Nerd.
Why we like him: Remember back in the day when the Minnesota Twins were stocked with promising young talent and seemed like a shoo-in for a World Series title? It was about a decade ago. It also happened in the early '60s as well when the Twins were loaded with the likes of Tony Oliva, Harmon Killebrew, and Zoilo Versalles in the field, and pitchers like Jim Kaat and Jim Perry, all of whom were in or near their respective primes at that time. They also had a good mix of role-players like third baseman Rich Rollins who knew their jobs and how to do them.
"Rich Roll," which is the moniker I have chosen for him, was a classic two-hitter type with good hands who always at least put a bat on the ball and made things exciting. And speaking of exciting, he led the league with 10 triples in 1964. Rollins made the All Star team just once, earning a spot in 1962 at the tender age of 24 when he also finished eight in MVP voting. The following season was probably Rollins's best as he turned in career highs in batting with a .307 average and homers with 16. He also sported those glasses.
Ladies and gentlemen, Rich Rollins, ballplayer.
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