Utley and Rollins 2010 Analysis

Continuing my series on the 2010 player breakdown, today I will analyze the season’s of second baseman Chase Utley and shortstop Jimmy Rollins.  Here is a quick look at some of their key stats for the last 5 seasons:

Both players have been in a steady decline; some of it has been due to injury and some of it is more mysterious.  The downward trend of their power numbers, as reflected in the slugging percentage, is concerning.  This means both players are getting fewer extra-base hits overall and less production.

Most of Utley’s issues have been the result of injuries piling up; a broken hand in 2007; hip surgery after the 2008 season; and surgery on a sprained thumb this year.  Rollins, on the other hand, has had fewer injuries.  After winning the MVP award in 2007, he sprained his ankle in 2008 but it was not very serious.  This year, Rollins had a strained calf and later, a hamstring issue, which made it a very bad season for J-Roll.

Questions have arisen about Rollins’ off-season preparation as he gets older combined with a heavy work load.  Among all active players, Rollins, age 31, ranks 32nd in career at-bats with 6291.  Among players 31 years of age or younger, he has the 2nd most career at-bats behind only Adrian Beltre with 6874 at-bats.  So a new off-season routine may be in order.

For the most part, both players are still clutch performers as indicated by the 2010 situational stats below:

As an example of a polar opposite, right fielder Jayson Werth hit only .186 with runners in scoring position; Utley and Rollins hit .333 and .329 respectively.

It was not a great year for either middle infielder.  It does seem that the work load, which has included 4 straight seasons of extra work due to post-season play, is taking a toll.  And as they get older, it will only get more complicated to find a way to endure a 162+ game season.

But after getting slapped around in the NLCS and knowing the strong work ethic of Utley and Rollins’ drive to succeed, I predict both players will make the adjustments and come out swinging in 2011.