From the Hartford Courant -

Labels might be imaginary, but Yankees general manager Brian Cashman removed all perceptions about his top minor league prospects.

“I don’t have any `untouchables,’” Cashman said Thursday, with four days left before the deadline for non-waiver trades. “No one is untouchable.”

Does this mean that even Philip Hughes, the Yankees’ 20-year-old pitching prospect who has been dominating Double A, is available?

“Some guys are easier to get than others,” Cashman said. “I’m more willing to talk about some guys than others. If some special circumstance came up, you might consider something like that, but no one has presented anything like that to me.”

Hughes and outfielder Jose Tabata are considered the Yankees’ hardest-to-get prospects, but that is as close as Cashman has come to saying he’d be willing to trade them.

Hmmmm. Is Cashman planting some seeds here?

From the AP:

Yankees owner George Steinbrenner is upbeat about his injury-depleted team that has taken the lead in the AL wild-card race.

“I’m very happy,” Steinbrenner said Thursday as he left the Yankees’ minor-league complex.

Keep those calzones coming Cash!

This question just occurred to me this morning – Did Chuck Cunningham appear in more episodes of Happy Days than Carl Pavano has pitched games for the Yankees?

I think it’s close.

Aaron Moore, over at the YES Network site, has a feature posted entitled “Bernie deserving of a Hall plaque.” (By the way, why doesn’t YES ask me for some content?)

I covered that topic back in May 2005, so, I won’t repeat myself now.

But, the timing of this is good – because it reminded me of something that I was thinking about the other morning.

When Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra, and Phil Rizzuto are no longer with us – and assuming that Derek Jeter and Mo Rivera are still playing – who will be the “greatest living ex-Yankee?”

When Rivera retires – and here I assume that he will retire before Jeter – it will be Mariano.

But, what about before-it’s-Mo?

I always thought it would be Don Mattingly. But, looking at Bernie’s rankings on the all-time Yankees lists, he’s had a better career than Donnie Baseball.

So, who gets to be the last player announced at Old Timer’s Day in 2009 – if Yogi, Whitey and Phil are gone? Is it Bernie or Donnie?

I wonder what the Yankees would do if the Rockies offered them Aaron Cook in exchange for Philip Hughes.

Basically, Aaron Cook is Chien-Ming Wang – just a year older.

Both Cook and Wang are extreme ground-ball machines. And, since Wang is doing so well in New York, it would make sense that Cook would do just as well.

Plus, Cook is under contract through 2008 - and cheap.

Would it be worth the potential of Hughes to get a pitcher like Cook, now, who would be another Wang in the rotation this year – and for the two that follow it?

Yes, Hughes can be a potential ace – but, he’s yet to pitch in Triple-A.

Back in the early 1990′s, the O’s had a pitcher in their farm system named Jimmy Haynes. He did great at A-ball, Double-A, and Triple-A. Haynes was picked to be the “next Mike Mussina” by many – he was “can’t miss.”

Guess what? He missed. He missed really bad.

You never know with pitchers – until they prove that they can pitch at the big league level. Plus, there’s the stress factor in New York for Hughes.

Aaron Cook, like “Worm Killer” Wang, has proven that he can pitch in the majors.

Of course, there’s the question of “Why would the Rockies do this?” And, that’s a fair question – maybe they wouldn’t?

Still, it’s an interesting question to me, still – if the Yankees could get a young, cheap, proven starting pitcher today, for a deal including Hughes, what would they do?

From Ken Rosenthal -

The three AL East contenders — the Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays — all sent scouts to watch right-hander Jon Lieber, who pitched Wednesday night, and right-hander Cory Lidle, who pitches Thursday. The Cardinals and Reds were among the other clubs represented.

I’ve already gone on record about Lieber.

So, I thought I would share some thoughts on Lidle.

When the A’s had him, from 2001 to 2002, he was a good pitcher. He then went to the Blue Jays in 2003 and the Reds in 2004 – and stunk in both spots.

When he joined the Phillies, he became an average pitcher – not good but not bad. He’ll get you about 6 IP each time out.

With the Yankees offense, if they picked him up now, Lidle could win 7 games over the next two months.

Basically, he won’t kill you – but, he’s not going to go 10-2 in New York over the remainder of the season.

For the right price, I would take him. But, I would rather have Lieber.

Remember when I was excited about 21,314 two weeks ago?

Check this out:

Date – Total Hits to WasWatching.com

July 21 – 22970
July 22 – 16398
July 23 – 15912
July 24 – 21852
July 25 – 22490
July 26 – 22153

Looks like 22,000 is now the going rate.

As always, thanks to all for making this happen – and for your interest in WasWatching.com.

Update, 7/28/06: This just in – yesterday, there were 24,303 hits to WasWatching.com. Do I hear 25?

The Yankees should make T-Shirts for the team with this picture on it. On the back of the shirt, it can read “Getting The Job Done Beats Style Points.”

Via Dan Smith’s blog Clutchiness:

I can’t pretend to tell you, in detail, how the stats work. But, I can tell you that these rankings do fall into the order that I would put together, this season, based on what my eyes and heart tell me.

It’s very interesting to me when objectivity and subjectivity meet together in a harmonious fashion.

There’s a new Yankees-related blog that you’ll want to check out. It’s:

Yankees WPA Rundown

Stop by and tell them that WasWatching.com sent you.

(Hat tip to Dave Studeman.)

Kelly Stinnett’s last words, via Newsday:

Stinnett received the bad news in a call to his hotel room from Torre at midnight Tuesday night, and said yesterday from his Arizona home he was “surprised.”

“You’re in a role where you can’t really help yourself playing once a week,” Stinnett said. “…It’s probably just a shakeup where they’re picking on the little guy.”

Stinnett, 36, batted .228 (18-for-79) with a homers and nine RBIs. Fasano, 34, hit .243 (34-for-140) with four homer and 10 RBIs for the Phillies.

Fasano made an impression on the Yankees during 2004 spring training and that season at Triple-A Columbus.

Stinnett hopes another team wants him, and he has no plans of seeing Columbus. “I’ll spend the summer with my kids before I consider that,” he said.

I guess that Stinnett missed the memo that said 36-year-old back-up catchers with a career .395 OWP should be seen and not heard.

In any event, Torre called him with this news? Doesn’t something like this warrant some face-to-face time? I’m surprised to hear that this is how Torre, the great communicator, handled this situation.

Yes, he’s 25-years-old. Yes, this is now the 4th year in a row where he’s spent time in Double-A.

But, and this is just a guy feeling, I think he could be a Scot Shields-type late bloomer. His sinker has been great for him this year.

I hope the Yankees don’t give him away to pick up some dud before the trading deadline this season.

Here are the up-to-date career HBP leaders for the Yankees:

Rank- Player – HBP Total

1 Frankie Crosetti 114
2 Derek Jeter 110
3 Kid Elberfeld 81
4 Jason Giambi 74
5 Bert Daniels 70
6 Chuck Knoblauch 61
7 Don Baylor 60
8 Jorge Posada 52

Jeter just needs 5 more this season to become the all-time HBP king for the Yankees. There’s no question that he’s going to make it.

Peter Abraham has a guest column today at Baseball Analysts.

It’s called Tales of Torre Tales. It’s worth checking out.

Personally, I had a very tiring day at work today. And, it caught up with me tonight – as I fell asleep in front of the T.V. around 10 pm ET.

When I woke up, it was right around 11 pm ET – and, the first sight I had upon opening my eyes was seeing Shawn Chacon on the mound for the Yankees, in the 8th inning, with the bases loaded and no outs, with the score 7-6 in favor of the Rangers.

I felt like the guy from The Godfather who woke up to find the horse’s head in his bed.

And, then Chacon struck out DeRosa. That was good, but, I was still thinking “This is going to be bad.” However, Chacon then got the “Look what I found!” DP-liner to end the frame. All of a sudden, I started to chuckle to myself and I thought “You never really know in this game, do you?”

When Jeter singled in the 9th and then Giambi homered to give the Yankees the lead, I was more stunned than anything else. I was still groggy and fuzzy from the unexpected nap. Was I dreaming? Did I really see Chacon work out of bases juiced with no outs and then see this huge homer?

I looked around the room to see if Pam Anderson was near with a serving tray full of chocolate chip cookies or if Ed McMahon was walking towards me with an over-sized check from the Publishers Clearing House. Since I didn’t see either one of them, I knew that I could believe what I just saw.

Not too shabby.

But, when I saw the game recap, and how Texas took the lead in the 8th, I realized that Torre got lucky in this game. Bringing in Beam with a two-run lead is stupid. Asking Proctor to pitch for the 8th time in 12 days is criminal. Unless I missed something today, Farnsworth was well rested today and there’s an off-day following this game. He should be in this game in the 8th inning.

If Farnsworth is hurt, and I missed the report, then I’m sorry to bring up this point. But, if Farnsworth was available, and Torre doesn’t use him tonight, then he has no business making pitching moves.

Then again, if Chacon came into the game, maybe Farnsworth was not available for this game?

The whole thing is strange. Well, at least the Yankees won and now control the wildcard – - until Torre does something stupid to let it go.

From the Post today:

The Post has learned the Yankees and Braves have held discussions about the Yankees acquiring switch-hitting infielder Wilson Betemit and may be willing to give up reliever Scott Proctor.

The Yankees view Betemit as the ultimate utility man who can play second base in Robinson Cano’s absence. Cano, who has missed a month due to a hamstring problem, is at least two weeks away and could be out longer.

Getting Betemit would allow the Yankees to entertain trade offers for Cano during the offseason, when they will be in the market for pitching.

First off, I’m always leery of Dominican middle infielders with “Wilson” in their name. That didn’t work out too well, the last time, in New York.

Moving past that, Wilson Betemit is not a poor hitter – but, he’s not a great one either. He’s average.

You could do a lot worse for a back-up infielder on your roster.

Would I want him to play 2B and then trade Cano? I would only do that if Cano brings you a young Grade-A starting pitcher. Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense to move Cano for Betemit.

Would I give up Proctor for Betemit? No.

I don’t feel that comfortable turning “ProcFarnMo” ™ into “BeamFarnMo” (or something like that.)

Now, even if you told me that Octavio Godot was ready – and that he could pitch lights-out for the next three months – I would still not move Proctor to pick up a spare middle infielder.

Matt Smith? T.J. Beam? Sure – in a minute. But, not Proctor. Not now.

The Yankees need major-league-proven good arms at this moment – they don’t need to be trading them away.

Bruce Jenkins has an interesting article in the San Fran Gate comparing Manny Ramirez to Alex Rodriguez. (Hat tip to BaseballThinkFactory.org.)

Some of the points made by Jenkins are:

No matter how strong the denials from players or general manager Brian Cashman, the Yankees are a painfully uptight team right now, strictly because of A-Rod’s insecurity.

A-Rod isn’t a bad guy, a malingerer or a clubhouse cancer; he’s just a worrier. He desperately wants everyone to like him — and they don’t. Not in New York. They know he’s a little bit soft, a tad of a pretty boy, and they know that unlike Jeter, he consistently has failed in crunch-time postseason moments since he joined the Yankees. Generally, great performances silence the boo-birds in the hotbeds of East Coast fanaticism, but a significant portion of Yankees fandom seems unwilling to cut A-Rod any slack for the rest of time.

The timing of this feature made me laugh – because, just this morning, I was also thinking of Manny and A-Rod – and where they are the same and not.

Alex Rodriguez plays the game the way that a model citizen should play the game. He runs hard. He doesn’t show anyone up. He is serious on the field.

Manny Ramirez is a hot dog on the field. He doesn’t always hustle. And, he has asked to be traded from his team on many occasions.

Then, why does A-Rod get killed in New York and Manny gets the “Manny being Manny” love-pass in Boston? Has Ramirez ever been booed in Boston the way that Rodriguez has in New York?

No. OK, why?

Is it the money? It should not be – see the following:

In 2004, Manny ($22,500,000) was the highest paid player in the game – A-Rod was # 2 (at $22,000,000).

In 2005, Manny was the 2nd highest paid player in the game – with A-Rod being the highest. There was just $4 million between them.

And, this season, Manny makes just $3.4 million less than A-Rod.

It’s not about the money. There’s almost no difference in what these two are being paid.

It’s about the hitting.

In 2004, Manny’s RC/G was 8.59 – compared to 7.02 for A-Rod.
In 2005, Manny’s RC/G was 8.01 – compared to 10.22 for A-Rod.
This season, Manny’s RC/G, to date, is over 9 – whereas A-Rod’s RC/G number is around 6.5.

When I see all this, I think the answer is clear. If Alex Rodriguez would create runs this season, on a per game basis, at the rate near where he was from 1998 through 2005, he would be not be booed in New York.

For the record, A-Rod’s 1998-2005 RC/G rate was 8.57. And, that’s in the Manny range of the last three years.

Basically, if you hit like Manny, no one cares about anything else, and your fans will love you. It’s always been that way in baseball.

From the Post:

Looking to upgrade their backup catching situation the Yankees acquired Sal Fasano from the Phillies last night for an undisclosed minor leaguer, The Post has learned.

Fasano had been designated for assignment by the Phillies last weekend and immediately caught the Yankees’ attention because he was with them in spring training in 2004 and spent the season with Columbus (Triple-A).

Fasano, 34, is expected to replace Kelly Stinnett.

Fasano plays with some emotion. But, offensively, to be candid, the difference between Kelly Stinnett and Sal Fasano is the same difference between the Oscar-worthiness of Howard The Duck and Can’t Stop The Music.

Maybe Cash just likes guys who look like Rocky Balboa?

I think I’m going to like watching Fasano play. But, I’m not sure how this is an upgrade.

The Yankees scored 7 runs on 4 hits in this game.

Did the Yankees win this one, or, did Texas hand it to them?

There’s something about Aaron Guiel that makes me think of someone else. It’s his body-type, swing, etc. It’s still not coming to me. I want to say Don Mattingly – because he’s a smallish LH-batter, and he’s wearing # 46 (which was young Donnie’s first number). But, the swing, while at times looks Mattingly-ish, also reminds me of Ken Phelps and/or Dan Pasqua. In any event, Guiel has some skills. He’s not a bad part to have on your team. This was a good pick-up by the Yankees.

I spent most of the night clicking back and forth between this game and “Work Out” (on Bravo). And, I have to confess, I was more interested in Work Out.

Why?

I’m not sure. Maybe it was the lack of hits by the Yankees? Maybe it was just the pace of the game in general? Or, maybe it’s because I’m on sorta-Yankees-overload? Or, maybe it’s because this Yankees team, at this stage of the season, is not very interesting to watch?

Or, it’s some combination of these reasons.

Right now, I’m not too concerned about it – I’d rather worry more about who Aaron Guiel reminds me of when he’s hitting. It’s a more pleasant problem to tackle.

I missed this from Tracy Ringolsby’s Weekly Baseball Notes three weeks ago:

Look no further than Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez to understand that there are petty jealousies in the clubhouse that also taint the votes.

The fans voted Rodriguez, who was the AL Most Valuable Player last season, to the AL starting lineup. He’s not having a banner season, but his numbers are still solid.

The argument – and a strong one – can be made for Joe Crede of the White Sox to have been given that honor.

But even the players themselves didn’t vote for Crede.

In fact, in the players’ voting, it became apparent the booing from the Yankee Stadium fans isn’t the strongest anti-Rodriguez sentiment in the game.

Neither Rodriguez nor Crede finished in the top two spots among the players, an indication the guys in uniform have their own bone to pick with Rodriguez, the game’s highest-paid player who is often criticized for being too polished and calculating.

Troy Glaus of the Blue Jays and Eric Chavez of the Athletics were 1-2 in the voting of their peers.

Check the stats.

Rodriguez is third among AL third basemen with a .292 average, second with 19 home runs and tops with 65 RBI and in the trendy OPS at .921.

Crede leads third basemen in average at .300, is tied for second with 57 RBI, is fourth with 16 home runs and ranks second with an OPS of .865.

Glaus, meanwhile, leads AL third basemen with 22 home runs, but he is tied for second in RBI with Crede, ranks 13th with a .241 batting average and is third with an OPS of .857. Chavez is 12th with a .246 average, sixth with 46 RBI, fifth with 14 home runs and fifth with an OPS of .809.

They picked Troy Glaus? That’s strange.

Alex Rodriguez’ agent Scott Boras has recently said:

“Cheering and booing is part of being a good New York Yankee fan.”

That’s interesting. But, perhaps more interesting is something that I just realized……

Alex’s baby daughter is named “Natasha.”

And, his agent’s name is “Boras.”

Two of the most important people in A-Rod’s life are “Boras and Natasha.”

Now I know why “Moose” Mussina said what he did about A-Rod. He was just sticking up for him and Rocky.

Darien Magazine has a feature on Brian Cashman this month. Some highlights:

“My winter is harder than my summer,” Brian notes. “It’s all a lot of work, but the winter is that much more, going head-to-head on free agency, arbitration and trades.”

Cashman grew up in Lexington, Kentucky, the son of Nancy and John. His dad raised standard-bred horses for harness racing, and Brian and his four siblings were kept busy performing odd jobs.

“My father broke every child labor law,” Brian says with a shake of his head. Cleaning stables, he says, “gave me a work ethic and made me realize how tough it was to get by.” It also gave him a profound distaste for horses. He preferred basketball and baseball. His favorite baseball team was the Los Angeles Dodgers. Brian rejoiced when they beat the Yankees in the 1981 World Series.

“At that time I was one of the all-time Yankee haters,” Cashman admits.

Being GM would bring him much glory and stress, not to mention long work hours driven by his own fear of failure as much as by Steinbrenner’s fabled wrath. “Right now, while I’m talking to you, one of my competitors could be on the verge of completing something that will make the difference,” Cashman says.

“There are people who take some shots I don’t like, but then I go to the archives and find the same people have written some very positive things too,” he says. “I’m not saying I’m perfect at this, but I’ve gotten better.”

Late one evening in February 2004, Mary woke up to the sound of Brian talking excitedly on the cell phone in their bedroom. He was finalizing a deal that would bring Texas Rangers shortstop Alex Rodriguez to the Yankees. Now in his third season as the team’s third baseman, having changed positions at Cashman’s request to accommodate shortstop Derek Jeter, Rodriguez was 2005 American League Most Valuable Player and is considered one of the two or three best players in the game today.

“Alex was huge,” Cashman says.

“I remember telling George Steinbrenner, ‘Boss, this is a can’t-miss move.’”

Cash keeps an “archive” on what people say about him? There goes my chance of ever working for the Yankees. Bummer.

From ESPN.com -

“The Mets — and for that matter, the Phillies — are part of the craziness of baseball in the Northeast,” Cashman says. “But the Yankees and Red Sox, ESPN has totally surrounded our organizations. Put it this way: If you check the number of back pages [in the tabloids] between the Yankees and Mets in the last five years, you’d be shocked how far ahead we are.

“I don’t say that as disrespect to the Mets; they’re a great organization with great people and great ownership, but the focus on us is extreme. … It’s taken 100 years to build this situation. Same goes for Boston.”

I have news for Cashman. He was 19-years-old and living in Lexington, Kentucky, when the Mets won in 1986.

I was in New York for 1976, 1977, 1978, 1986, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000.

When the Mets win, New York City is a Mets town. It’s insane.

It’s probably because the Yankees always win and the Mets hardly win.

But, I will tell you now – if the Mets make it to the World Series and win, the Yankees will become old news in a minute.

You can count on that.

Thanks to Jeff Angus for bringing this data to my attention. Below are Alex Rodriguez’ stats, as a Yankee, to date, on a month-by-month basis:

In all three seasons, May has been a huge month for A-Rod with the bat. And, in all three seasons, A-Rod has been a .280 hitter with power in July.

Prior to this season, A-Rod has done well in August as a Yankee. Let’s hope that pattern continues this season.

On June 20th, Joe Torre sat Melky Cabrera down for a game.

From that time, coming into tonight, Cabrera has hit .311 (in 106 AB) with an OBA of .354 and a SLG of .453.

Tonight, Melky went 3 for 4 – just needing a homer to hit for the cycle.

Torre made a comment about Cabrera in the YES post-game tonight that went along the lines of ‘He likes to be the one that you’re counting on.’

Back on June 6th, I wrote:

You know, superstars post the sexy numbers – but, play-makers win games. Melky Cabrera is a play-maker. I’m so glad that he’s on this team. So many play-makers from the recent ring-run are gone. And, it’s good to see more come along.

I still stand by that statement.

In the YES coverage tonight, Ken Singleton said that the Yankees have the longest current streak of having a player start in an All-Star game: 2000 through 2006.

Think about that: 2000 through 2006. This is when the Yankees added Mussina, Giambi, Matsui, Sheffield, Johnson, A-Rod, etc. It’s also the time where the Yankees have lost in the post-season every year (with the exception of 2000).

If the Yankees win another ring soon, it will be because of players like Melky Cabrera – just like it was because of players like Paul O’Neill, Tino Martinez, etc., during 1996 through 2000.

The “Team of All-Stars” didn’t work in New York during the days of Winfield-Baylor-Smalley-Griffey-Kemp-Mumphrey and it’s not working, with respect to rings, today either.

Scott Brosius might have had an OPS in the .700′s, but, he was a winner in New York when it counted the most.

I’m looking forward to the day when the Yankees get back to having a “team” – where the Melky Cabreras on the team out-number the guys who have it in their contract that they get a hotel suite on road.

On Saturday, I wrote:

“Worm Killer” Wang was not at his all-time best today – but, he was plenty good enough (with 15 grounders in 6 IP) to keep the Yankees in this game – until “ProcFarnMo” ™ slammed the door on the last three innings.

And, tonight, I can now write:

Randy Johnson was not at his all-time best today – but, he was plenty good enough (with 7 whiffs in 6 IP) to keep the Yankees in this game – until “ProcFarnMo” ™ slammed the door on the last three innings.

By the way, tonight and this past Saturday were the only two wins for the Yankees in their last six games.

I believe we have found the formula for a victory in 2006: A solid six from the starter and then go to “ProcFarnMo” ™ to close.

But, perhaps the biggest news today is the injury to Damon before the game and the injury to Jeter during the game. Without these two players, the Yankees are done. Cross your fingers for the both of them, if you’re a Yankees fan.

Lastly – maybe I’m imagining this – or perhaps I’m just noticing it – but, has Jorge Posada switched to a new style of catching mask? Looking at him tonight, it appeared like he was wearing something that looked like Hannibal Lecter Meets Spiderman. In the past, I recall him wearing a mask that had two big handles on the side – something like what a Ferengi would wear during a masochistic escapade. Anyone else see this tonight?

Update, 7-25-06: Thanks to Jen for setting the record straight. Below, on the left, is Posada’s mask this past Thursday. And, on the right was one that he wore on Saturday. Looks like it’s just a matter of two different colored masks.

This afternoon, I was trying to think of the greatest “superstar” player who was traded away from the Yankees while he was still in his prime. To the best of my research/knowledge, it has to be Rickey Henderson.

For those who don’t know, on June 21, 1989, the Yankees traded Henderson to the Oakland Athletics for Greg Cadaret, Eric Plunk, and Luis Polonia.

Number two on this list would probably be Bobby Bonds.

On December 11, 1975, the Yankees traded Bonds to the California Angels for Mickey Rivers and Ed Figueroa.

In terms of impact on the team, the Bonds deal was great and the Henderson deal was not a winner.

These are the only two times that the Yankees ever traded away (what was then) a current offensive superstar.

Before looking, I would have thought that it happened more often.

From Scout.com -

Former Ole Miss pitcher T.J. Beam got the call back up to the New York Yankees Sunday night. He will be in Arlington, Texas, for tonight’s Rangers-Yankees game.

Without knowing for sure, I think this is the end of Kris Wilson’s New York Yankees career.

From Jon Heyman:

Soriano is considered strictly a 10-week rental by all but one of the teams currently bidding on him. As one AL exec put it, “We all know where he’s going to wind up eventually,” meaning the Yankees.

Executives say Bowden requested the Yankees’ only two bona fide blue-chippers along with “two more prospects.”

Likewise, the Yankees are telling folks that Hughes and Tabata aren’t going anywhere. Their strategy for now, like everyone else’s, is to wait Bowden out and hope the price drops before the July 31 deadline.

Ten days ago, thereabouts, I offered my opinion on Alfonso Soriano.

Nothing has changed since then – so, obviously, I find this report to be upsetting.

I was just looking at Alex Rodriguez’ Yankees career, to date, via some of the advanced metrics that they track over at TheHardballTimes.com:

These numbers are very interesting to me.

First, A-Rod, this year, is doing what he’s always done in terms of looking at pitches in the box (P/PA). And, his BA/RISP is the same this year as the year he won the MVP (2005). Also, Alex is hitting line-drives (LD%) this year at the same pace as last year. (Actually, it’s a tick better this year.)

But, the results are not there this season for Alex – like in his Yankees MVP-season. A-Rod’s Gross Production Average (GPA) and RC/G numbers this year are more like 2004 than 2005. Why?

If you look at Alex’s Batting Average on Balls in Play (BA/BIP) this year, you will see that it’s just like 2004 – and not like 2005. Also, Rodriguez’ Home Runs as a percent of outfield flyballs (HR/F) this season is the same as 2004 – and not like 2005.

Basically, this season, the hits are not falling in for A-Rod and the flies are not going over the fence – like they did in 2005.

So, is Alex just unlucky this year?

Well, if you consider that the 2004 numbers here are in line with the 2006 numbers, it means one of two things (I suppose):

Either A-Rod was unlucky in 2004 and 2006 (to date). Or, he was lucky (relatively speaking) in 2005.

I don’t know which is the answer. I will try and get another opinion (or two) on the interpretation of this data, from parties more versed in this type of analysis, to see if there’s an answer here. Stay tuned.