He might’ve been a bust when the spotlight was on ...
... but when the spotlight was off, he hit .316 with a .422 OBP and a .645 SLG. He hit 54 HR and had 156 RBI. Spotlight or no - that’s phenomenal. There are maybe 5 or 6 players in baseball capable of that kind of across-the-board production (Albert Pujols, Lance Berkman, Vlad Guerrero, etc.) ... and virtually NONE of them are available to the Yankees. Not to mention that A-Rod is only about 30-years old, and should be producing at that level for another 5-8 seasons.
Alex Rodriguez has his problems ... but talent like that isn’t easy to come by.
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The nice thing about the Yankees is that amazing talents seem to come along all the time. There will never be another A-Rod, but the Yankees won before he came, and they will win after he goes.
However, I would point out that his acquisition was symptomatic of everything that is wrong with the Yankees these days. They got him simply because the opportunity arose and because Aaron Boone's off-season knee injury left a gaping hole at third base that needed to be filled immediately -- so they shoe-horned A-Rod into the lineup and had him play out of his natural position.
That's a recurring problem on this team, unlike the teams that won championships in the recent past. They simply have too many players on the field who don't field their positions well, and too many players whose best "position" is designated hitter.
I'm wondering now if A-Rod intended to opt out of this contract all along . . . not just to get out of New York, but to go to a team where he could play shortstop again.
I don't disagree, but if he can't produce when the pressure's on, and can't produce in the postseason, then what good is his talent?
He's making way too much money to just be a cog in a finely tuned machine. He has to be a big-time producer, and he has failed to be anything of the sort.
It's a shame - I thought he was a great pick-up for the Yankees at the time.
What team can afford his salary and also afford his post-season swoon? I'm drawing a blank.
A-Rod was also the youngest player ever to reach the 500-home-run mark. I hope he stays healthy since he’s the best chance in the near future of someone passing Barry Bonds’ career total.