2011 Alex Rodriguez Performance Thread

[goin for 27]

That snippet says it all, we just have to hope for the best.

I think ARod is in decline, but if he can get healthy will obviously have a better year next season.

At this point, he is a sunk cost, and we just have to be happy if he is in the upper echelon of 3B'men.

Really scary to extend CC, looking at the same issue in a couple of years with him as well.....

[Mr Coffee]

Scientific proof? We're discussing a strong parallel between great player's linked by a ped doctor, not CSI Miami

No, you're leaping to conclusions based on no evidence whatsoever. Comparing A-Rod to Tiger Woods while discounting the two guys I mentioned who actually play the same sport does not a 'strong parallel' make.

Nice try, though.

[kan_t]

That snippet says it all, we just have to hope for the best.

I think ARod is in decline, but if he can get healthy will obviously have a better year next season.

At this point, he is a sunk cost, and we just have to be happy if he is in the upper echelon of 3B'men.

Even though he's not healthy this year, he's still in the upper echelon of 3B (3rd in WAR among AL 3B).

Overpaid? Sure. But he's far from just a suck cost.

[MoVaughnEatsAlot]

IF he stays healthy, I still think he can be a .290 hitter with 30 bombs and 100+ RBI while playing good defense (he looked great this year on D when healthy). While he'll be WAY overpaid, he'll be far from the albatross some people are making him out to be.

[JDPNYY]

With the pace he's hitting them now, he won't make it until he's 50.

Then, it would seem apparent that a contract extension is necessary.

[MoVaughnEatsAlot]

Then, it would seem apparent that a contract extension is necessary.

Get it done Hal

[JDPNYY]

Get it done Hal

I believe THAT is a job for Hank.

[JSG]

i suspect hank would be a lot tougher this time round ........... OK, you get the 10 years, but not a penny more than $25 million per ..........

[jcarey]

Tonight on MLB Tonight they were talking about how Rickie Weeks has struggled so far in the playoffs. He came off the DL at around the same time that A-Rod did. I still think A-Rod's disappointing finish to the season was largely a result of timing issues and an insufficient number of ABs.

I think he'll be back producing next season.

[unfamous loser]

But until he proves it, no one will know if 2011 was an aberration because of an injury or the first taste of a painful and incredibly expensive decline. Coming off the worst year of his career, Rodriguez is still owed $143 million over the next six years, after which he will be 41. There is nothing the Yankees can do about any of those numbers except hope for the best.

to be fair, he was pretty much the same in 2011 that he was in 2010 (.363 vs .361 wOBA, 123 to 125 wRC+) .

I'd easily take another repeat of that in 2012, healthy or not. the days when he was a 'beast' are probably gone.

[JSG]

to be fair, he was pretty much the same in 2011 that he was in 2010 (.363 vs .361 wOBA, 123 to 125 wRC+) .

I'd easily take another repeat of that in 2012, healthy or not. the days when he was a 'beast' are probably gone.

that snippet was from the post article quoted .......... but now that you mention it .......... i'm kind of surprised those numbers pretty much wash out, as HRs and RBIs were ~50% of 2010, and he had roughly 1/3 less plate appearances. to me, the big issues were both the number of games he missed, the fact that he was so clearly off after coming back, and with it the decline in overall production. the $64K Q is whether this was just an injury blip or a sign of deep bad crap to come. personally, i buy into the stories that a rod will train really hard and smart in the offseason, and come back sharp and ready to roll. the acid test will be if he can stay that way. obviously this is a huge issue, and for me it also bears on whether we can reasonably think of flipping montero. if a rod the beast is gone, might make more sense to develop our own pitching and hang onto the lad. ALSO, someone needs to work on luring andy out of retirement !! just another yr or two !!

[NoodleRay]

Everyone of us seems to have a point, only real difference is some of us like him and some of us don't.

To me it does seem like an up hill climb for him, Alex has always had periods of being a little cavalier at times with his offense, but always had the ability to fix any low point with one good week.

This coming season should prove to be interesting for him, showing us whether or not the decline will continue, or if Alex is capable of righting the ship. My only hope is that if he can not right himself, that he will go down more like Reggie Jackson did, swinging hard.

There's no way of knowing, there's so many things that he can try. That's with the help Of trainers and coaches, this will be a team effort. First thing that must happen, is to find and repair his injuries. Next, and this is where Joe comes in, is to put Alex on a schedule where he has the right amount of days off, mixed in with maybe missing certain pitchers that are tough on him.

Also possibly trying out different bats, and different stances. Maybe even losing a little weight which never seems to hurt. Still there's no way of knowing how determined, or how hard and far the proud Alex is willing to push himself. We all know that there's going to be pain and suffering ahead, rehabbing his injuries. So again Alex will have to find a way to prove his worth, he will need to stay focused and believe in himself.

It always helps to know that there's fans and some press, that still have faith that the longtime superman will land on his feet, and is willing to repeat by pushing his body to the limit one more time. Lets face it, because that's the only way he'll know if he's still one of the most feared hitters in baseball...

[35Knucklecurve]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/08/sp...ines&emc=tha27

[snip]

Except for 2009, when Rodriguez had one of the most impressive postseasons in memory, those questions have become a rite of October for him. But the more important issue for the Yankees has to do with his long-term health and productivity.

After he played in only 99 games this year, hitting 16 home runs and knocking in only 62 runs at age 36, many people think Rodriguez may be in the first stages of a steep descent. He flatly rejects that notion.

“I have a lot to prove,” Rodriguez said, “and I’m looking forward to that challenge.”

But until he proves it, no one will know if 2011 was an aberration because of an injury or the first taste of a painful and incredibly expensive decline. Coming off the worst year of his career, Rodriguez is still owed $143 million over the next six years, after which he will be 41. There is nothing the Yankees can do about any of those numbers except hope for the best.
[snip]
Rodriguez insisted he was completely healthy in the playoffs, and said his injury was not an excuse for his 2-for-18 performance. That amounted to a .111 batting average, and since his three hits were singles, his slugging percentage was also .111. (In the 2009 postseason, Rodriguez slugged .808 with a 1.308 on-base plus slugging percentage.)

“Whatever happened in this postseason is on me,” he said. “Let’s make that crystal clear. There’s no excuses in these five games. Whatever performance I had, it had nothing to do with injuries this postseason. I was healthy enough to do whatever I had to do.”

He might have been healthy, but there was no question his timing at the plate was askew. How could it not be? He had only 68 at-bats in the second half of the season to prepare for the playoffs.

“I don’t think I quite recovered,” he acknowledged. “I never got into a rhythm really at any point in the year, with the exception of March and April, when I felt pretty good. It was definitely a tough year. Having to overcome a knee surgery in the middle of the year, I never felt like I got into the kind of rhythm I’m used to.”

At some point, Rodriguez will gradually be shifted into the designated hitter role. But the paradox of that is that Rodriguez looked splendid at third base in the division series. Aside from Curtis Granderson’s dazzling catches in center field, Rodriguez was the Yankees’ best defensive player in the series. Rodriguez said he considered that an encouraging sign for his strength, flexibility and ability to be a productive all-around player.

[NoodleRay]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/08/sp...ines&emc=tha27

[snip]

Thanks, this is the first time I've seen this article, my concern is his determination, does he still have the will to tackle this feat? Can his mind still will his body for six more years, and will his body cooperate?

There is the old saying (It's a great life if you don't tire)...Alex maybe starting to tire, can he continue to endure, does it all mean that much to him? There are a lot of questions, we can only wait to have the answers..

[Black Sabbathia]

Maybe even losing a little weight which never seems to hurt

I was thinking the same thing but felt weird bringing it up. I have no idea how it would affect his play.

Good thoughts in that post

[grizy]

Judging by this old pic, ARod's pretty much all muscle.

[JohnnyEllis]

He says he doesn't think he ever quite recovered this year, which is honest. But what was he even doing out there, let alone weighing down the clean-up spot for five games? This was superstar coddling at the expense of winning.

[LIYanks]

Judging by this old pic, ARod's pretty much all muscle.

LOL. Photoshop'ed?

[89FoxBody]

Isn't he already at some insanely low level of bodyfat? I saw 6% bandied around the last couple years. I'm not sure there is much fat to lose.

[awy]

should eat more hotdogs like babe ruth etc

[azzurribaggio]

I thought Arod was ready to go, as he was quoted during the series!!! Did he mean ready to go on Vacation?

[NoodleRay]

I thought Arod was ready to go, as he was quoted during the series!!! Did he mean ready to go on Vacation?

Ha! First let me say that the picture up above, or maybe now it's a page back (same page) He's probably at least 20 to 30lb's lighter, it's so hard to maintain that low fat percentage as you get older...

And yes, that's funny, and could apply!!

[JSG]

working on swings in the offseason. sarcasm via the post: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/s...Gg4KmLdvNu8qDM

[MoVaughnEatsAlot]

The NY Post must be the worst paper in publication.

[JSG]

dunno, pretty hard to top the daily news and george costanza's favorite author, mike lupica ..........