Honestly, I’m not sure which is more fun to watch; Yankee stadium workers doing the YMCA in between innings, the cap game on the Yankee stadium jumbotron or the 2014 Yankees offense. If I were forced to make a choice I’d say the cap game is the most fun (I’m really good at it), then the YMCA grounds crew and lastly the abysmal lineup that Joe Girardi is forced to run onto the field every night.
Many Yankees fans are clamoring for Girardi’s head, blaming him for his team underperforming. I don’t agree with those fans. I think Girardi has done a tremendous job keeping his team in the playoff race. Think about this, there was a point where the Yankees were missing 80% of their starting rotation. They lost Ivan Nova and CC Sabathia for the whole season and no one really knows if what to expect in Masahiro Tanaka’s return this weekend. Michael Pineda also missed time due to injury and a suspension. Yet, the rotation has been the only shining star of this team. To be honest, the Yankees’ pitching looks like it could be formidable for years to come, and the fans might have something to root for in upcoming years.
While the Yankees pitching has been very good, it’s the offense that has kept this team from making a playoff run. If you’re a Yankees fan, you might want to turn away, because this is ugly. The Yankees are tied for dead last in runs scored in the American League with 581. Along the same lines, their 543 RBI are fewest among AL teams. Their .245 team batting average is 12th of the 15 AL teams and their OBP is 14th. They have hit 137 homeruns and slugged a paltry .378, good for eight and tenth in the AL, respectively. The only bright spot on this otherwise putrid offense would be the 105 stolen bases which ranks third in the AL.
Without naming names, if I were to say to you the Yankees will add a former three-time AL MVP who has more than 650 homeruns and is just shy of 2,000 career RBI, what would you say? My first thought—after trying not to acknowledge this player is Alex Rodriguez—would be to say, I definitely think this type of guy could help this offense. Many Yankees fans are wondering why the team is going to bring A-Rod back next season after his suspension ends. There are a couple of reasons; they still owe him $60 million and he can help. As a Yankees fan, I can’t wait to see what A-Rod can do next year at the plate. A-Rod will do several things for this team. He’ll make people talk about them and want to watch them. There is only one thing worse than a bad team, that’s a boring team. The Yankees are both, terrible and boring. A-Rod will definitely eliminate one of those categories, boring. He also should be of some assistance in how bad they are.
A-Rod’s presence in a lineup isn’t just about what he can do. For arguments sake, let’s say Rodriguez hits 20 homeruns and drives in 75 runs next year, the Yankees will take those numbers in a heartbeat. Those numbers mean that he’s productive and he’s able to protect other players. Beltran, McCann and Teixeira will all see better pitches knowing there is another dangerous bat in the lineup. Let’s forget about next year for a second though. Let’s put those numbers on the current ball-club. 20 homeruns would be second on the team and 75 RBI would lead the team, taking a lot of pressure off of other guys to carry the load.
I know Rodriguez won’t put up the numbers he used to but no one is expecting him to. As long as he stays in the lineup he will be useful. I believe being suspended for 2014 will be a blessing in disguise. MLB gave him the opportunity to rest his body and allow time to heal. He’s had time to step back, live his life on his own terms, stay out of the spotlight and just be Alex Rodriguez. He hasn’t had the chance to just be himself for a long time. He’s always caught up in scrutiny about something. He can re-learn how to love the game that gave him everything. He can get that passion to play back. He can reset.
The 2014 Yankees offense was terrible without Alex Rodriguez. He may not solve every problem they have but we might as well welcome him back because the 2015 offense can’t be much worse with him.
As much as I would love to see Rodriquez walk away, this article is so true. The Yankees have not been this bad since the late 60's.
ReplyDeleteGood job, Tim
Well written article, I miss those days at the Stadium, however, If there is any way out of the contract, take it! What's worse than a boring, underwhelming offense? An old, boring, underwhelming offense! We trade away our future so fans fill the park until mid-September. Jeter's departure is a blessing in disguise for the Yankees. No longer does Girardi have to kiss the brass ring and pencil in an aging shortstop in an 0-28 slump into the top of the lineup in the midst of a wild card chase. We should take a page out of our arch rival's book and stink for a year or two, while ultimately getting better for the future. Onto bigger and better things, which hopefully will not include A-fraud.
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