Why would the Astros want A-Rod ??
Baseball is still going strong in its what 9th month of the year (i think pitchers report to camp in february). Unfortunately, if your team is out of it, a lot of fans don't pay attention to the playoffs. At least that is a description of my baseball viewing habits. But locally there is talk that the Astros need to get a bat. A big bat. Someone to strike fear in the pitcher. And the name that seems to keep coming up is Alex Rodriguez.
You're saying, why would that guy strike fear in the pitcher? Why would we want some guy that can't hit in the playoffs? How could we afford his $25 Million salary? I'll tell you why and maybe tell you why I can't stand 80% of sports "know-it-alls" on TV, radio, print.
So lets breakdown Alex Rodriguez. The perception is he had an awful season this year. But think about these stats-.293 Batting Average, .392 On Base Average, 35 Homers and 121 RBI's. And 15 steals on top of that. His career average .305, .386, 43, 125, and 22. Pretty much right in line with what he's done for his career. I think those numbers next to Berkman's would fit just fine. And I'd argue that without the media frenzy in New York, he'd post even better numbers in Houston.
But dude, you're missing the point. He might get you to the playoffs but he'll flame out like Biggio and Bagwell did all these years.
Great point. Biggio and Bagwell did have a tendency to do this and frustrate many a Houston fan. So did Barry Bonds till he started juicing. But did you know that A-Rod was hitting over .300 in the postseason before this year? And that he's still hitting .280 lifetime in the playoffs after this year's disaster? Furthermore, in 2004, his first year in New York he hit over .300 with an On Base over .400 and a Slugging over .600! Pretty impressive numbers.
But he's no Jeter. That guy is money in the playoffs. That's who we need. He's also a leader in the clubhouse.
Well through 2005 he hit .308 lifetime in the playoffs. Better than A-Rod? By .003. But his On Base and Slugging were both down. And that 04 Series when they lost to Boston, Jeter batted .200.
And about this leadership talk. I think he's a good player and probably does have some good leadership qualities. But when one of your teammates is going through a slump you don't call him out in the press like Jeter did to A-Rod. Especially when that player graciously agreed to change positions despite the fact he had 2 Gold Gloves at the time and you had 0. I mean Jeter defended Giambi about doing Steroids but couldn't help A-Rod out through a freaking hitting slump, instead just piling on?!?! Yeah, a great leader. Even Torre, that leader of men, dropped his best player to 8th in the batting lineup in the playoffs. Would Garner drop Berkman to 8th if he was in a slump?
So, I hope I helped you see that Jeter is human after all these years. And more importantly, I hope I changed your perception of Alex Rodriguez. The guy had an average season for himself but overall still had one of the best season in MLB. Do I think the media crush affected him? YES. But would he fit in well with the Astros? YES. And he'd hit in the playoffs for them just like he always has. And since the Rangers are paying a huge chunk of his salary he'd cost about $15 Mil/year. Cheaper than Clemens, Pettitte and Bagwell each cost the Astros this year.
You're saying, why would that guy strike fear in the pitcher? Why would we want some guy that can't hit in the playoffs? How could we afford his $25 Million salary? I'll tell you why and maybe tell you why I can't stand 80% of sports "know-it-alls" on TV, radio, print.
So lets breakdown Alex Rodriguez. The perception is he had an awful season this year. But think about these stats-.293 Batting Average, .392 On Base Average, 35 Homers and 121 RBI's. And 15 steals on top of that. His career average .305, .386, 43, 125, and 22. Pretty much right in line with what he's done for his career. I think those numbers next to Berkman's would fit just fine. And I'd argue that without the media frenzy in New York, he'd post even better numbers in Houston.
But dude, you're missing the point. He might get you to the playoffs but he'll flame out like Biggio and Bagwell did all these years.
Great point. Biggio and Bagwell did have a tendency to do this and frustrate many a Houston fan. So did Barry Bonds till he started juicing. But did you know that A-Rod was hitting over .300 in the postseason before this year? And that he's still hitting .280 lifetime in the playoffs after this year's disaster? Furthermore, in 2004, his first year in New York he hit over .300 with an On Base over .400 and a Slugging over .600! Pretty impressive numbers.
But he's no Jeter. That guy is money in the playoffs. That's who we need. He's also a leader in the clubhouse.
Well through 2005 he hit .308 lifetime in the playoffs. Better than A-Rod? By .003. But his On Base and Slugging were both down. And that 04 Series when they lost to Boston, Jeter batted .200.
And about this leadership talk. I think he's a good player and probably does have some good leadership qualities. But when one of your teammates is going through a slump you don't call him out in the press like Jeter did to A-Rod. Especially when that player graciously agreed to change positions despite the fact he had 2 Gold Gloves at the time and you had 0. I mean Jeter defended Giambi about doing Steroids but couldn't help A-Rod out through a freaking hitting slump, instead just piling on?!?! Yeah, a great leader. Even Torre, that leader of men, dropped his best player to 8th in the batting lineup in the playoffs. Would Garner drop Berkman to 8th if he was in a slump?
So, I hope I helped you see that Jeter is human after all these years. And more importantly, I hope I changed your perception of Alex Rodriguez. The guy had an average season for himself but overall still had one of the best season in MLB. Do I think the media crush affected him? YES. But would he fit in well with the Astros? YES. And he'd hit in the playoffs for them just like he always has. And since the Rangers are paying a huge chunk of his salary he'd cost about $15 Mil/year. Cheaper than Clemens, Pettitte and Bagwell each cost the Astros this year.
3 Comments:
That is an interesting take. I haven't really heard anything about the Astros pursing him and it is probably a long shot. I agree with you and think that the fact that he is in the HUGE New York market maybe stressful to him, and he may be better off where the pressure isn't as great. Whether the Evil Empire decides to keep him or not still remains to be seen. They seem to have some problems in the clubhouse...
We will have to see what happens in the off season for the Astros, but they definitely need to pick up someone to help improve this team and make a serious run again. Not making any changes will really be disappointing.
yeah there were people clamoring for us to get A-Rod. obviously i think it makes a lot of sense, especially since we have a glut of 3rd basemen to trade in return. carlos lee is the other most mentioned possibility of acquiring.
why would the astros want a-rod?
because they're sports players and as everyone knows, everybody in sports is totally homosexual. not that there's anything wrong with that. i don't care what you play, if you're a sports player, you'll do anything for a rod.
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