Yankees and A-Rod - Page 7

Jack of Arcades · #61 07-25-2006, 06:12 AM

The main problem with WPA, imo, is that it doesn't properly reward the guys who create "clutch opportunities." It's really biased towards guys behind players who get on base. See: Jeff Francoeur. The guy's batting behind 3 of the top 20 or so hitters in the NL, it's no wonder his WPA is 4th on his team, ahead of Brian McCann and Chipper Jones. You might as well just use (R+RBI-HR)/2 for MVP voting.

Per A-Rod: Yankee fans on this board remember when A-Rod wasn't getting a hit whatsoever in June, and he came up to the plate that month in a lot of clutch situations. Meanwhile, Jeter's been one of the best hitters in baseball. The "A-Rod isn't clutch" theory'been talked about since at least he was a Ranger. All we have from WPA is like 4 months.

acoustix · #62 07-25-2006, 09:46 AM

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Second base is a pretty physically demanding position. Moving the highest paid player in baseball there would be nuts. They've got the second shortest lifespan of any position player behind catcher.

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Jack- I'm not sure I agree with this statement. SS and 3B field the most balls based on the prevalence of righty pull hitters. They don't call it "the hot corner" for nothing. Yes, 2nd base is demanding in that it moves more to take cut-offs, cover 2nd, turn 2, but 3rd fields more balls and has to make one hell of a throw to first.

That said, it would be ridiculous to move ARod to 2nd. Yes, he is having a terrible time right now, but don't forget last season he was praised for his defense at 3rd. He is extremely capable and he will get there again, but he is going to have a really hard time doing that with everyone in the Bronx booing the crap out of him everytime he comes to the plate or makes an error. He is still a relatively young guy and he has a lot of baseball left in him.

And I am kind of ashamed of ESPN for spending sooooo much time talking about the idea that he needs to be traded, but not once mentioned the fact that he has a no trade clause. Because of his contract, a trade is a non-issue as he isn't going to waive his contract to go somewhere else. Why would they spend that much time on it when it's pretty obvious he isn't going anywhere. Now Soriano probably going to the White Sox is a trade worthy of talking about.....

FrankieB · #63 07-25-2006, 10:14 AM

A Rod is one of the top 3 players in the MLB but i think a lot of his value is taken away by him being a Yankee. .880 OPS may lead AL 3B but its not a lot better than .876 Troy Glaus or .846 Mike Lowell or .864 Joe Crede. And im sure that Crede and Lowell are both playing a better 3rd base than A Rod this year. Yankees should trade him because he is way more valuable to other teams than to the Yankees. He can move back to SS where offense is much harder to find and also i think he will hit better without the fans booing him. They dont need to trade him right now. He is still a top player but they should entertain the idea of a trade but only if they get an MVP type player in return. Someone like Miguel Cabrera or Derek Lee or an Ace pitcher.

JordanIB · #64 07-25-2006, 11:13 AM

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"People expect a lot out of me," Rodriguez said. "You saw Tiger Woods three weeks ago, he didn't make the cut [at the US Open], and he was thrown under every bus in the world. The same thing is going on with me.

"He just came back and won the British Open," he continued, "so hopefully I can come back and shut some people up."

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http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/artic...sp&c_id=mlb

Comparing himself to Tiger missing his first major cut after the death of his father??? Show me one person who was throwing Tiger under the bus after that performance.

Yikes. ARod's gone off the deep end.

disjunction · #65 07-25-2006, 11:46 AM

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"People expect a lot out of me," Rodriguez said. "You saw Tiger Woods three weeks ago, he didn't make the cut [at the US Open], and he was thrown under every bus in the world. The same thing is going on with me.

"He just came back and won the British Open," he continued, "so hopefully I can come back and shut some people up."

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http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/artic...sp&c_id=mlb

Comparing himself to Tiger missing his first major cut after the death of his father??? Show me one person who was throwing Tiger under the bus after that performance.

Yikes. ARod's gone off the deep end.

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Meh. People say a lot of things and they don't always make perfect sense. These words sound like they're regurgitated from stuff someone else said to him for encouragement.

Jack of Arcades · #66 07-25-2006, 11:49 AM

acoustix:

When was the last time a third baseman had to take a hard slide to try to break up a double play? 2nd basemen get that even more than shortstops.

acoustix · #67 07-25-2006, 12:13 PM

I agree that 2B is a demanding position, but the sheer volume of balls 3B has to field I think more than makes up for it. I could see it either way I guess.

prohornblower · #68 07-25-2006, 12:21 PM

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I agree that 2B is a demanding position, but the sheer volume of balls 3B has to field I think more than makes up for it. I could see it either way I guess.

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Are you still arguing that third is as physically demanding as 2nd? Because you are wrong. I mean there are so many reasons I could point out, but the most obvious would be that 3rd basemen don't get taken out by a base runner when they are turning a double play.

I play both spots and 3rd is much more about reactionary diving and protecting against bunts. 2nd is cutoffs...double plays...much much more lateral movement, running to cover first on a bunt down the first base line, running over to back up the throw to first from the SS, or 3rd baseman...covering first with the bases loaded and infield in after the first baseman throws home with the ball (very rare of course) etc. It is also 10 times funner than 3rd base. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

acoustix · #69 07-25-2006, 12:38 PM

Myself always having been more of a utility infielder, I have played every infield position, and I still think that 3rd is very physically demanding. That said, in my current league I play 2nd mainly, and I still don't think I see as much action as 3rd. Yes, I move more to cut off, turn 2, etc. but that to me is easier than having balls rocked at you over and over, then having to either throw across the diamond or make the quick, accurate throw to second for the DP. Like I said, it could go either way.

prohornblower · #70 07-25-2006, 01:59 PM

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Myself always having been more of a utility infielder, I have played every infield position, and I still think that 3rd is very physically demanding. That said, in my current league I play 2nd mainly, and I still don't think I see as much action as 3rd. Yes, I move more to cut off, turn 2, etc. but that to me is easier than having balls rocked at you over and over, then having to either throw across the diamond or make the quick, accurate throw to second for the DP. Like I said, it could go either way.

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Is this a softball league, or a baseball league with pitchers who throw fastballs 60 mph?

The league I play in has a lot of balls hit opp. field by righties. It could be because we seem to have a plethora of lefty pitchers in our league. Of my 12 P.A.'s this season, only 3 have been from the left side.
I agree that the throw to 2nd sucks from 3rd, it is easy to sail on you, but what does that have to do with "physically demanding", and "career shortening"?