Applauding A-Rod
I don't usually give Alex Rodriguez much credit for things he says. When he does his talking on the field, there is little to argue. He is one of the greatest players of all-time. But when he opens his mouth, he usually ends up sticking both feet in it. There are no "thank the Good Lord for making me a Yankee" or "luckiest man on the face of the earth" moments here. So it is with great wonder, amazement, and downright admiration that I applaud A-Rod for his public comments leading up to #600.
During the prelude to 600 A-Rod has steered away from any statements remotely celebrating the achievement, continuing to preach the importance of the team's winning ways. The guy who used to be all about ME is now about WE. I don't know if it's calculated or not, but it's the smartest move A-Rod has made in a long time.
Right now there is very little fanfare surrounding #600. Yes, we in the media—especially those of us who cover the Yankees every day—have made it an event. In these parts, where men wearing pinstripes have hit many legendary home runs, we haven't seen anyone touch 600 since Babe Ruth. No matter how much people want to downplay or ignore the event, the 600th is an event of historic significance.
Yet many baseball fans are turned off, mainly because the Steroid Era has taken away some significance from the big numbers, and A-Rod's own admission in 2009 makes the achievement, however historic it may be, ring a little hollow. It's true…the number doesn't mean as much as it should. Which brings us back to Alex Rodriguez and his inevitable milestone home run.
A-Rod brings enough scorn upon himself just for being A-Rod, the highest paid player everyone loves to hate on the team everyone loves to hate. If he chose to make celebratory statements about reaching this milestone it would take about a nanosecond for people like you and me to crush him for conveniently ignoring his three-year period of admitted steroid use.
But if A-Rod never pats himself on the back, he doesn't open the door to all that criticism. Sure, we can all look at the home run total and make of it what we wish. But for those of us who have made a habit of taking what the guy says, shaking our heads and laughing at him…well, we are all out of luck this time.
The guy who is a walking, talking PR nightmare is actually saying the right things for once.
*As bad as Joba Chamberlain is lately it would be too knee-jerk to get rid of him now, especially since you probably wouldn't get fair value. There is still a lot of potential in that arm, and everyone around baseball knows that. The Blue Jays asked for Joba in talks for Scott Downs. It is unlikely the Yankees bite on that. And although this part is just my speculating, it wouldn't shock me if the Yanks traded Joba in the off-season.
*Ivan Nova has quickly become one of the Yanks top pitching prospects (scouts have told me A-ball LHP Manuel Banuelos is the best). Nova throws low to mid 90's with great action. He's 9-and-2, 2.97 ERA in 19 starts at AAA-Scranton. WHIP is a little high at 1.30, but if the Yankees are still looking for relief help in September they could do worse than give Nova a shot to try the one-inning thing like you-know-who in 2007. Other options are Jonathan Albaladejo (monster year at AAA), Mark Melancon (great stuff, but still some command issues), and Romulo Sanchez (has the heat, still a little wild)
*Remember Andrew Brackman? The Yankees broke him down this spring (he was clocked in the low 90's at A-Tampa) and is being built back up now at AA-Trenton (he was 94-95 consistently Monday night). Brackman gave up just 2 hits, walked 4 and struck out 8 over a 6.1 scoreless innings against New Britain Monday. It's been a long road for Brackman, and the Yanks might still get a little return for their investment after all.
*The Yankees willingness to include Jesus Montero in the Cliff Lee deal shows you how stacked they are at the catcher position. Not only Austin Romine at AA-Trenton, but also JR Murphy at A-Charleston and Gary Sanchez with the Gulf Coast League Yankees, both still under 20 years of age. And for now there is no need to rush guys through the system, because several in the Yankee organization now believe Francisco Cervelli can be more than just a backup catcher at the big league level, that he can be an everyday guy. He lacks power, but otherwise does a capable job, and gives the Yankees time to figure out if any of those other guys are the next Munson or Posada.
Sweeny Murti
