A-Rod’s average on the rise
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Aug 26, 2009 
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Just noticed this, but A-Rod is up to .267. That may not seem like much, but it’s the highest his batting average has been this season. He’s 8 of his last 15.
He also seems to be running better. The power hasn’t come back fully yet — and maybe it never will — but Alex seems to be moving past the hip issues based on how he has looked lately.
Let’s hope A-rod is starting a surge. The starting pitching staff is inconsistent, and we need all the offense we can get.
I fully believe Arod’s hip is not fully healed and won’t be until next season. Having him batting 3rd and not clean up might be better for him next season. But let’s finish this season first and see what happens. Regardless, the Yankees are the team to beat in the AL.
OT – don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves but how about Moose throwing out the first pitch in the ALDS?
a bunt!?!?!? ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
UGH. lol sorry still mad at that, and Alex’s D looked really bad yesterday and cost Joba a bit. But of course joba wasnt exactly helping himself so whatever.
Even though we lost last night, I thought A-Rod’s at-bat in the 9th was very impressive.
He walked on a 3-2 count and never swung the bat at any one pitch during the entire at-bat. He knew we needed base runners and was perfectly willing to let the next guy in line keep the rally going.
Even though we lost last night, I thought A-Rod’s at-bat in the 9th was very impressive.
He walked on a 3-2 count and never swung the bat at any one pitch during the entire at-bat. He knew we needed base runners and was perfectly willing to let the next guy in line keep the rally going.
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Even though we almost won last night, I couldn’t help but feel disgusted by A-rod’s at bat in the 9th.
It was a typical A-rod at bat in the clutch, too scared and too tense to put a good swing on anything. He was lucky to go up against a pitcher that couldn’t find the strike zone with a tomtom and was able to pass the buck with a gutless walk.
/darksideofthemirror
maybe he’s laying off teh Hudson.
First step still seems slow. He looks better once he gets moving.
“Even though we almost won last night, I couldn’t help but feel disgusted by A-rod’s at bat in the 9th.
It was a typical A-rod at bat in the clutch, too scared and too tense to put a good swing on anything. He was lucky to go up against a pitcher that couldn’t find the strike zone with a tomtom and was able to pass the buck with a gutless walk.”
Huh? So you acknowledge that the pitcher could not find the strike zone, yet you still wanted Alex to swing the bat down by 5 runs?
Sounds to me like no matter what Arod does it will never be good enough for you.
he still looks horrible at 3rd base. I hope next year he is back to his full range
Regarding Moose – we knew that he was very intelligent given his Stanford status – I’m just wondering if Joba is lacking the necessary smarts to even deal with his mess.
Sounds to me like no matter what Arod does it will never be good enough for you.
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He must hit 5 walk off Home Runs in the world series.
Remember seeing the Evony game ads here (hard to miss!) so I thought some, Pete in particular, might find this interesting…
http://www.bruceongames.com/20.....out-evony/
“The power hasn’t come back fully yet — and maybe it never will”
Wow. Really? Is the injury that bad that Alex will possibly never have his usual power numbers?
Jerkface
he took a walk on pitches that werent over the plate obviously
would you rather he swing at pitches off the plate.
you sit up there while pitchers are throwing 95 at you & take a walk.
i will pray for you
a walk is like a single
Wow. Really? Is the injury that bad that Alex will possibly never have his usual power numbers?
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Its just fear mongering. Chase Utley had a similiar hip problem and has all of his power. A-rod will be better once he gets a full off-season to heal up.
“The power hasn’t come back fully yet — and maybe it never will”
Over a full season, he’d be on pace for about 42-45 home runs, hip injury and all. His power isn’t something to worry about.
Jerkface, that’s what you are. You are totally wrong. Arod did the right thing. He could sense something was going on. You just want ARod to go up there and force the issuer so that you can come on here and talk sh*^ about him. He can’t win with most people either way. I was very proud of what they did last night. Each batter had a look of concentration on their faces in the ninth that just said, we are not giving up. Was it a mistake to bunt Swish? No, I don’t think so. He HAS bunted before but he just happen to be unsuccessful in a critical moment. Melky hit the ball hard but Jr. had no reason being that far off 2nd on a line drive. All in all, this bodes well for the Yanks in the long haul. They can come back on anyone.
Joba was getting hit.
More dives from A-Rod and Jeter than usual.
If there’s a plus, they were groundballs and not pitches leaving the park.
alex does not have confidence in his hip.
i hope that changes or we are in trouble with 8 yrs to go.
he looks terrible at 3rd base
“Sounds to me like no matter what Arod does it will never be good enough for you.
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He must hit 5 walk off Home Runs in the world series.”
I didnt realize the World Series this year is best 5 out of 9 … when did that rule change, I must have missed it.
I look at A-rod’s stats and I just wonder, ‘Why? Why does everyone love A-rod?” He has never got a single hit that mattered. In fact, and I am sure baseball-reference and sports talk radio will back me up, I am sure that all of his home runs have come against the Royals or Orioles (and we were probably already winning).
We need a guy like Mikey ‘Double Trouble’ Lowell, a guy who came up through the yankee system and learned how to win. What a coincidence that Boston is the most feared team this season with that man at third.
A-rod barely has a hip to use, and Mike had the same problem and he is out there hitting doubles off the monster. I bet he had atleast 1 double last week. Beast.
Wow, so many of you need to open up a dictionary and read the definition of the word sarcasm.
A walk is fine in basically any situation. You only have 27 outs, so anything that isn’t an out is a good thing. Game can’t end if you don’t make an out.
Its obvious jerkface simply wants to live up to his name and annoy people. Stop falling for the garbage. He’s to be ignored.
bru, a walk is not like a single. You sound like MKay when you say that. If I’m on second and you walk, I’m still on second. Hit a single, and I could go to third or possibly score.
alex does not have confidence in his hip.
i hope that changes or we are in trouble with 8 yrs to go.
he looks terrible at 3rd base
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It will obviously change, either through rest or by him getting the rest of the surgery at the beginning of the offseason.
If there is one thing I would absolutely not worry about on the yankees, its Alex Rodriguez’s ability to take care of his body.
Oh, we know sarcasm, it just needs to stay out of this blog. Otherwise you might as well be at a town hall disrupting something meaningful.
lets go out & win tonight.
the rs are due for a loss.
ditmars1929
ok an infield single.
I agree that he’s not the same defensively. I see this as the biggest potential problem down the road. It’s the opposite of 1B where Tex is making plays his predecessors could only dream of.
I dont get how anyone could saying anything bad about Arod’s at bat? The runs scored anyway. If he would have hit a double or a homerun the same amount of runs would have scored anyway so whats the difference. He couldnt have hit a 6 run walk off homerun there.
“Six of Bay’s 28 homers have come in close and late situations, the third-most in the American League behind Alex Rodriguez (8) and Johnny Damon (7) .”
http://www.boston.com/sports/b.....ms/?page=2
Oh, we know sarcasm, it just needs to stay out of this blog. Otherwise you might as well be at a town hall disrupting something meaningful.
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There is nothing meaningful about a blog. One only needs to look at last nights hilarious cry-fest over the bunt call to understand that.
Ah, very funny, bru and thank you for the clarification. I generally enjoy your posts. And I do apologize for saying you sounded like MKay. That’s just way too insulting. Very sorry, nothing personal.
He couldnt have hit a 6 run walk off homerun there.
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Not with that attitude he wouldn’t have. Maybe if he gritted up like Jeter he could have applied himself and come through.
baseball tonight did a quick segment last night on arod’s diminished range and mobility in the field due to the pain in his hip
Wow, even when Jerkface made it clear his 1st post was in sarcasm with “/darksideofthemiror” its not clear. Come one folks. WHY SO SERIOUS!!!
The Yankees Lohud Blog remains tense in the wake of the disasterous 9th inning debacle.
Kirk, I didn’t see that, but how did they present it? Was it with video comparisons, did they actually ask him about it, etc.? I’m ok with SABR metrics in general, but I think the defensive stats are total b.s., so I’m curious as to how BBTN came up with a case for ARod’s diminished range. Thanks.
ditmars1929
t/y
i as well enjoy your posts.
just having fun thats all.
when players fail we will critisize.when they succeed they can do no wrong or if the team wins we overlook the mistakes
Dude, its baseball tonight, they probably just looped 3 clips of A-rod falling over like a pine tree instead of actually getting to balls.
Then peter gammons came on and talked at length about how the yankees are doomed and are a joke, then segued into how the Red Sox are BACK!!
Can’t imagine how anyone who watched Rodriguez stumble around third base last night could say that he is moving past the hip issues. He used to be a good 3B (never great) but now he’s just clumsy. It’s a pity to see and I’m hoping he’ll get the second surgery the minute the season is over and try to get back to normal (or a new version of normal) by early next season.
good to see the sky is falling and ARod is to blame…I’ll be back in a few hours to see if reason has come back to Yankeeland!
The Yankees Lohud Blog remains tense in the wake of the disasterous 9th inning debacle.
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How can you call it a debacle…The Yankees almost won while down by 5 runs in the 9th inning against a premier team in the AL. As far as im concerend, it shows the Yanks have heart………
Joba to the DL??
A quick question – would it be / would it have been better to DL Joba for two weeks and then have him come back and pitch regularly at the end of the season vs this Joba of extended rest between starts?
I would probably prefer the former.
How can you call it a debacle…The Yankees almost won while down by 5 runs in the 9th inning against a premier team in the AL. As far as im concerend, it shows the Yanks have heart………
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Yankees posters remain argumentative in the wake of the disasterous 9th inning heart attack.
Five Iron From Fenway
August 26th, 2009 at 10:46 am
Joba to the DL??
A quick question – would it be / would it have been better to DL Joba for two weeks and then have him come back and pitch regularly at the end of the season vs this Joba of extended rest between starts?
I would probably prefer the former
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please dont start a post off like that
If there is anyone to blame it has to start with Joba….I can not believe people are actually trying to pin the loss on AROD……This has to be the most asanine comments I have ever seen…(sorry to those who arent pinning the blame on ARD)
CR1, I went to a game (granted it was last season) and sat in the first row right behind the third base bag. Have you ever sat there before? What really impressed me was how f-ing long the throw to first was. Looks easy on television, but up close in person, it’s pretty amazing. ARod looked great and had a cannon of an arm. I’ll agree, ARod still has issues with his hip, but 3B is a very under rated position if you haven’t seen it up close.
SJ, do you think the Yankees are handling Joba with kid gloves? In other words, do you think he’s being treated any differently than Phil? I said this last night, but Damon has called out Wang and Hughes this year, but he’s never called out Joba. I don’t like it when players do that, but it still seems odd that Joba has not been outed publicly the way the other two were. Do the Yankees think this guy is so special that he deserves special treatment? Yes, he’s young and talented, but there has been no progress with him…..it’s the same thing over and over again.
I wonder why the Yankees don’t consider moving Ace to the rotation. His body can’t stand the workload of a reliever, that’s apparent. If his recent bad results are the result of this workload, then being a starter should improve things for him. Of course, if the league has caught up to him, then he’ll get bad results no matter where he is….
I understand GF’s point that there really is no one to replace Joba (outside of Ace), but the idea of him pitching in the post-season is not a pleasant one (IF the Yankees get that far).
No one tried to pin the loss on Arod, someone made a sarcastic post and everyone ran with it. Come on people, be serious.
gavin floyd is going against wakefield.
i have both in fantasy.
wo do i start?
both?
Anyone happier than Robinson Cano last night?
http://thesportshernia.typepad.....arpei.html
Coach…Please refer to Jerface comments….
Bru – just trying to get some attention to the question.
ditmars1929 –
They showed a couple of clips from last night’s game (struggling with the ball down the line, coming in on the slow roller) and then showed him making similar plays in previous years.
Obviously its nothing concrete, just some selective examples. Maybe he was just stiff/tired last night. Baseball Tonight then did a comparison with Mike Lowell and how much he’s lost defensively too.
For all of talk of Joba—can he be saved?
He clearly has the stuff, but it sounds like he just needs more experience to trust his stuff and a good training regimen to keep his arm strength up.
Don’t count him out for the postseason just yet…Eiland and Girardi will work with him over the next 5 weeks.
So they lost lat night–big deal. They almost came back from 5 down in the ninth, and were a poor bunt away from winning it. Francisco may not be able to pitch in a close game today or tomorrow afternoon, so at least that is a bonus for the rest of the series.
I like this team.
Robby,
he is being sarcastic. SARCASM
the frustration with joba is he is better than what he has shown lately.
you just cant get ahead of hitters only to walk them as much as joba & be successfull especially with a lead.
we want him to be great & know he can be so it bothers us that he is not
Kirk, thanks for that. ARod does have some hip issues, that’s obvious, but he’s still a fine third baseman. He’ll be much better next year after some off season treatment and rest.
Bru
Take Gavin Floyd. Wakefield is being brought back with clear back problems in a panic move by wonder boy Theo.
I wonder if Ozzie will bunt a lot today to shake Wake up. That seems to be the character of these White Sox…they don’t seem like a very nice bunch of guys this year, for whatever reason.
Five Iron From Fenway
August 26th, 2009 at 10:56 am
Bru – just trying to get some attention to the question
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????????????????????
PittsburghYankeeFan
August 26th, 2009 at 11:01 am
Bru
Take Gavin Floyd. Wakefield is being brought back with clear back problems in a panic move by wonder boy Theo.
I wonder if Ozzie will bunt a lot today to shake Wake up. That seems to be the character of these White Sox…they don’t seem like a very nice bunch of guys this year, for whatever reason.
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thanks
lincecum lost to jimenez & i have both
i went with lincecum.he gave me 3 points but i lost 23 or so by benching jimenez.
if i went with both i would of had 26 points instead of 3.
jimenez is on fire.
they pitch against each other in in a few days & i am going to start them both.
lincecum alwys gives you points because of his so
ditmars1929,
Good point, I haven’t sat there since Rodriguez has been on 3rd — in fact not since Scotty ‘the claw’ Brosius was doing his barehand thang — but I was not insulting AR’s play at 3b or the significance of 3b. I think he’s done well there overall. But I do believe he’s seriously handicapped at present by the lingering hip issue, and in view of the (agreed) importance of having a good 3b, I’m hoping, like I said, that he’ll get the joint fixed ASAP and come back to do well there again.
I yelled louder when Joba walked Pudge with 2 outs in the 4th inning. You just knew he wasnt getting out of that inning without giving up a run at that point. I think my sarcasm meter is on the fritz. But im still really annoyed about the bunt.
Yes, CR1, it’s a pretty amazing place to sit. It’s nothing like the television. The grounders and line drives come so quickly that it’s hard to believe what kind of reflexes a 3B has to have. I now appreciate why it’s called the “hot corner”.
you don’t go up there in the conditions arod went up looking to force anything, you play the hand youre dealt.Yep you could nock one out. But the goal is to move runners, get on base, save an out, and keep the line moving. And to try merely to work a walk accomplishes all of the above. So does simply accepting one.
Minaya needs to be FIRED ASAP. I’m sorry it’s not Yankee related, but NYC baseball will be much better without that guy in charge across the river/sound. RYT!
Alex obviously has an incredibly slow first step. That won’t change this year and might inspire a second surgery.
All he had to do in the 9th was get on base. And that’s what he did. Written sarcasm only works when the writer is skilled. In this case he/she isn’t.
Why so much chagrin over the decision to bunt and so little criticism over the inability of Swisher to do the job? He tried to bunt a high fast ball instead of taking a pitch to make the count 2-0. Even if the high strike is called, that’s the toughest pitch there is to bunt.
Six games up is a good spot to be in, and it’s also a good reminder that it’s a long way from here to October.
CSM, I doubt anyone would disagree with you. And Manuel too. And Helen Keller, who I believe is in charge of the Mets’ farm system.
ditmars1929,
I completely agree. I was just pointing out that baseball tonight did a little piece on him last night.
Anyone else notice that Andrew Brackman threw two scoreless innings last night without walking anyone?
Disagree with Peter Abraham that Rodriguez’s power is off this year. He has HR’s in 7% of his at bats, which is his career average. The reasons his slugging is off at.509 from his career .575 are 1) his batting average is lower than his career average, and 2) he is hitting fewer doubles, probably at least in part because of his physical problems.
I did note it, 86w183.
If he keeps it up, bring him up and put him in the BP
.
It is good to see.
Baby steps baby steps .
Pudge certainly being one of the most difficult hitters to walk.
Ah Joba !!
Pete,
It looks like Alex is very tentative when the situation calls for a diving stop on alex’s part. He seems to tend to just try and bend down and snatch it on the way by and it seems like he could be get to a lot more balls if he would just dive once in a while. I assume this has to do with the injury?
Pete obviously hasn’t been watching Arod try to move laterally in the field. He looks like an 80-year-old man trying to play shuffleboard on a sinking ship.