Like it or hate it, Wilson Valdez is a better option than Jimmy Rollins right now. Rollins, who went down with a right hamstring pull while running the bases during last night’s win, does not seem like the player he once was.
The always confident Shortstop must feel snake-bitten at this point, cursed even. Rollins must feel like Sisyphus.
Sisyphus, a king from Greek mythology, was punished by the gods to roll a boulder up a hill for all eternity. Every day, Sisyphus would work tirelessly to push the gigantic rock up the hill, however, each time, just as he is about to push it over, it would roll back down.
Rollins must feel like Sisyphus. Just when it seems he is about to show a flash of his former self, and perhaps get back on track, he goes down with injury.
Going into last night’s game the former National League MVP was an abysmal 8 for 43, with 5 RBIs and 2 stolen bases in his last 10 games. Rollins himself would tell you those are unacceptable numbers, which is why Valdez should get the nod for the foreseeable future.
While Valdez is no star, he has been serviceable when called on to start. In fact, statistically speaking, the Phillies lose very little with Valdez, who is currently batting .243 compared to Rollins .240. The 32 year old utility player has been relatively effective in 41 appearances at Shortstop this season. And while he cannot match Rollins stellar defense, he was part of the core group of bench players that kept the Phillies in contention when the blue chippers Rollins, Howard, and Utley were on the disabled list.
It is clear Rollins needs to go on the 15 day disabled list. A Hamstring pull is not an injury that just goes away, it can linger for weeks, cerebrally waiting to reemerge at any point. We don’t need another injury on this team, and Rollins doesn’t need another reason to doubt himself.
Whether you are attributing Rollins worst statistical season to date to a series of injuries, or assuming the former Phillies lightning rod’s age has caught up with him in a hurry, one thing is for sure, this version of Jimmy Rollins is not going to help us in the playoffs. He needs to get his body healthy, and his mind right.
Because quite simply, we don’t need this current Jimmy Rollins come October. We cannot succeed with him. We need the player he used to be. We need that extra something, that brash, flashy, prediction making, live-wire. We need the old Jimmy.
We don’t need Sisyphus, we need Hercules
Andrew you have to be kidding me… There is more to winning games than numbers (like a comparison of batting averages for example). When I was in HS, the Phillies won lots of games but never got over the hump until they got Rose. He was a significant spark for them. Frankly I think the Braves would have won more than one Series if they had someone like Rollins – a spark, and someone who is filled with moxie. Com’ On Man!
This Greek Mythology lesson shows us you know more about mythology than reality or baseball. Football players rebound from hammies quickly why not Jimmy.
Sad commentary when a writer feels the need to explain his references. Either you think we are all idiots or, well wait, plenty of idiots here. Explain away.