CLEARWATER, Fla. -- He's seven inches shorter than Derek Jeter. He spots A-Rod 45 pounds. He doesn't have those steely eyes like Nomar.

But there's something about Jimmy Rollins, something that makes him one of the National League's most mesmerizing shortstops. And that something is the joy with which he plays the game -- every game.

"My dad says he knew when I was 3 I was meant to play baseball," the 23-year-old Phillies shortstop says. "When I was 3, he used to throw fly balls to me with tennis balls, throw them as high as he could and I'd catch them.

	Jimmy Rollins Shortstop Philadelphia Phillies Profile
	2001 SEASON STATISTICS GM R RBI OBP SB AVG 158 97 54 .323 46 .274

"But one day, he took a hardball and threw that up there. It came down, I missed it, and it hit me right in the eye. First thing I told him was, 'Do that again.' He says he knew right then I was a baseball player."

That's exactly what Rollins is, too. He's a baseball player. At 5-foot-8, 165 pounds, he doesn't fit the new mold of the hulkster shortstop. But you come across very few players who are able to walk into a pennant race in the big leagues at age 22 and feel as comfortable as Rollins did last year in Philadelphia.

Like that hardball he took in the eye 20 years ago, that ease in his step and that smile on his face tells you this is where he is supposed to be.

"This guy loves to play baseball," says Phillies coach John Vukovich. "I mean, he played some big games last year -- for a rookie. And I think he always took them in the context that this was fun. I don't think he ever looked at important games as pressure."

Rollins was the only player in the National League to reach double figures in doubles, triples, homers and stolen bases. He was the first player to lead the NL in triples and steals (tied with Juan Pierre) in the same season since Lou Brock in 1968. He was the first rookie to lead either league in triples and steals since Minnie Minoso in 1951.

He stole 35 bases in a row. And, at one point, he was 39 for 41, with both caught-stealings coming after pickoffs.

Defensively, he had more assists than Omar Vizquel and committed fewer errors (14) than Jeter or A-Rod.

He hit more home runs (14) than Sean Casey, Shannon Stewart or Ben Grieve.

He made the All-Star team. He was third in the Rookie-of-the-Year voting (behind Albert Pujols and Roy Oswalt). He missed by a mere three runs of joining Dick Allen as the only Phillie since 1905 to score 100 runs at age 22 or younger.

"At this stage of his career," says Phillies manager Larry Bowa, one of the great shortstops of his era himself, "he's better than me. No question. But what I keep telling him is, 'OK, now you've got to be consistent for the next 10-15 years.' And I think he wants that. That's exactly what he wants to be."

The warm, good-natured relationship between Bowa and his shortstop tells you something about Jimmy Rollins, too. Bowa is a judgmental guy by nature. But when it comes to shortstops, it can be rough living up to his standards.

Shortstops On The Spot

ESPN analysts tell us who's on the hot seat: Dave Campbell Nomar Garciaparra, Red Sox. Obviously the skills are there, but will Garciaparra's wrist hold up all season? He is so integral to Boston's success -- or lack thereof -- that more pressure comes with his job than with any other on that team. This year especially, Garciaparra must have a healthy, productive season. Tom Candiotti Royce Clayton, White Sox. The White Sox need Clayton to play like he did in the second half of last season. He could really elevate the bottom of the Sox lineup. Rob Dibble Barry Larkin, Reds. Larkin has to take back the team since Griffey "just wants to fit in."

Rollins, however, has done more than just be accepted by the manager. He has clearly become the manager's favorite player.

"I told him when he first came up, 'I'll probably be more critical of you than anybody,' " Bowa says. "When you've got a manager who played that position, he's always going to be looking at that position. But his whole thing is, he doesn't worry. I called him in last spring and told him, 'I don't care what you hit.' He laughed. He said, 'Don't worry. I'll hit.' That's before he ever played a big-league game. I'd say he doesn't lack for confidence."

If Bowa understands his shortstop, his shortstop has just as astute an understanding of his manager. When the smoke starts pouring out of Bowa's earlobes, many of his players run for cover or roll their eyes. Not Jimmy Rollins.

"I know all the guy wants to do is win," Rollins says. "It doesn't matter what he says. It doesn't matter how he acts. Sometimes, he just has to let go. If he reacts when you make an out, I don't take that personally. He wants you to get a hit. That's all.

"Actually, I think we're a lot alike. He's loose. I'm loose. He wears his emotions on his sleeve. I wear my emotions on my sleeve. And him being a shortstop, I think that's only helped me. It hasn't made it harder."

Rollins grew up near Oakland, idolizing Rickey Henderson. If Rollins plays the game now with definitive style, you can thank Rickey for that. It was from watching Rickey that Rollins figured out style is cool -- even in baseball.

"Styling is just having fun playing baseball," Rollins says. "I think people like that. Nobody wants to just sit there, watch nine innings and go home. They want something they can take from the game. They're doing more than coming to see a baseball game. They're coming to see a show. So keep the game light. That's the attitude I try to incorporate.

"Yeah, sure, it's a business, and you want to win. But at the same time, you don't want to just concentrate on the business without having fun your whole career."

Just because he keeps it light, though, doesn't mean Rollins isn't a relentless student of the game. Ask Vukovich what surprised him most about Rollins' rookie year, and the answer is: "How quickly he learned."

Early in the year, Vukovich worked with Rollins on the angle in which he approached ground balls, to get him out of a lifelong habit of taking balls to his side instead of straight on.

"He picked it up in two days," Vukovich says. "And we never talked about it again. I'd say in all my years of coaching (20), I've only had two guys pick up something that quick -- Ryne Sandberg and Jimmy Rollins."

But maybe that's because Rollins has been a student of his position as long as he can remember, since he started watching every move Mike Bordick made in Oakland.

"Going to games," he says, "was like going to school for me."

And now, when he watches those highlights on Baseball Tonight, he isn't zoning out. He's taking mental notes on every shortstop play that unfolds in front of him.

"I'll think, 'I may have to make that play on that same field, on that same hitter, some day,' " he says. "So I'll ask, 'How'd he make that play?' Maybe the ball took a funny hop at that spot. So when I get there, I'll go check that spot.

"I'm always watching. Like that Derek Jeter play in the playoffs in Oakland. If that was me out there, I'd have been stuck on the mound watching the ball dribble to the plate. Of course, I was a rookie. I wouldn't have had the courage to be out of position. But now that I've seen that happen and get publicized as a great play, I'll always look at that play like it might happen again."

This, then, is a guy always trying to top what he's seen before, what he's done before. So what does he see ahead for himself this year?

He wants to win a Gold Glove, cut down on his strikeouts (108) by laying off those high fastballs, pump up his on-base percentage (.323) now that he's a leadoff man, score 100 runs and "try to get to Ichiro -- 250 hits."

But he also has one more goal -- to hit one home run. Why one? Because he's only one away from the number of home runs his manager hit in an entire 16-year career (15).

"He reminds me of that every day," Bowa laughs. "So I remind him I got 2,000 hits and 350 stolen bases, too. Gotta keep him honest.

"But you know what?" says Larry Bowa. "If Jimmy stays healthy, he'll pass all that stuff."

Five other shortstops to watch
1. Rafael Furcal, Braves: After he went down last year, the Braves missed his energy, his on-base percentage at the top of the lineup and the sight of his speed-of-light throws whooshing across the infield. His health is one of the biggest keys to their season.
2. Nomar Garciaparra, Red Sox: The Red Sox got 13 homers and 45 RBI out of their shortstops last year. Nomar's average season before the wrist went: 29 homers, 105 RBI. Any more questions?
3. Alex Gonzalez, (either one): The Cubs' biggest trade of the winter brought in the ex-Blue Jays shortstop. They're hoping he didn't pack his 149 strikeouts. Meanwhile, if new Marlins coaches Perry Hill and Ozzie Guillen can't salvage the Alex Gonzalez of the south, he can't be salvaged.
4. Cesar Izturis, Dodgers; Felipe Lopez, Blue Jays: Speaking of Blue Jays shortstops, they also traded Izturis last winter and kept Lopez. The Dodgers need Izturis to stabilize the position. The Blue Jays need Lopez to prove he's Miguel Tejada waiting to happen.
5. Cristian Guzman, Twins: So is it a coincidence the Twins were 56-32 the night Guzman hurt his shoulder last July -- and 29-53 the rest of the season? Sure didn't seem like it. There are still some worries about Guzman's shoulder -- which could translate into worries about this whole team.

No A-Rod? No Jeter? No Rich Aurilia? If you have to be told to watch those shortstops, you're surfing the wrong site.

Jayson Stark is a senior writer for ESPN.com.