Sorry guys, for me – and you’re welcome to not share this opinion – in order to be a great hitter, A-Rod has to come through in the “clutch” – meaning “clutch” as defined by Bill James:

http://waswatching.com/2008/09/12/the-numbers-guy-a-rod-clutch-hitter/

But, he’s also a player who does have some holes in his strikezone and who has a tendency to run into cold streaks with the bat.
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Also, what does that even mean? He runs into cold streaks? So… if he runs into cold streaks with the bat, what does that mean he is doing the rest of the time? Somehow people seem to think A-Rod is terrible the entire year and magically puts up 40-120-100. If we grant Paciorek’s idea, then this must mean that when A-Rod is on a ‘hot streak’ he is an absolute MONSTER.

Everyone in baseball goes on streaks… It’s a long season. A-Rod’s hot and cold streaks aren’t any different from any other player. Players don;t hit .310 every month from April to September. There are ups and downs. This is a bogus argument.

“So, no, I don’t think that A-Rod is a great hitter.”

^ If he’s not a great hitter, then what is he?

Yes, he’s not Jeter in terms of WS rings. But in terms of their contracts, he far outperforms Jeter.
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Ah yes, but don’t you know that Brosius is BETTER than A-Rod?!

Hey, the stats may be what they are…but, it doesn’t change the way I felt when each came to the plate, FWIW.
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That’s exactly the point Steve. You, and other Yankees fans, FOR NO REASON feel that A-Rod doesn’t perform. The numbers don’t back up your argument, only a ‘feeling’ Let me tell you something. Baseball is by far the most statistically oriented sport. In some manifestation, stats really tell almost all of the story. So, the stats aren’t wrong about A-Rod, you and all others who ‘feel’ that he underperforms are wrong.

Yes, he’s not Jeter in terms of WS rings. But in terms of their contracts, he far outperforms Jeter.

Hey, the stats may be what they are…but, it doesn’t change the way I felt when each came to the plate, FWIW.

“But, I’ll say this, for at least the last ten years, or longer, as a Yankees fan, every time that Manny Ramirez came to the plate against the Yankees, the first words that come to my mouth are “Oh, #$&!@*!” – because I knew he was going to get a hit, every time. I never felt that way about A-Rod when he faced the Yankees – ever.”

Steve…

Manny vs Yanks career.

.321/.411/.618…1.029

A-Rod vs Yanks career.

.334/.386/.651…1.037

Even though this is pretty mild bashing as far as A-Rod bashing goes, I still cannot let it stand. Steve, do you remember when we didn’t have A-Rod this year? Do you remember how desperate everyone was for him to return, both fans and other players in the line-up? Do you realize how happy Sux fans were that he wasn’t in our line-up? You might not say “Oh @#%^#” when A-Rod comes up, but believe me Red Sox fans do (at least compared to anyone else on the roster.)

I think part of the comparison is unfair. Manny and Ortiz hit like .500 against the Yankees. How is A-Rod supposed to do that? Thats inhuman. Take a look at Vlad, his postseason numbers are FAR worse than A-Rod but he doesn’t get half of the shit that A-Rod does.

I’m sorry, but Bobby Abreu and Jason Giambi are not good supporters for A-Rod. Except for Giambi (who really shouldn’t have had to be a number 5 hitter), A-Rod is the only power hitter on the team. Teams can and did pitch around him. Thats why he hit like 240 with RISP but OBPd .400-something.

Also, do NOT talk about A-Rod being a compiler. All of Manny’s HRs come in the bottom of the 9th with the Sox (or Dodgers) down 2? When the Red Sox win 11-0, does Ortiz go 0-5 so he can save his hits for games that count? Of course not. EVERYONE compiles stats in blowouts, thats the way it works. Yankees fans just choose to blame A-Rod for it (BLAMING HIM FOR HITTING A HR?!) Absurd.

Exactly, Raf. How do you end up with 35+ homers (and sometimes 35++++), the BA, the OBP, the RBIs and not be considered a good hitter?

Perhaps A-Rod’s stance and swing make it tougher to be consistent every single week of every single month, but you may want to think twice about messing with success. I mean, this isn’t Alfonso Soriano we’re talking about, susceptible to down and away sliders since he was 12.

FWIW, 2008 OBP

AR: .392
MR: .430 (.398 BOS/.489 LAD)
RH: .339

While he may not be IBB’ed, he’s still getting on base.

Not sure why Paciorek wants Rodriguez to change an approach that has been successful…