How Good is Alex Rodriquez?

[goonys evil twin]

I've never really understood the heat ARod took for knocking the ball away. It was a total instinct move. He got called out. What's the big deal?

 

I don't get why it being an instinct move means anything. When George Constanza instinctively ran out of a smoke filled apartment by running over an old women and children, it was still a cowardly action. If an infielder saw that a runner was going to score, and he instinctively tripped him, would he not be called on it? And it wasn't as simple as you state. He wasn't just called out. He was called safe at first, and advanced on the bases. He protested when the call was eventually overturned and called correctly.

 

Plus, it made for a fantastic photoshop opportunity.

[vaball]

I'm not saying he's a gold glover, but you can't take much away from him because of his defense. He's one of the best hitters in the game.

 

You can when he's being compared to Arod. Pujols had an .008 advantage in OPS. ARod was the best defensive SS in the game, now is one of the better defensive 3B in the game. The difference between their defense is much greater than the difference in their offense.

 

I think you're skewing things slightly by taking only last year's numbers. If you look at their careers, Pujols is easily the better offensive player.

 

Pujols: .332/.416/.621

ARod: .307/.385/.577

 

ARod had an above average season last year and Pujols just had his ho-hum average season and still beat ARod by 8 OPS points. I'll take Pujols offensively.

 

Pujols isn't such a great defensive liability that we should overlook age and the offensive gap between the two players.

 

Yes, and if you look at their career postseason numbers you see a similar disparity:

 

Pujols: .336/.428/.620

ARod: .305/.393/.534

 

And for all of ARod's vaunted running advantages, Pujols did hit more doubles and triples than him last season, had more runs scored, and a higher stolen base percentage. Also worth noting are Pujols' advantages in BB/SO ratio and #P/PA.

 

Factor in age and contract status and it seems like a no-brainer to me. If Pujols played 3rd, like he did coming up, instead of 1st, this would be no contest.

[goonys evil twin]

Factor in age and contract status and it seems like a no-brainer to me. If Pujols played 3rd, like he did coming up, instead of 1st, this would be no contest.

 

If ifs and buts were candy and nuts. If ARod was still at SS it wouldn't be a contest.

 

I don't get what age and contract have to do with who is the better player. The only things that matter are what position they play, how they play it, and how productive they are (with emphasis on the last one).

[TB_11]

I've never really understood the heat ARod took for knocking the ball away. It was a total instinct move. He got called out. What's the big deal?

 

I don't get why it being an instinct move means anything. When George Constanza instinctively ran out of a smoke filled apartment by running over an old women and children, it was still a cowardly action. If an infielder saw that a runner was going to score, and he instinctively tripped him, would he not be called on it? And it wasn't as simple as you state. He wasn't just called out. He was called safe at first, and advanced on the bases. He protested when the call was eventually overturned and called correctly.

 

Plus, it made for a fantastic photoshop opportunity.

 

It wasn't so much that he tried to knock the ball away. It's that:

 

1) He did it in a relatively effeminate manner and

2) He acted like he did nothing wrong when he was standing on 2nd base and the umps were debating the call.

 

In Peter Gammons' blog he takes some nice potshots at Rodriguez. After ARod showed up to NC State's baseball opener dressed in red, and then Cameron in a Duke jersey on back-to-back days:

 

Rumor has it that next February, he will go to Boston Garden and attend the Beanpot hockey championships dressed in a Boston University shirt (BU has won 27 of the 54 Beanpots), then go to a North Carolina women's soccer game.

 

A-Rod just wants to be liked.

 

By the way, no one's ever seen him fail to run a ball out as hard as he can.

 

Ba-zing.

 

Link, Insider account required

[snoodmonger]

I've never really understood the heat ARod took for knocking the ball away. It was a total instinct move. He got called out. What's the big deal?

 

I don't get why it being an instinct move means anything. When George Constanza instinctively ran out of a smoke filled apartment by running over an old women and children, it was still a cowardly action. If an infielder saw that a runner was going to score, and he instinctively tripped him, would he not be called on it? And it wasn't as simple as you state. He wasn't just called out. He was called safe at first, and advanced on the bases. He protested when the call was eventually overturned and called correctly.

 

Plus, it made for a fantastic photoshop opportunity.

 

I'm not saying it wasn't weak. It was. But people have used that one play to villify him when it's pretty anomolous in his career. If you don't like ARod, fine. From a personal perspective, there are a few things about him I don't like. (ie. signing a huge contract and then complaining when the team can't fit other players in the budget). But for the most part, I think he plays the game the right way, and I think people hold that one play over his head too much.

[vaball]

Factor in age and contract status and it seems like a no-brainer to me. If Pujols played 3rd, like he did coming up, instead of 1st, this would be no contest.

 

If ifs and buts were candy and nuts. If ARod was still at SS it wouldn't be a contest.

 

I don't get what age and contract have to do with who is the better player. The only things that matter are what position they play, how they play it, and how productive they are (with emphasis on the last one).

 

Well then I would still take Pujols based on sheer productivity. The age/contract thing has to do with people imagining who they would rather build a team around.

[rjchapma]

Personally all though I said AROD is the better player overall I would take Pujols if I could take them in a draft. Like I said Pujols is no slouch in the field and is just as good of a hitter. AROD has done it for longer though and thats why I think hes better overall. Though I think AROD is a deuche and I'd rather take Pujols cause he's younger.

[wolf stansson]

Pujols is more productive offensively. Arod's contract is crippling to all but the Yankees and maybe Mets/Red Sox. Pujols isn't horrible in the field, and I think gets harsh treatment here understandably because he is not as good as Derrek Lee and others but gets hyped like he is.

 

I personally enjoy liking my players and I don't like A-Rod at all. I'd take Albert.

[PujolsPower]

Career OPS+

 

Pujols 169

ARod 145

 

Besides his superior production, Pujols appears to have a better clubhouse presence than ARod. I would take Pujols over ARod if I had the choice between the two.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Pujols leads the league in most offensive categories, including nose hair. When this guy sneezes, he looks like a party favor.

 

This guy threw at his own son in a father son game.

[wolf stansson]

Pujols leads the league in most offensive categories, including nose hair. When this guy sneezes, he looks like a party favor.

 

This guy threw at his own son in a father son game.

?

[rocket]

Pujols leads the league in most offensive categories, including nose hair. When this guy sneezes, he looks like a party favor.

 

This guy threw at his own son in a father son game.

?

 

GET IT? OFFENSIVE AS IN UNMANNERLY AND DESPICABLE. NOT OFFENSIVE AS IN PRODUCTION WITH A BASEBALL BAT.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

wolf = the 1 person who hasn't seen Major League 8 times.

[Tim]

With this number of years behind him, I'd say that ARod is the second best shortstop of all time, behind only Honus.

 

(I believe Pujols will end up being the best first baseman ever, but I want to see a few more years out of him before I put him ahead of Gehrig. After all, Jimmy Foxx was headed for being the greatest ever, too. Longevity matters)

 

 

btw - am I the only one that would have moved Jeter to 2nd, left ARod at SS and then found a decent 3B to stick in there?

[rawaction]

With this number of years behind him, I'd say that ARod is the second best shortstop of all time, behind only Honus.

 

(I believe Pujols will end up being the best first baseman ever, but I want to see a few more years out of him before I put him ahead of Gehrig. After all, Jimmy Foxx was headed for being the greatest ever, too. Longevity matters)

 

 

btw - am I the only one that would have moved Jeter to 2nd, left ARod at SS and then found a decent 3B to stick in there?

 

I think the Yanks were afraid to risk Jeter's health with runners bearing down on him from behind when turning the doubleplay. It's a long shot that something would happen to Jeter, but I wouldn't risk $19M if I didn't have to.

 

ARod is an immensely better defensive SS than Jeter, but I have no problem with them leaving Jeter at SS. I probably would have done the same in that situation.

[TB_11]

With this number of years behind him, I'd say that ARod is the second best shortstop of all time, behind only Honus.

 

(I believe Pujols will end up being the best first baseman ever, but I want to see a few more years out of him before I put him ahead of Gehrig. After all, Jimmy Foxx was headed for being the greatest ever, too. Longevity matters)

 

 

btw - am I the only one that would have moved Jeter to 2nd, left ARod at SS and then found a decent 3B to stick in there?

 

I think the Yanks were afraid to risk Jeter's health with runners bearing down on him from behind when turning the doubleplay. It's a long shot that something would happen to Jeter, but I wouldn't risk $19M if I didn't have to.

 

ARod is an immensely better defensive SS than Jeter, but I have no problem with them leaving Jeter at SS. I probably would have done the same in that situation.

 

My understanding was that it was more of a gesture of goodwill and respect on ARod's part - his way of saying that the Yankees are Jeter's team and that he should change and adapt to be a part of the Yankees.

 

Besides, with Jeter at 2nd or 3rd he wouldn't be able to make that 'backhand-grab of a grounder in the hole, jump and throw to first' move that Yankees fans point to when they say that Jeter deserves a Gold Glove.