Listening to Lance McAlister, I heard him mention the Reds' record this year when Rolen doesn't start (0-2 so far). The team is (8-2) when he does start.
Last year they were 21 games over .500 when he started and one under .500 (18-19) when he didn't start.
What thoughts do people have on the correlation between the recordsand Rolen starting/not starting?
Personally I feel his impact goes beyond his offensive contributions, extending to of course his defense but also his presence on the lineup. Seems many of the younger hitters approach AB better overall when he is in there and he provides some measure of "comfort" to the team at the plate and in the field.
Any discussion points about this topic?