So far through 9 games in Spring Training, after serving a yearlong suspension, Alex Rodriguez is batting .300 with a homer and 2 RBI’s in Spring games. He looks pretty lose with the glove as well. The big surprise is that one would think that after not playing the game for a long time, A-rod would be anxious to swing the bat, thus resulting in strikeouts, but it hasn’t. Despite just being 9 short games (only 20 at-bats), the former 3-time AL MVP has shown plate discipline at 39-years-old, walking and striking out 4-times each, helping to result in an .417 on-base percentage. Sure, it’s just Spring Training, and the regular season is still 3 weeks away, but for a player who has barely played in the past 3 seasons along with the steroid talk surrounding them, batting .300 is not bad at all. So, the question is: can he be a productive starter for the entirety of the 2015 season?
What has been seen so far from A-rod certainly is a good sign, so if his consistent play continues along with his positive attitude, then why can’t he be a solid starter for the Yankees in 2015? The big question about the 14-time all-star coming into camp was whether or not he could mentally deal with the possible hostile environment created by the media. He came into Tampa, Florida ignoring the media with sole focus on camp, and has continued to do so, as he is training hard towards his successful comeback. The 2015 season will be, for say, Rodriguez’s 3rd part of his major league career. The first, was when he started out finishing 2nd in MVP voting at just 20-years-old as a 5-tool phoneme shortstop that continued from 1996-2001 (roughly) with the Mariners and Rangers. After the 2001 season, A-rod starting being accused of using steroids, which lead to convictions and suspensions following his trade from Texas to New York. Now, hoping health is not an issue and training continues to go better than expected, the 2015 season will be the start of Alex’s 3rd stint in his Hall of Fame type career.
So far what has been seen of A-rod in the spring games is the spitting image of a younger A-rod. His swing is the same, not much limitation has been seen due to former injuries, and his confidence is back. Sure Alex Rodriguez will not be the Alex Rodriguez of old, but with the combination of health and occasional flashes of the former superstar, a productive season at DH will not be a surprise. For the former #1 prospect to hit .285 with 20 homers, 85 RBI’s, 10 stolen bases, strikeout 95 times, and gather 235 total bases, would be a reasonable projection this season. Also with those numbers, A-rod will either come close to or climb over the several career total stat milestones he is ridding on right now. A-rod is sitting just 61 hits away from 3000, 81 runs away from 2000 (only 7 players with 2000+), 31 RBI’s away from 2000 (2 players with 2000+), 520 total bases away from 6000 (3 players with 6000+), and batting .299. With the emergence of A-rod again without the steroids as a good major league starter may be a great look for baseball.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8RgyRCLp1Q
