Is A-Rod a better hitter this year or just off to a hot start?

[Matt Williams]

During the Yankee game today, between Jeter's errors and the kissing ass of how good he is catching fly balls to centerfield (not shallow center, mind you. Centerfield); the Yankee annoucers were talking about A-Rod. Singleton and Flaherty were saying that he is seeing the ball much better this year and that he has improved as a hitter. The one pitch that he hit for a double, Singleton said last year it would have been a pop up to short. I'm just assuming he's off to a hot start. Is there any truth to what these guys are saying?

[bottomset]

well if he hit .372/.453/.977 for a full season it would be one of the greatest seasons ever, on the same level or better than Bonds01

so yeah its a hot start

[NT!]

he's had stretches like this before. he might have pulled his head out of his ass, improved his mental approach or something, but he's the same guy, just on a hot streak.

[THAY3R]

Don't listen to what announcers say other than for unintentional comedy.

[Clarkmeister]

How about he just ran bad last year and while he's not going to keep this up, he's back to being the top-2 weapon he's been most of his career.

[MrFeelNothin]

I can't find a photo of Arod in 2007, but at the Twins/Yankees game last week I noticed that he is now wearing his pants up at his calves, showing some sock along with his old high school pal Doug Mientkiewicz.

Google image search reveals this as a new look for Arod.

[MrFeelNothin]

ARod pre-2007:



A-Rod 2007:

[Triumph36]

i don't know why people insist on saying these things are one way or another - especially with former ballplayers talking.

ex-players say - 'he sees the ball better, he's a different hitter, he did such and such with his swing.'

sabermetrics say - 'it's all a continuum, hitters can have bad years but past a player's peak performance, a player is never a 'better hitter' - variance is a large factor and players simply fare better or worse'

why people reject the first interpretation and say that the second is unequiovcally true is beyond me. if that's the case why not fire hitting coaches since they obviously have no effect? both things are true - however, a-rod 'seeing the ball better' is shown as the positive side of variance/luck in statistical analysis.

that said, i'm afraid he will slump horribly at some point this year, and fall right back to where he was last season.

[g-bebe]

I dislike wearing the pant-legs up in general, but A-Rod is mah boi, so I give respect.

A-Rod's always been a good hitter, and he always will be -- this is early in the season and he's off to a very hot start. Nothing unusual, and as usual, you expect him to come back down to earth soon. But he is a god.

[onlinebeginner]

[ QUOTE ]
well if he hit .372/.453/.977 for a full season it would be one of the greatest seasons ever, on the same level or better than Bonds01

so yeah its a hot start

[/ QUOTE ]

you didn't adress the possibility that he has become a better hitter + he's off to a hot start