2012 Alex Rodriguez Performance Thread

[False1]

He's also taking pitches he should crush.

I don't think the booing has been nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

Agreed. He's just in between right now. Passive when he should be aggressive, hacking when he should be taking. He's not seeing the ball well, guessing wrong, some combination of things that are leading to poor production. I don't think he looked terrible in spite of the results, except for the last K. But at some point, you need to avoid these strings of outs.

[ArodEra]

The only person happier than Average Yankee Fan tonight about Joe's decision and Raul's production is A-Rod's therapist.

I was shocked that Girardi made that call. That took guts. A-Rod didn't look so bad or lost today that a PH was obvious in that scenario IMHO. I don't care what anyone says, if Ibanez comes up and whiffs Joe is taking some heat for making that call.

And regardless of what you think about A-Rod to this point he handled it well. Didn't sulk, did some cheerleading, said the right things.

I'd expect A-Rod to be in a meaningful spot in the lineup in the next game though. Probably third again. Hopefully Joe just pulled off the greatest managerial move in history, preventing a potential compounding effect of a negative outcome for A-Rod in that inning, putting the team in position to deliver a comeback win, and jolting A-Rod into some sort of meaningful contribution throughout the remainder of the playoffs.

Good post. That's how I read it based on ARod's reaction and cheerleading. It would make a nice story if he bats 3rd tomorrow and mashes the ball.

[philleotardo]

I'd expect A-Rod to be in a meaningful spot in the lineup in the next game though. Probably third again.

Against Saunders, it's the right place. Hopefully, it would be a boost to him.

[2JAY]

Thanks lou. What Kay and Lorenz are conveniently forgetting during their ball washing of ARod is that the team is more important than just A Rod and his possible bruised feelings and ego. And who cares how this effects him? It's not as if he's a 40-50 HR/120 RBI hitter anymore that you have to walk around egg shells to risk disrupting his production. He's a shell of his former self and will probably hit 20 or so homers regardless of his bruised ego.

Then again, who really knows if ARod really cares considering the outcome?

Do you really believe that a player of Arod's magnitude, having been one of the best players in MLB, and possibly one of the greatest HR/RBI hitters in the history of the game, believes that he is a shell of his former self now? I agree that the team is more important and Arod said as much, if not more, after the game but it still has to be a tremendous blow to his pride. And whether we like it or not, he still has multiple years left on that absurb contract so hopefully it does not effect him too much in a negative way.

[Mr Coffee]

The only person happier than Average Yankee Fan tonight about Joe's decision and Raul's production is A-Rod's therapist.

I was shocked that Girardi made that call. That took guts. A-Rod didn't look so bad or lost today that a PH was obvious in that scenario IMHO. I don't care what anyone says, if Ibanez comes up and whiffs Joe is taking some heat for making that call.

And regardless of what you think about A-Rod to this point he handled it well. Didn't sulk, did some cheerleading, said the right things.

I'd expect A-Rod to be in a meaningful spot in the lineup in the next game though. Probably third again. Hopefully Joe just pulled off the greatest managerial move in history, preventing a potential compounding effect of a negative outcome for A-Rod in that inning, putting the team in position to deliver a comeback win, and jolting A-Rod into some sort of meaningful contribution throughout the remainder of the playoffs.

In a way, I think the win tonight takes some pressure off him (A-Rod), regardless of how it happened.

I bet he has a good game tomorrow if he's in. Even moved down to 6th or whatever.

[philleotardo]

I hope like hell the YS crowd gives him a good reception his first time up.

[NYIndian2005]

Kay is just overreacting. I saw Alex talking to reporters on sports enter just now and he sounded just fine.

[ArodEra]

Do you really believe that a player of Arod's magnitude, having been one of the best players in MLB, and possibly one of the greatest HR/RBI hitters in the history of the game, believes that he is a shell of his former self now? I agree that the team is more important and Arod said as much, if not more, after the game but it still has to be a tremendous blow to his pride. And whether we like it or not, he still has multiple years left on that absurb contract so hopefully it does not effect him too much in a negative way.

I hear you. My post was more of an indictment on what Kay and Lorenz said than anything else.

As for ARod being a shell of his former self, you would have to think that he's not delusional and knows he's not the hitter that he once was, but can still put up decent numbers. I just wonder if he attributes his decline to past steroid use, age, or a combination of the two. I also don't think that tonight's move will affect him in a negative way in the future. He seems to have handled it well tonight, and if it did bother him, it might give him some incentive to show that he's not through, and have a good year. He seems to take a lot of pride in his performance.

[Mr Coffee]

Kay is just overreacting. I saw Alex talking to reporters on sports enter just now and he sounded just fine.

Yeah, he was fine in the postgame. Saying all the right things.

Looked relaxed to me.

I'm not sure he's the headcase he once was or was considered to be.

[NYYankeesFan92]

I love the way he handled himself in his postgame interview.

[sweet_lou_14]

Yeah, he was fine in the postgame. Saying all the right things.

Looked relaxed to me.

I'm not sure he's the headcase he once was or was considered to be.

He had that tight-lipped "I wish I could kill you instead of answering your stupid question" smile that he often displays in post-game interviews. He wasn't 100% relaxed to me, but I don't think that's about much other than the press being the press.

The more honest assessment of what he might be thinking / feeling probably comes from his immediate reaction to the home run. He was among the first and loudest guys cheering in that dugout. I believe he's completely sincere in being happy for his teammate and being concerned only about the team winning.

But I also think it hurts. How could it not?

[Jersey]

Oh yea it hurts...but only cause he wished he could have been that guy to be counted on to get things done in a big spot. I truly believe Arod had no problem with Girardi pinch hitting for him...why? Cause Arod is no dummy and he wanted no piece of going to bat in the ninth down a run to just do what he has done this whole series...strike out. It would have just been torture throwing him out there and if Girardi hated him more than he wanted to win he might have done it. Arod is happy that Ibanez got in there and lifted us because everyone is happy...except the media..they smell blood in the water and will make his life hell if he doesn't start hitting.

[2JAY]

Oh yea it hurts...but only cause he wished he could have been that guy to be counted on to get things done in a big spot. I truly believe Arod had no problem with Girardi pinch hitting for him...why? Cause Arod is no dummy and he wanted no piece of going to bat in the ninth down a run to just do what he has done this whole series...strike out. It would have just been torture throwing him out there and if Girardi hated him more than he wanted to win he might have done it. Arod is happy that Ibanez got in there and lifted us because everyone is happy...except the media..they smell blood in the water and will make his life hell if he doesn't start hitting.

I do not believe for one second that Arod welcomed being PH for because he believed that he was going to fail otherwise. I think Arod wanted that AB in order to try to get redemption and turn his team around and thus helping lead his team to victory.

[K-W]

I hate how this seems to be retroactively justifying what Torre did which was completely different. Torre moved an in-prime A-Rod down in the lineup because he was having a cold streak. It was a move that could have only a small benefit for the team and was sure to cause big headlines. It was a treatment Torre didn't confer on other hitters who went through cold streaks and we now know that Torre bought into the idea that A-Rod wasn't clutch.

A-Rod is later in his career. He has been dinged up physically and dinged up in the media. He was the starter in the game in a prime spot in the lineup but he got taken out to mix and match L/R. This is such a different situation and with the outcome being what it is I don't see anyone leaving with too bad a taste in their mouths.

[Jersey]

I don't think he welcomed it...but I don't think he was upset. Wanting to come through and being able to come through are different things. Prior evidence from the last few games says chances are he wasn't going to get it done...of course anything is possible in baseball so we will never know. What we do know is Ibanez did get it done so it was the right move.

[enozlac]

I don't think he welcomed it...but I don't think he was upset. Wanting to come through and being able to come through are different things. Prior evidence from the last few games says chances are he wasn't going to get it done...of course anything is possible in baseball so we will never know. What we do know is Ibanez did get it done so it was the right move.

+1.

Jim Johnson chewed him up in Baltimore. Just busted him inside with sinkers and watched get beat by every single one of them. Arod K'ing there would have been brutal, especially a day later.

[kan_t]

I'm not sure he's the headcase he once was or was considered to be.

From everything I have read from other Yankees players (Ibanez, Swisher, etc.), he's one of the best teammates and one of the leaders on the team.

[YankeePride1967]

From what I have seen, he has handled it very well.

Agreed. He was the first to greet Ibanez after the game-tying homer and he made the right comments after. I am sure that he is not happy now but I think tha has more to do with his performance than anything. No one feels worse about it than him.

[YankeePride1967]

Kay is just overreacting. I saw Alex talking to reporters on sports enter just now and he sounded just fine.

Kay is a drama loving idiot.

[azzurribaggio]

Our 29 million dollar/year man pinch hit for in the playoffs..maybe he can defer some of that money to Raul for this year.
It'll be sad to watch how mediocre A-Rod will become in the years to come...I say let him get back on the clear and let's see Barry Bonds Part II

Hi everyone!

[HondaCop]

OK, I rewound to get the exact transcript. It's pretty epically over the top. Here goes.

Bob Lorenz:
"Do you think Alex will get over this?"

Michael Kay:
"I don't think he'll ever forget it. Uh, he has never to this day gotten over Joe Torre batting him 8th in that game against the Tigers. So, this was worse than that because you got pinch-hit [for], in the 9th inning of a game that you're down by one run, you're the number three batter in the lineup.

"And there's some incongruity to what Joe did. He said Alex is scuffling, and he still batted him third today. So a couple of at-bats convinced him that he was scuffling too much? Then you pinch-hit for him.

"If Ibanez didn't come through there, Joe Girardi would have had a sleepless night. The media would have been all over him. So, that freed up Joe Girardi.

"But now, the only way Alex Rodriguez gets over this and is able, I believe, to continue to function as Yankee is if the Yankees go on to do things in this postseason, and Alex goes on to do things as well.

"If they lose this series, and Alex is a zero, I mean, how do you bounce back from that, David [Cone]? I, I think the hurt goes too deep. This is -- at one point he was one of the greatest players who ever lived. And he got pinch-hit in the ninth inning of a playoff game."

Thanks, Lou... Kay is a drama queen. Arod was the first one jumping like a 12-year-old in the dugout when Raul tied the game and after the game was over, Arod was as calm as one can be. I think Kay is the one hurt because he's boy was pinch hit for.

[MoVaughnEatsAlot]

A-Rod has been nothing shorty of horrible this postseason, but man people are some some ridiculous crap in this thread...

[YankeeFan1421]

The only person happier than Average Yankee Fan tonight about Joe's decision and Raul's production is A-Rod's therapist.

I was shocked that Girardi made that call. That took guts. A-Rod didn't look so bad or lost today that a PH was obvious in that scenario IMHO. I don't care what anyone says, if Ibanez comes up and whiffs Joe is taking some heat for making that call.

And regardless of what you think about A-Rod to this point he handled it well. Didn't sulk, did some cheerleading, said the right things.

I'd expect A-Rod to be in a meaningful spot in the lineup in the next game though. Probably third again. Hopefully Joe just pulled off the greatest managerial move in history, preventing a potential compounding effect of a negative outcome for A-Rod in that inning, putting the team in position to deliver a comeback win, and jolting A-Rod into some sort of meaningful contribution throughout the remainder of the playoffs.

He did handle it well, both in how fast he congratulated Ibanez and everything he said after the game.

That said...for the first time I think that Arod somehow leaving before his contract is over is more than a pipe dream. This is going to have huge lon ramifcations well beyond today...

ARod is now and forevermore officially 'in play' for girardi or any other manager to pinch hit for, platoon and bench, regardless of the magnitude of the moment...or perhaps BECAUSE of the magnitude of the moment.

Even if he came out tonight and had a 4 for 4 night with extra base hits...he's no longer untouchable.

And i don't see any reason to think ARod is going to be able to handle this long term. He never forgave Torre for hitting him 8th....i just don't think it's in his dna to accept being pinch hit for in the 9th inning of a playoff game. I know his relationship with girardi is much better than his was with torre's (or so they say), but ARod, unless he is suddenly evolving as a person, is not going to be able to manage this.

I don't know how it happens, but i don't see how he stays here for another five years...maybe it's a negotiated settlement, or the Yankees send $50 million to the Marlins to take him or something, but I now believe Jeter will be here beyond ARod.

[4bronxbombers]

In a way, I think the win tonight takes some pressure off him (A-Rod), regardless of how it happened.

I bet he has a good game tomorrow if he's in. Even moved down to 6th or whatever.

Me too - I would love it if he had a great game. Maybe people will stop booing him - for at least one game.

[BronxYanks45]

really hope ARod plays tonite and has some decent AB's. He'll turn it around