Baseball Blog

Archive for the ‘Players’ Category

After last season, Alex Rodriguez was as big of a goat in the game of baseball as any player. His slump through the 2006 playoffs caused the Yankees to fall out of the first round, according to fans at least, and his play during the season was average for his standards. In the 2007 season, however, A-Rod has answered all his critics, so far, by belting out homer after homer and leading a falling Yankees club to the playoffs.

With a chance to opt-out of his previously record-breaking deal this winter, A-Rod could be in the running for an even bigger paycheck. Early reports have said that his agent, Scott Boras, is looking for thirty million a year in salary for his client. Take a minute to think about that number. Thirty million dollars a season.

So is he worth it? Truth be told, it is hard to calculate how much financial worth Alex brings to a franchise. His name alone should sell more jerseys and team apparel. He should also bring fans to the ball park as he approaches the all-time home-run record, which he will. And if he can lead a team to the post-season, that just means more revenue will be coming in.

But what happens if he can’t take the team to the playoffs, like in Texas? What if the fans turn on him, like in New York? Is he still worth thirty million dollars? And can the team that signs him have enough flexibility to add marquee pitchers and other support too?

Overall, it is hard to imagine any athlete is worth this amount of money to any team. In my opinion, Rodriguez isn’t even really worth his current salary. Handicapping the team with an unproven, in the playoffs at least, superstar in his thirties just does not seem like a good idea. But what do I know?

In the entire history of baseball before this season, only two men had accomplished the feat of hitting twenty doubles, twenty triples, twenty home-runs, and stealing twenty bases in the same season. Willie Mays and Frank Schulte were the two that achieved these amazing results. But in a single season, this past one, the number of players in the 20-20-20-20 club has doubled.

The main problem in joining this club, naturally, is hitting triples. There are many, many players that can hit twenty home-runs with twenty doubles and still have enough speed to swipe twenty bases. But how many of these players can get the third-base hits necessary? Triples require either extreme speed or extreme luck. Players like Curtis Granderson and Jimmy Rollins, the two new members of this very exclusive club, have the speed to get triples on a consistent basis. But the majority of major leaguers only get three-base hits when their hits take wacky bounces or are misplayed.

And here is the major problem in achieving the quadruple-twenty. Players who have the speed to get enough triples generally do not possess enough power to fill up the stats and vice versa.

So what exactly does joining this club say about Granderson and Rollins? Adding in the fact that both players defend their positions well, we can fairly call them both very good five-tool players. They certainly have shown their ability to hit for power, average, and run well. And their accomplishments this season are mind-boggling from a statistical standpoint, almost more impressive than the high home-run marks of A-Rod and Prince Fielder.

And don’t be surprised to see Curtis Granderson in this club again next year. His youth predicts an increase in skill, rather than the other way around.