For the second consecutive season, Alex Rodriguez went down swinging to end the Yankees' postseason run. Last year it was in Texas against Neftali Feliz; last night it was at home and against big mouth Jose Valverde.
What happened last night was A-Rod's season in a nutshell - he had a couple good at-bats, clawing and battling fouling off some tough pitches; but ultimately striking out three times and walking once.
Rodriguez, now 36, played just 99 games during the regular season, and while he hit for average, hovering around .290 for the majority of his games, he couldn't hit a home run if it was placed on a tee. His power dropped considerably and only hit 16 home runs. Most people will take that from a third baseman, but this is A-Rod - who still has about $150 million and 6 years left on his gigantic contract.
While everyone is talking about CC possibly opting out, or Jorge playing his final game, the A-Rod and his contract are the elephant in the room. Not just that A-Rod isn't playing well, or up to his standard and contract, but that he's still on the team for six more seasons.
Yeah, you heard me. A-Rod in my opinion should not be on the Yankees, and should not be making a nickel of his $275 million. The Yankees did fine with Eduardo Nunez and Eric Chavez platooning in Rodriguez's absence, and they actually played better WITHOUT him, than with him.
Don't get me wrong, I still have confidence left in A-Rod. If he can drop 10-15 pounds, get back to being 100% healthy, he still can be a good threat in the Yanks' lineup and can maybe hit 20-25 home runs next season. But at the end of the day, A-Rod is an aging star well past his prime, his steroid years are catching up to him, and his contract is quickly turning into possibly, one of the worst of all-time.
A-Rod, it's time to prove that you still have something left. Because right now, you really do look like a 36-year old third baseman. Not Alex Rodriguez, the great and immortal future Hall-of-Famer.
