New York Yankees: Alex Rodriguez No Longer Capable of Hitting Cleanup
May 20, 2012 · Kenny DeJohn · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
It’s not a secret that the New York Yankees have struggled to score in the clutch—or at all, really—so far this season.
Derek Jeter, Raul Ibanez and Curtis Granderson have carried the offensive load thus far, which is unacceptable considering the fact that Jeter and Ibanez were considered complementary pieces at best entering spring training.
Robinson Cano is finally starting to heat up, so he gets a pass.
Brett Gardner has been injured, so he will also get a pass.
Not much was really expected of Russell Martin, while Nick Swisher has produced pretty much at his career numbers—pass and pass.
Mark Teixeira has been battling a bad cough since April and is a notoriously slow starter, so we’ll lay off bashing him as well.
So, who does that leave?
Rodriguez has been the cleanup hitter for nearly every game in 2012, and just hasn’t provided the production that one would expect from a No. 4 hitter.
So far through 39 games, A-Rod owns a .278/.377/.410 line with just five home runs and 15 RBI.
With Granderson and Ibanez being the team’s big run producers up to this point—23 and 27 RBI, respectively—it’s time to make a change in the middle of the lineup.
My ideal lineup would look like this (ideal meaning when everybody is healthy):
1. Brett Gardner
2. Derek Jeter
3. Robinson Cano
4. Curtis Granderson
5. Mark Teixeira
6. Alex Rodriguez
7. Raul Ibanez
8. Nick Swisher
9. Russell Martin
Now, I’m obviously not a major league manager. But, to me, that lineup looks deep.
In the No. 6 spot, Rodriguez will have ample opportunities to drive in runs with the high OBP guys ahead of him, and he’ll have much less pressure on him to be the team’s big run producer.
Because, well, let’s face it—he’s no longer the guy that you can count on to be an automatic bet for 100 RBI.
Rodriguez can still be a valuable asset to the Yankees, but just in a much less important role.
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