A-Rod better than Pujols?

[CubinNY]

Yes

 

Let's end the discussion shall we?

[K-Town]

Yes

 

Let's end the discussion shall we?

 

Why?

[goonys evil twin]

Pujols isn't that much better than many other 1B.

 

ARod is much better than any other SS. If you gave me my choice I'd take ARod, no question. But if I couldn't have ARod, I'd take Pujos without complaint.

[SouthSideRyan]

Goony sums it up well. It's all about value over the likely replacement. I understand that's what VORP attempts to do, but I see it being a lot easier to find a guy to put up decent numbers at Pujols's position than at A-Rod's. My opinion on this could be swayed based on whether Pujols could play a passable 3B. A 3B with Pujols's #s vs. a SS with A-Rod's #s would probably give the edge to Pujols IMO, but the fact that A-Rod can play a good SS definitely gives him the nod for now.

[TruffleShuffle]

Put it this way, was Ozzie Smith a great hitter? Obviously not. He made the HOF because of defense and backflips, but also his offense was at least acceptible for a SS. If you moved him to first base, would he have been a hall of famer? Hell no, he wouldn't have even been on the field most of the time because the offense he provided would not have been enough to justify him playing every day.

[K-Town]

Goony sums it up well. It's all about value over the likely replacement. I understand that's what VORP attempts to do, but I see it being a lot easier to find a guy to put up decent numbers at Pujols's position than at A-Rod's. My opinion on this could be swayed based on whether Pujols could play a passable 3B. A 3B with Pujols's #s vs. a SS with A-Rod's #s would probably give the edge to Pujols IMO, but the fact that A-Rod can play a good SS definitely gives him the nod for now.

 

Pujols has played 3B before, and did a decent job.

[goonys evil twin]

Goony sums it up well. It's all about value over the likely replacement. I understand that's what VORP attempts to do, but I see it being a lot easier to find a guy to put up decent numbers at Pujols's position than at A-Rod's. My opinion on this could be swayed based on whether Pujols could play a passable 3B. A 3B with Pujols's #s vs. a SS with A-Rod's #s would probably give the edge to Pujols IMO, but the fact that A-Rod can play a good SS definitely gives him the nod for now.

 

Pujols has played 3B before, and did a decent job.

 

And ARod can play short, that's the point.

[K-Town]

Goony sums it up well. It's all about value over the likely replacement. I understand that's what VORP attempts to do, but I see it being a lot easier to find a guy to put up decent numbers at Pujols's position than at A-Rod's. My opinion on this could be swayed based on whether Pujols could play a passable 3B. A 3B with Pujols's #s vs. a SS with A-Rod's #s would probably give the edge to Pujols IMO, but the fact that A-Rod can play a good SS definitely gives him the nod for now.

 

Pujols has played 3B before, and did a decent job.

 

And ARod can play short, that's the point.

 

And VORP takes position into account.

[Outshined_One]

Depends on the situation.

 

For one, I do not buy for a second that Pujols is 25. I don't necessarily think he's as old as, say, Julio Franco. However, I could definitely buy him being in his late 20s or around 30 (A-Rod's age).

 

Secondly, I think people are jusitified in their arguments regarding positional scarcity. If we're talking straight up defense, I'd take A-Rod over Pujols.

 

Thirdly, the stats are quite telling. A-Rod is the better fantasy player because he plays a positional without many good offensive players as compared to 1B.

 

However...I think I would take Pujols over A-Rod if I were running a major league club. After seeing what's happened to A-Rod with the Yankees, I just can't place such a high value on him. He's not likable, he's not a leader, and he is the last guy you want at the plate in pressure situations. Yeah, I know RISP fluctuates and it's hard to assess whether or not clutch hitting actually exists...but A-Rod just isn't a guy I'd want at the plate in the bottom of the ninth, two outs, two men on, and my team down by 2. He's the first guy I'd want to have at the plate if my team were up by 4, though.

 

Pujols, on the other hand, is quite the opposite. He's a back-breaker in every sense of the word. How many heart-breaking big hits has he had so far in his short career? Every time he comes to the plate in a situation where he could swing the momentum of the game, you can just feel the air starting to get sucked out of the stadium. Plus, while he doesn't quite stack up to A-Rod in terms of stats and defense, he is not a slouch by any stretch of the word.

[UK1679666180]

I'd definitely take Pujols over ARod, Pujols is the better player.

[SouthSideRyan]

VORP takes their present position into account. There is no doubt in my mind that A-Rod can still play an above average SS. There is doubt in my mind that Pujols can manage an above average 3B. He never even amounted a full season over there, and I understand Rolen's acquisition necessitated his move, but it's not like he was playing every day over there beforehand. In the small sample size he played there, he looked a little error prone as well.

[da bears]

id take pujols over arod. pujols can get it done in the clutch, while arod has proven he mostly cannot.

[Mark_R]

Alex Rodriguez is a better fantasy baseball player.

 

Albert Pujols is a better reality baseball player.

 

The difference in age and salary is enormous, while the production isn't all that different.

 

Give me Pujols every day of the week.

 

How is A-rod a better fantasy player? Pujols has nearly 100 points of OPS over him, over the last 3 years.

 

Pujols is a better baserunner than A-rod, also. Pujols regularly is among the league leaders in runs scored, and was a more successful base stealer than A-rod in 2005.

 

Unless you place ALOT of value on A-rod's defense at third base, then Pujols is easily the best player. Furthermore, he's younger and his contract isn't an albatross.

 

In fantasy, you usually get points for number of stolen bases and not rates. OPS isn't a category in many traditional roto leagues. Position scarcity is a big issue in fantasy leagues.

 

I realize that OPS isn't a category in and of itself, but it does a good job of summarizing the other categories.

 

I may be willing to concede the "fantasy player" argument for 2005, but that's about it.

 

Standard 5x5 roto play:

 

           Pujols        Arod
HR            41         48
Avg         .330          .321
RBI          117           130  
Runs        129           124
SB            16         21

 

ARod plays at third which is obviously more scarce than 1B (Arod doesn't qualify in just about any league for SS).

 

But I'd still rather have Pujols on my reality team, no doubt in my mind.

[CuseCubFan69]

If you give me ARod and my choice of any 1st baseman other than Pujols and I give you Pujols and you can pick any SS other than ARod I think I would get more production.

[IlliniAmy]

Tell me why.

 

Better defense, and provides more value offensively over the average SS/3B than Pujols does over the average 1B.

 

From the Hardball Times:

 

Third Base

 

Gold Gloves: David Bell (+20), Brandon Inge (+22)

 

I doubt either wins an actual Gold Glove this year, though both deserve it. Inge and Bell have both been spectacular at third in their careers; Bell has been overshadowed by Scott Rolen, Inge by Eric Chavez. Neither may be that great an offensive player, but on defense, you won't find two better fielders, at least not this year.

 

Honorable mention: David Wright (+16), Scott Rolen (+15), Eric Chavez (+11)

 

Lead Gloves: Joe Randa (-28), Alex Rodriguez (-27)

 

For Randa, this is expected. He's old, and old players decline defensively faster than offensively. Rodriguez's rating is completely unexpected. To be honest, I don't even know how much to trust it because everything we know about A-Rod tells us that he's pretty good defensively. Maybe he concentrated on hitting this season after a so-so (by his, and only his, standards) season at the plate last year and declined in the field. I don't know. But if A-Rod was truly this bad in the field in 2005, there's no question who deserves the MVP.

 

Dishonorable mention: Hank Blalock (-16), Chipper Jones (-13), Edgardo Alfonzo (-12)

 

I think A-Rod's defensive abilities are all about perception and what the media has tried to sell us.

[XZero771679666304]

Tell me why.

 

Better defense, and provides more value offensively over the average SS/3B than Pujols does over the average 1B.

 

From the Hardball Times:

 

Third Base

 

Gold Gloves: David Bell (+20), Brandon Inge (+22)

 

I doubt either wins an actual Gold Glove this year, though both deserve it. Inge and Bell have both been spectacular at third in their careers; Bell has been overshadowed by Scott Rolen, Inge by Eric Chavez. Neither may be that great an offensive player, but on defense, you won't find two better fielders, at least not this year.

 

Honorable mention: David Wright (+16), Scott Rolen (+15), Eric Chavez (+11)

 

Lead Gloves: Joe Randa (-28), Alex Rodriguez (-27)

 

For Randa, this is expected. He's old, and old players decline defensively faster than offensively. Rodriguez's rating is completely unexpected. To be honest, I don't even know how much to trust it because everything we know about A-Rod tells us that he's pretty good defensively. Maybe he concentrated on hitting this season after a so-so (by his, and only his, standards) season at the plate last year and declined in the field. I don't know. But if A-Rod was truly this bad in the field in 2005, there's no question who deserves the MVP.

 

Dishonorable mention: Hank Blalock (-16), Chipper Jones (-13), Edgardo Alfonzo (-12)

 

I think A-Rod's defensive abilities are all about perception and what the media has tried to sell us.

 

A-Rod was a great SS, no matter what anyone says. But from what I have seen, he has looked like a fish out of water at 3B more often than not.

[SouthSideRyan]

A lot of that may have to do with how the Yankees align their defense. From what I've heard, they align their left side of the defense differently than the rest of baseball.