Phils legend Rollins talks '25 team, his HOF chances & more

CLEARWATER, Fla. – It could have been 2004, seeing Jimmy Rollins and Larry Bowa together in Phillies uniforms, chatting on the infield at BayCare Ballpark.

Bowa is here every day, working with the infielders and throwing BP. Rollins got to camp on Wednesday. He will be here through the weekend as a guest instructor.

It might be his first time in uniform in more than five years.

“Usually I’d come in, stand in my little pocket,” Rollins said, smiling. “This time, I’m going to say hello to everybody. And get to know the new guys. I’m going to be open.”

Rollins knows a few Phillies. He played against Bryce Harper and Trea Turner. He sends them occasional text messages.

“Real simple,” Rollins said. “If they do something good. ‘Hey, what’s going on?’ Send words of encouragement, if I need to.”

Rollins on Wednesday was asked about the 2025 Phillies’ chances to win a World Series, Turner being the team’s ignitor; and his Hall of Fame chances.

Can they finish the job?

The Phillies lost the 2022 World Series, then the `23 NLCS and `24 NLDS.

It feels like Rollins’ Phillies teams. They won the ’08 World Series, then lost the ’09 World Series, `10 NLCS and `11 NLDS.

“I hope it doesn’t happen like us,” Rollins said. “We got to the pinnacle, then we fell short each year after that. I hope that’s not the case. But their team is more together than our team was. Everybody was kind of expiring, whereas everybody here is in the middle of their contracts. And Dave [Dombrowski] finds a way of putting a winner out there. I hope that continues here.”

It will be a challenge. Rollins mentioned the “boys out West,” referring to the star-studded Dodgers.

“Anybody can be beat,” Rollins said. “I tell people all the time, the [2008] team was the worst team that we had in our run. But what we did have was a whole bunch of guys that had a sour taste in their mouths from `07 [NLDS loss to Colorado]. Yeah, winning the division is cool, but we’re home fishing in five days? What was it all for?

“Things have to go your way. No doubt about it. Joe Blanton hitting a home run in the World Series? Come on, now. He couldn’t get a hit in the regular season, but he homers in the World Series. It’s not about getting hot. We had a good team. It’s things just going your way. We were the best team in baseball in 2011. By far. But in that short series to the Cardinals … we knew if we beat them nobody stops us. But we knew we had our hands full with them.”

But just because the Phils fell short the past two years, it doesn’t mean they can’t win it all.

“It’s the guys in uniform, they determine what happens,” Rollins said. “That’s the beauty of it.”

The Ignitor

Rollins remembers being in the dugout before games and Jayson Werth telling him, “You go, we go!”

Rollins was the Phillies’ leadoff hitter. Good things happened when he got on base.

Turner could hit first this season, moving Kyle Schwarber no lower than fourth in the lineup.

“I wouldn’t mind it,” Rollins said. “I wouldn’t mind Schwarbs getting up there with guys on. I mean, early in the game when the pitcher is still trying to establish the strike zone, you’ve got a guy with speed on and a guy with pop? He’s not comfortable. I like the tradition of speed and then power guys. I think it opens them up. I know [Turner] thrived batting first with the Nats and Dodgers. I think it puts the importance of his athletic ability and skill set front and center. I love it.

“‘You go, we go.’ It got you ready. It was a reminder. Is there pressure with it? Of course. Because they’re looking at you to get things started. It’s that spark. He has the athletic ability, he’s that excitable, where he can be that spark.”

Cooperstown

Rollins’ name appeared on 18 percent of ballots cast for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, up from 14.8 percent in 2024, 12.9 percent in 2023 and 9.4 percent in 2022. He needs 75 percent to make it.

He has six years remaining on the BBWAA ballot.

“Not fast enough,” Rollins said. “Honestly, I thought this year was going to be a good bump. I’ll take five percent or whatever. … It’s very subjective. Everybody has their reasons why or why not. You have to respect the reasons. I don’t know. My career … I don’t know. I’ve always felt like I wasn’t given enough credit for what I did.

“A lot of it is based on numbers, not what people got to see a lot of times to get a good observation. They get it right. They do, but there are always guys who will feel like they didn’t get enough. We’ll see how it goes.”

Chase Utley got 39.8 percent of the vote in his second of 10 years of eligibility.

Rollins thinks Utley will get in.

“They way he’s moving,” Rollins said.

Still, it’s difficult not to think about Rollins and Utley being in the Hall of Fame together.

“We’ll see,” Rollins said.