "So this year, to Jimmy Rollins, we are the team to beat."[24] This was a knock-off of Rollins' prediction last year, and when he arrived in camp for the start of Spring Training, the reigning MVP responded:

"There isn’t a team in the National League that’s better than us. The pressure’s back on them if you ask me. They were on paper the best team in the division last year and they were supposed to win, and they didn’t. One, there are four other teams in our division who are going to make sure that doesn't happen, and two, has anyone ever heard of plagiarism? That was pretty good, especially coming from him. He's a quiet guy, so it was probably shocking when he said it. Not shocking in a bad way, like 'Wow, I can't believe he said that.' More like, 'Wow, he finally said something because he's a leader on that team and you definitely need to be a vocal leader." [25] [26]

Rollins opened the year strongly, batting .308 through 12 games. However, on April 20, Rollins was placed on the 15-day disabled list for the first time in his career after spraining his left ankle while trying to avoid being picked off during a game with the Mets two weeks earlier. Rollins returned to the starting lineup May 9, 2008, against the San Francisco Giants. In the game, Rollins went 3-for-5 with a 2-run home run and an RBI double in the 7–4 Phillies win. He went on to finish the month of May hitting .298 with 12 RBI and six steals.[27] Though June was a weaker month for Rollins' hitting, he still hit three home runs, knocked in ten runs, and hit two triples.[27] His offense became a spark in the Phillies' lineup in July as well, as he hit three triples before the All-Star break alone.[27] He was critical part of the Phillies emergence as 2008 World Series champions. At an October 31, 2008 Philadelphia parade honoring the Phillies, Rollins took a public jab at the Mets, indirectly referencing Beltran's comments at the beginning of the season and commenting that Johan Santana is a great pitcher but that it takes a team to bring home a championship.