Phillies’ Jimmy Rollins Earns NL MVP Honour
Posted November 20, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Matt Holliday took his team to the World Series, but Jimmy Rollins took home the National League’s Most Valuable Player award Tuesday.
Rollins, whose terrific play at shortstop for the Philadelphia Phillies helped lead to their first playoff berth in 14 years, received 16 of 32 first-place votes and finished with 353 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
“I had a real big smile on my face, to make it simple. I was excited but I wasn’t quite sure what to feel,” Rollins said. “I never really thought about winning an MVP. If I won a Gold Glove, then that was the MVP for a shortstop.”
Holliday, the Colorado left-fielder who led his team’s improbable late season push that ended with a loss to the Boston Red Sox in the World Series, got 11 first-place votes and 336 points. Milwaukee slugger Prince Fielder came in third, with five first-place votes and 284 points.
It was the closest election for NL MVP since Atlanta third baseman Terry Pendleton beat out Pittsburgh’s Barry Bonds by 15 points in 1991.
Rollins batted .296 with 30 homers, 94 RBIs and 41 steals from the leadoff spot. He led the league in runs (139) and triples (20), becoming the second consecutive Phillies player to win the MVP following Ryan Howard last year.
“I was like, if he can win it I can win it. The only thing he can do better than me is hit home runs further than me,” Rollins said.
The nod is also a bit of a redemption for Rollins, who was left off the all-star team in July, but carried an injury-riddled squad down the strech while they came on late to take the NL East from the New York Mets.
Holliday, the NL championship series MVP, hit .340 with 137 RBIs — becoming the third player since 1967 to lead a league in both categories. He also had 36 homers and topped the NL in hits (216), total bases (386) and doubles (50).
“It’s Jimmy Rollins’ day, and I don’t want to step on his day,” Holliday said in a statement through the Rockies.
Voting took place before the post-season, when Holliday and the Rockies completed a three-game sweep of Philadelphia in the first round.
“You look at Matt Holliday’s numbers — I looked at them myself and I’m just amazed. It’s sick what he’s done,” Rollins said.
New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez won his third AL MVP award on Monday.