Sunday, October 9, 2011

WHY ALEX RODRIGUEZ IS NO SCOTT BROSIUS

Clearly I'm still not over the fact that the Yankees season is over. I keep thinking about it. I was on Twitter earlier today and I saw this tweet from David Robertson:
Man. You know, we're fans, so you forget just how human these Yankee players are. All of them played their hearts out. Many were successful, some weren't. DRob was one of the good ones, and for these guys, it's really got to suck.

I was listening to Sports Radio, reading the papers, the Internet and all the talk has been about Alex Rodriguez. Did Alex peak? Are the Yankees paying this guy way too much money? Look, I don't get involved in that crap. If the guy was talented when his agent worked out a monster deal... fine, more power to Alex, but yes, now the pressure is on. Big money translates to big production and yes, when you don't produce, people notice, fans complain. I understand that totally. But with great production in a season comes great production in the playoffs, after all that's what these ballplayers play for, right?

Look, Alex is a great athlete, but Alex clearly isn't himself. Alex used to be a monster. This year he was hammered with injury. It happens. But, explain last year in the playoffs... explain 2007, or 2006, 2005. (Photo: 2010 ALCS)
Last year Alex struck out exactly the same way in the ALCS as he did in this year's ALDS, except this year he swung. There's no denying, Alex is a rich "average" ballplayer right now. He's no Scott Brosius.
Yeah, that's right, I said it. Scotty Bro gave us everything we could have imagined when he was in pinstripes and for more than half the price. And the playoffs? Well, he was always on. Why? because he was having fun and we didn't put him under a microscope like we do Alex.

You see, Scott Brosius was always good, never great, but something happened to this guy in the playoffs, he produced. I was curious so I went back and looked at salary and production in the last 4 years for both Alex Rodriguez and Scott Brosius. I did it in the last 4 years their teams made the playoffs, so naturally, 2008 is not included and instead, 2007 is for Alex. Check this out:

Scott Brosius:
  • 1998: .300 AVG / 19 HR / 98 RBI / .371 OBP / 34 2B / Salary: $2.65 Million
  • 1999: .247 AVG / 17 HR / 71 RBI / .302 OBP / 26 2B / Salary: $5.25 Million
  • 2000: .230 AVG / 16 HR / 64 RBI /.299 OBP / 20 2B / Salary: $5.25 Million
  • 2001: .287 AVG / 13 HR / 49 RBI / .343 OBP / 25 2B / Salary: $5.25 Million
Alex Rodriguez:
  • 2007: .314 AVG / 54 HR / 156 RBI / .422 OBP / 31 2B / Salary: $22,708,525
  • 2009: .286 AVG / 30 HR / 100 RBI / .402 OBP / 17 2B / Salary: $33 Million
  • 2010: .270 AVG / 30 HR / 125 RBI / .341 OBP / 29 2B / Salary: $33 Million
  • 2011: .276 AVG / 16 RBI / 62 RBI / .362 OBP / 21 2B / Salary: $31 Million (played 99 games)
Brosius Combined Postseason numbers:
  • 1998-2001: .245 AVG / 8 HR / 30 RBI / 8 2B / 48 H / 19 R / 8 BB / 2 K
Rodriguez Combined Postseason numbers:
  • 2007-2011: .273 AVG / 7 HR / 25 RBI / 7 2B / 32 H / 23 R / 22 K /22 BB
Wow. I was shocked to see Alex struck out 22 times in postseason play, not to mention Scott Brosius beats Alex in Home Runs, RBIs, doubles and hits. That's production. Yes, Alex his a higher average, but in the grand scheme of things, that's a pretty big deal. It basically means that Alex just didn't show up. Yeah, during the season, when healthy, Alex really has good numbers, minus this year because of injury, but when the pressure is on, the guy just can't deliver.

Scott Brosius was never the player he was on the Yankees, when he was with the Athletics, but when he put on the pinstripes, the guy transformed into a real fan favorite. While many still love Alex, the big numbers are expected, and in the postseason, there is no doubt, the guy needs to step up. That's why 2009 was so special, everyone thought the guy finally clicked and understood what being a New York Yankee in October meant. Clearly, that rhythm never translated to 2010 and 2011.

Look, I'm just a blogger, I think of ideas and opinions and bring them to you. I also don't hate Alex, I like the guy and I love what he's done for us these year during the season. But clearly he needs to get back to his old self and then when the playoffs start, he needs to tear it up, because, let's face it....when it comes to postseason play, Alex is no Scott Brosius, that's for sure.

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