Murti: If Pitchers Don't Respect Alex Rodriguez's Bat, It's Going To Be Long Year For Him
NEW YORK (WFAN) -- How serious are Alex Rodriguez's troubles at the plate? That was a topic of conversation Tuesday between WFAN's Mike Francesa and Yankees reporter Sweeny Murti.
A-Rod enters Tuesday night's game against the Oakland Athletics batting .118 with two home runs.
Murti said he's not concerned about the 40-year-old designated hitter's power.
"I don't think there's any doubt that he could probably hit 25 home runs no matter what type of year he has," he said. "Even if in August and September of last year, when he hit under .200, he hit nine home runs.
"If you get 500 at-bats, you're going to see enough mistakes to hit 25 home runs with his power. That's going to happen. The question is can he hit over .250 and is he going to draw enough respect to draw enough walks, because that's really what's going to carry him through."
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So far, A-Rod has struck out 13 times but only walked four times.
"And that's what's going to be key. ... If pitchers think they can go after him and get him out, it's going to be a long year," Murti said. "If he has the respect that he got early last season -- maybe if he runs into a few more home runs here in a row and starts to get some of that back -- then that'll be the case."
Francesa also discussed Chase Headley's and Jacoby Ellsbury's slow starts and more. To listen to the full interview, click on the audio player above.
