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Chicago White Sox Jimmy Rollins: Fantasy Fallout

By Brad Kelly

Aug 14, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Jimmy Rollins (11) follows through on his swing on a double during the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 14, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Jimmy Rollins (11) follows through on his swing on a double during the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Chicago White Sox let veteran shortstop Alexei Ramirez walk this offseason, leaving the position up for grabs this spring. But, they may have signed their placeholder at short today by inking former fantasy star, Jimmy Rollins.

Jimmy Rollins will amazingly enter his 16th season in the majors this season and he has definitely proven to be one of the best shortstops of the last decade. In his prime, he was a perennial 15+ HR/30+ SB performer, but those glory days are long in the past. After coming a career worse season with the Dodgers in 2015, does Rollins warrant any fantasy attention if he can snag the starting job?

Rollins struggled mightily last season, posting an abysmal, .224 AVG/13 HR/12 SB/.643 OPS/71 R, line. Those numbers are a far cry from the Rollins that fantasy owners remember, but there does lies some optimism going forward thanks to his peripheral stats. His .224 AVG was more than likely a direct result from his BABIP being a career low, .246. That number has nowhere to go but up, so even though Rollins is not a .300 hitter, he should easily get back into the .250s next season.

BABIP can be used as a tool to measure luck, but it is also important to distinguish whether or not Jimmy Rollins was just overly unlucky in 2015 or did his batted ball data point to a permanent dip in production. Here lies the optimism, Rollins’ LD was 19% last season which is only a tick below his career norm or 20.9%. He lowered his GB% below 40% and raised his FB% back into the lower 40s%, which should allow his HR to remain in the 10-15 range. The move from pitcher friendly Dodger Stadium, to the hitter’s haven of U.S. Cellular Field, should also welcome a slight power uptick.

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Jimmy Rollins is only two years removed from a 17 HR/28 SB output, and nothing about his numbers last season lead one to believe that he has completely forgot how to hit or produce. He only attempted 20 SB last season, which was also a career low, but it is hard to steal bases with an OBP below .288. Now I know that Rollins does not have the speed that he once did, he is 37 after all, but he can do just enough be a late round flier as a UTIL or MI pick, by offering close to 20 steals.

He did sign just a minor league deal, but barring him completely looking lost in spring training or the incumbent Tyler Saladino lighting the world on fire, Rollins should have the inside track on the job. If Rollins does not get the starting nod, thus becoming a bench option, ignore him. His value will be directly tied to him getting the 500+ at bats he needs to amass rosterable stats.

With Melky Cabrera and Adam Eaton being penciled in at the top of the lineup, Rollins would probably slide down into the 9th spot in the order. The White Sox lineup is underrated and looks poised to be a lot better this season, so his potential RBI/R opportunities would not take too much of a hit with the move from the leadoff spot.

Next: 2016 1B Rankings: 10-1

Jimmy Rollins knows that this is last shot at securing a starting job, especially with the ChiSox having stud SS prospect Tim Anderson waiting in the wings as well, so if there was ever a year he would go out with a bang it will be in 2016. If he can secure the job this spring, owners can target him in the last rounds of the draft as a pure low risk/decent reward flier from the MI spot.

2016 Season Protections: .255 AVG/15 HR/50 RBI/18 SB/75 R/.700 OPS

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