Phillies' great Mike Schmidt thinks Jimmy Rollins should be considered for Hall of Fame

Philadelphia Phillies legend Mike Schmidt is never shy when it comes to voicing his opinions about baseball, and he thinks current Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins is Hall of Fame material, according to ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick.

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Rollins is on his way to passing Schmidt for the franchise lead in career hits, only 10 hits away from Schmidt’s mark of 2,225 knocks.

Schmidt on Rollins from the Crasnick story:

"“My assessment would be that if Barry Larkin is in the Hall of Fame, you’ve got to think about Jimmy Rollins,” said Schmidt, a part-time member of the Phillies’ broadcast team. “The importance for him is to finish out strong the next three to four years and continue to be a force.“I can’t see Jimmy Rollins as a bench player or a DH. I can’t see him sort of tailing off or hanging around. I see him being an offensive force and a great defensive player for the rest of his career. If you add that to where he is now, he’s going to get some consideration for the Hall of Fame.”"

Larkin, the Reds shortstop Schmidt alluded to, was a Hall of Fame inductee in 2012 who won three Gold Gloves in his career and was the National League MVP with the Reds in 1995.

Those numbers are quite comparable to Rollins, who has made three All-Star teams and is a four-time Gold Glove Award winner, as well as taking home the NL MVP award in 2007.

Do you think Rollins career is already Hall of Fame worthy? Sound off below.

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Phillies’ great Mike Schmidt thinks Jimmy Rollins should be considered for Hall of Fame

By Michael Collins | Jun 3, 2014