Alex Rodriguez has sportswriters and talk show hosts all atwitter as they struggle to come up with adequate comparisons to his performance thus far this postseason. Of course, Giants fans know exactly who he is reminding everyone of, while theBud the Selig-imposed gag order on writing,m saying or thinking positive things about Barry Bonds is still in effect.
Bonds 2002 17 G 45 AB 18 R 16 H 2 2B 1 3B 8 HR 16 RBI 27 BB 6 SO .356/.581/.978 1.559 OPS
A Rod 2009 07 G 27 AB 9 R 11 H 1 2B 0 3B 5 HR 11 RBI 4 BB 4 SO .407/.469/1.000 1.469 OPS
Turns out, the comparisons are actually pretty much right on. A Rod is having a Bondsian postseason. He’s way off in the walks, but teams pretty much walked Bonds every chance they got that year, so he’s never gonna get there. But, he’s got the power, the on base percentage is right there, and he’s actually got a better batting average so far. He’s gotta do it for another seven or ten games, but. still in all, he looks great side by side with the greatest postseason performance in baseball history, which is saying something.
UPDATE: David Pinto also notices the lack of walks:
…. They pitch to him because the Yankees lineup behind him is pretty potent. This isn’t the Giants, with Bonds and a bunch of nobodies. Teams need to make an effort to get an out with A-Rod at the plate, otherwise they’re just playing to the Yankees OBP strength.
I’ve always believed that Bonds was walked as often as he was because he was so universally hated, but that’s probably the Giants fan in me being so pissed that they could get away with walking him so constantly.
Teams started walking him for real in 2001, after he started the year with 11 home runs in 75 April at bats (he ended the season with 177 free passes). But those ‘01-’02 Giants were the best Giants teams of the last twenty years. Besides Jeff Kent, who was a truly great hitter, the Giants during that time had a still terrific Rich Aurilia, Benito Santiago was pretty good, David Bell had a terrific year in ‘02, Reggie Sanders had 23 home runs in ‘02. In ‘03, the team started being weaker, Grissom and Jose Cruz Jr. each had 20, but Bonds ended up with 148 walks in 130 games played. In ‘04, things got out of hand. Grissom and Feliz had 22 home runs, but they were useless as the second and third best hitters on the team. Bonds walked 232 times that season, 68 of them intentional, and probably another 50 or 60 as semi-intentional, and virtually no team paid a significant price for avoiding him.
So really, only once in that time did Bonds have someone even close to the hitter Texeira is, in 2002, when Kent hit 37 home runs. I remember it feeling different at the time, but now that I’m looking back, Pinto’s right.
4 Backtalkers
But, but, he’s not clutch. He-he’s not a gamer.
He doesn’t do the little things! He doesn’t play the game the right way!
This can’t be happening.
Not only that, he is too picky at the plate. He needs to be more aggressive. He takes too many pitches, and he’s not fat enough. Too many of his jacks come with nobody on base. He doesn’t eat enough cupcakes, peanut butter cups, ice cream, and tamale pies. He doesn’t have a mohawk, mullet, ZZ Top beard, mouth pubes, or a Michael Jackson bouffant.
Guys a horrible role model for kids.
In all fairness, the guy is simply the best player in the game right now. The fact that Mainstream Media does not like him much tells me he is doing a lot of things right. Like achieving. Like putting up monster numbers. Like being the most disruptive lineup presence since Barry Bonds. Like being the best player in the game. Like not playing the fool for television just because they are too lazy to come up with decent story lines themselves. Like enjoying the game like Jeff Kent said.
Just when everybody thought it was safe for the hypocrites to come out from under their rocks again, we’ve Alex Rodriguez dominating the post season like no other since Barry Bonds. Just the thought that:
1. Its in NYC, right under Hubie Selig’s nose.
2. Its right in front of the front running media suckups like Lupica, Verducci and all the rest of the Bonds haters and naysayers.
3. Did I happen to mention that Rodriguez, the worst person in the world next to Barry Bonds is dominating the playoffs in New York City? And rubbing it in the faces of the self-righteous indignant family values police?
And watching the Dodgers pay tribute to Brian Sabean’s offense against the hack Phillies bullpen was nothing short of sweet poetic justice. Their pen imploded just like we talked about earlier in the year. That said, as far as the Dodgers have to get beyond “being competitive” and to the next level of “winning”, just looking at the way the Giants were dominated by the Dodgers this season seems to show us just how deficient the Giants roster really is. They really are just Cain, Lincecum, Sandoval and baseball’s version of body putty.
John, how can you forget JT Snow?! Of course I’m being mostly sarcastic, but you gotta give the dude his due – in 2004 he put up a .327/.429/.529 line over 417 PA’s at age 36. What the hell happened that year is beyond me, all I know is that compares to any year Teix has ever had…
You’re right on ARod though, I like seeing him get some redemption after the way the media has treated him for so long. He might be a strange guy off the field or whatever, but when he steps foot on a baseball field he’s one of the greatest of all time, and it’s a damn shame he got stuck at 3B on the Yankees and butchered by the media. The man deserves his due.
Correction: Bonds walked 120 times INTENTIONALLY in 2004. Absolutely unreal. 232 walks despite missing about 20 starts that season. It is absurd to think about. And he had a horrible May that year, and finished-up the season 1 for 15 after injuring himself running out an infield single against Gagne on the second-to-last Sunday of the year.