Jimmy Rollins Biography

Behind the big bat of 2B Jimmy Rollins, the Philadelphia Phillies hope to be crowned the victors of the 2008 World Series.

Jimmy Rollins: Early Years
Born on November 27, 1978, in Oakland, California, Jimmy Rollins grew up in a family of athletes. Jimmy Rollins’ parents were both athletic; his father was a track runner, weightlifter, and wrestler in school, and Jimmy’s mother was a top infielder in Northern California’s fast-pitch softball leagues. Jimmy Rollins’ brother Antwon played in the farm systems of the Texas Rangers and Montreal Expos. Shay Rollins, Jimmy’s sister, was a basketball player for the University of San Francisco women’s basketball team.

Jimmy Rollins: Minor Leagues
The Philadelphia Phillies selected Jimmy Rollins in the second round of the 1996 MLB Draft. Jimmy Rollins would go on to play in the rookie-league Martinsville Phillies before working his way through the Philadelphia Phillies farm system. In his Class A and AA stints, Jimmy Rollins proved he could swing a mean bat, leading to his eventual promotion to Triple A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. In his first full season with Scranton, Jimmy Rollins led the team into the playoffs. Soon after, the Philadelphia Phillies called up Jimmy Rollins in September.

Jimmy Rollins: Rookie Season
Entering his rookie season, Jimmy Rollins had fans with Philadelphia Phillies tickets salivating at the prospect of having a blistering runner like Jimmy Rollins hitting leadoff. The speedy Jimmy Rollins delivered, leading the league with 46 stolen bases in 2001 and earning a spot in the 2001 MLB All Star Game to boot. While Jimmy Rollins finished third in the NL Rookie of the Year race, fans with Philadelphia Phillies tickets knew that Jimmy Rollins was the future of the franchise.

Jimmy Rollins: Rising Star
The speedy shortstop would continue to impress in his second year in the majors. Jimmy Rollins was voted into the NL All-Star team as the starting shortstop, becoming the first shortstop in MLB and Philadelphia Phillies history to make the All-Star team in his first two MLB seasons. In 2002, Jimmy Rollins was honored as the Best Defensive Shortstop in the NL. Along with his great defensive skills, Jimmy Rollins went on to improve on offense, raising his batting average nearly 20 points from the previous season and posting 42 doubles and 20 stolen bases. In September 2002, Philadelphia Phillies tickets featured Jimmy Rollins recording his 100th steal while facing the Atlanta Braves.

Jimmy Rollins: Continues to Roll
After enjoying much success in 2004, Jimmy Rollins would make history during the 2005 season. Throughout August and September of that year, the NL All Star Jimmy Rollins strung together a 36-game hitting streak, which broke the Philadelphia Phillies franchise record that was set in 1899. Jimmy Rollins’ stats included 38 doubles, 11 triples, 12 homers, and stole 41 bases, good for his fourth career quadruple double. After struggling a bit early in the 2006 season, Jimmy Rollins bounced back, making Philadelphia Phillies history with 25 home runs in a season by a shortstop.

Jimmy Rollins: Leading the Way
Jimmy Rollins got off to a fast start, knocking in 53 RBIs and 16 HRs in the first half of the 2007 MLB season. Backed by the consistent hitting and high-production from the speedy shortstop, the Philadelphia Phillies were able to clinch the NL East title on the last day of the regular season. To boot, Jimmy Rollins became only the seventh player to record at least 20 doubles, 20 triples, and 20 home runs in one season. For the first time since their World Series loss in 1993, the Philadelphia Phillies rolled into the MLB playoffs. While the Philadelphia Phillies would not headline MLB World Series tickets, Jimmy Rollins came out on top as the NL MVP, beating Colorado Rockies slugger Matt Holliday by a slim 17 points. Jimmy Rollins predicted that the Philadelphia Phillies would make a deeper playoff run in 2008; Philadelphia Phillies fans hoped that they would soon be buying their MLB World Series tickets.

Jimmy Rollins: 2008 MLB Season
With plenty of tough competition in the NL East, especially in the New York Mets, Jimmy Rollins’ prediction that the Philadelphia Phillies would go deeper in the playoffs in 2008 seemed a bit far-fetched. However, the reigning MVP stuck by his prediction and came out strong to start the season. In late April, Jimmy Rollins spent some time on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained ankle, but he would soon return to the starting lineup and finished out the month of May with a .298 batting average, 12 RBIs, and 6 stolen bases. Jimmy Rollins’ bat sparked the Philadelphia Phillies’ exciting run in the last two months of the season as the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team edged out the New York Mets to win the NL East title.

Jimmy Rollins: World Series Tickets!
As predicted, Jimmy Rollins and the Philadelphia Phillies stormed through the NLDS and NLCS and have punched their MLB World Series tickets in 2008! Fans with MLB World Series tickets will see the Philadelphia Phillies back in the World Series for the first time since 1993. MLB World Series tickets will feature a heated battle between the NL’s Philadelphia Phillies and the AL’s Tampa Bay Rays.

Fans with MLB World Series tickets are counting on the blazing speed and powerful bat of Jimmy Rollins to come up big in the World Series. Order Philadelphia Phillies World Series tickets from OnlineTickets.com and find out if Philadelphia Phillies World Series history can be made this year!