Bob Ryan on A-Rod and "the guy I refuse to name"

[bpo57]

that's right, forgot about the Nomar situation. And if the red sox had gotten Arod one has to wonder what the WS outcome would have been in 2004.

I never hated Arod but those Red Sox homers that work in Bristol, CT helped make him a polarizing figure. Just look at Bob Ryan bringing this up today. Funny how they don't talk about PEDs and David Ortiz as much.

The NY media says hello.

 

[bpo57]

Agreed Jeter's defense was below average. He did the jump throw in the hole as his signature play but his range and zone range were both below league average. The fact he won 5 gold gloves and people use that to support to theory he was great defensively is laughable.
Jeter only had 1 season in his 5 gold gloves where he got over 400 assists and his putouts on average were below league average.

A-Rod was by far the better defender. Jeter was an average SS whose offensive numbers propped him up to gold gloves.

Half way through ARod's tenure with the NYY he no longer had the range to play SS. Jeter was an average SS in the latter half of his career but ARod would not have been appreciably better. I'm no Jeter fan but he was the captain and had four belts in his possession. He deserved the right to stay at SS.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Good point. I guess my question is: If you're going to have both guys in your infield and ARod is the better shortstop, is it necessarily better to put him there vs. asking him to move? Maybe he would have been the better 2nd or 3rd baseman too. Maybe the resulting defensive quality would have been the same or worse if ARod played short. Or not. I don't know but what do others think?

Well, Machado was moved to 3rd for JJ Hardy, a far lesser shortstop.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Arod would not have been able to play short much longer after 04. He put on considerable weight and became much more of a station to station player with the Yankees.