Why Isn't A-Rod Batting 3rd?
by yankee-face on Oct 24, 2009 8:52 PM EDT
43 comments
My biggest objection to Girardi's management style, whether the Yanks win or lose, is the inevitability of him being outmanaged by a smarter manager. Or let's say his lack of imagination or looking into the future.
One example is having the G&G boys (Gardner and Guzman) both on the roster, and not having a legitimate pinch hitter to come off the bench in an extra inning situation. (Even Hinske or Shelly Duncan... anybody!) And I agree that his management style should seriously be questioned by how allowing a mediocre prima donna pitcher (A.J. Burnett) pretty much dictate who catches and thereby guaranteeing a sure once every time through the order with Molina.
But something is really bugging me a LOT. Why oh why do you not bat A-Rod third and have Teixeira protect him instead of the other way around?? The way things stand now, A-Rod will be walked in any critical situation, particularly in the most dire situations -- the late innings of close games when Matsui (and Posada?) have been replaced by pinch-runners Gardner and Guzman. Hell, I'll walk A-Rod 100 out of 100 times! But if he's batting third, and you have the A.L home-run and RBI leader coming up next, automatically walking him and taking the bat out of his hands is something that an opposing manager might need to think twice about doing.
Bat him first, bat him second, I don't care, but it's clear that the way things are now, there is ABSOLUTELY NO PENALTY for walking A-Rod. The way things stand now, you're taking away at-bats from A-Rod in the most critical situations.
The fact that Girardi hasn't even considered this, evidently, is grounds enough for firing him, in my opinion.
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Smarter managers??
Girardi makes his fair share of mistakes but so do other managers. Namely Scioscia. How close were the Yankees to tying the game as a result of Arod’s lead-off intentional walk last night? I can guarantee you that Brian Fuentes was livid inside for being asked to give ARod a free pass. Not exactly the best way to instill confidence in your closer. Even though the Yankees lost, I still think it was a blunder to walk ARod intentionally in that situation. You also forgot that the guy hitting in the five hole by the name of Matsui is a pretty good hitter.
by Scooby Snacks on Oct 24, 2009 9:07 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Not to mention...
Scioscia’s decision to take John Lackey out of the game in the 7th. As for the 3rd/4th thing when we got Tex I thought he should bat 4th with Arod 3rd, but Girardi’s had it this way all year and it’s worked he’s not going to change it now.
by Let's Talk About Tex Baby on Oct 24, 2009 10:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m not ready to fire Girardi yet.
But I absolutely agree that Arod should be batting third while he’s hot.
"Have faith in the Yankees, my son. Think of the great DiMaggio."
by jscape2000 on Oct 24, 2009 9:19 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Who bats behind ARod?????
Tex?
I can guarantee you that ARod gets walked far more frequently if Tex’s slumping bat is gonna protect him.
by TurboWei on Oct 25, 2009 8:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
This Is Crazy
We are one win away from the WS, and everybody wants to change everthing about this team. ARod has batted cleanup all year, now lets panic and change the lineup. Before this series it was sit Damon, then it was sit Melky, now its sit Swisher. Then its all the hate about AJ, who has been inconsistent but is a huge part of this team. You guys need to show more patience with this team.
by YankeesJets on Oct 24, 2009 9:25 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
thanks you
yall needa chill out
VA Yankee since 93'
by jramey on Oct 24, 2009 10:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
i agree
everyone is spazing out. the yankees are a great TEAM and every team has holes but they play together and find ways to win, i think they will do that tonite. GO YANKEES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Yes we lost and yes we are upset. But like all Champs we will bounce back."
Osi umenyiora
by donnybaseball23 on Oct 25, 2009 7:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
but then why stop giving tex good pitches to hit?
he got hot when a-rod came back because he got pitches to hit
by jv52yankees on Oct 24, 2009 9:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Lack of imagination?
He switched Jeter and Damon. That worked out Ok, no?
by dorsal on Oct 24, 2009 10:20 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
They have batted Jeter leadoff from the first game of the year
by YankeesJets on Oct 24, 2009 11:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That was dorsal’s point. It was NEW this year and it worked like a charm. I thought it was a bad move because Jeter can move a runner going to right but he hit into a lot of DPs, too. Now he’s better and so is Damon —new stadium at play? Sure. But the move worked.
Another move that worked: Hughes to the pen. It absorbed management’s insistence on making Joba a starter (which I think pays off next season when/if the training wheels come off).
…yet we’re reading a blog that says fire the manager of a team that is one win from the WS because you aren’t sure if he considered swapping Arod & Tex in the lineup? LOL.
by Fakey McFake on Oct 25, 2009 11:31 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Don't Fix What Isn't Broken....
Angels have always been a problem for us….
First and foremost…. we don’t want to mess with the comfort zone AROD is in.
The problem is TEX, trying to swing too big…. He settled down last game and got some base hits and RBIs…. Which is exactly what AROD did when he was struggling. Not trying to do too much.
The problem RIGHT NOW is Swisher not hitting at all….. And our reliable bullpen falling apart. Exceptions to MO and Robertson… Other than them i don’t trust any of there out there.
by Gangsta Yanksta on Oct 24, 2009 10:29 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
It's a bad idea to mess with the batting order
The IBBing ARod almost led to a game tying run in the bottom of the 9th. I’ll take a free baserunner every time, because our lineup is still plenty strong to bring him around.
by GMan83201 on Oct 24, 2009 10:51 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Last time a rod got walked matsui hit a double and 2 rbi...i dont remmeber whther it tied us or put us up last game but
matsui is still a threat….and posada has been very good this series…no need to switch that up….
by NYYWinsRings26 on Oct 24, 2009 10:54 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Also, Burnett is not a "mediocre" pitcher.
He’s our #2 guy.
by mrljdavid on Oct 25, 2009 1:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, don't fix what isn't broken.
But perhaps a consideration for next year?!
by Ooofa on Oct 24, 2009 11:26 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Honestly
How many more “Fire Girardi” threads do we have to see? Why would you bat A-Rod 3rd when he’s in the Zone batting 4th? Like most everyone else said, don’t fix what isn’t broken. Can we at least have SOME faith in the men that got us to this point? Sure, I’m agitated at Swish and sorta want G-Man in the game instead, but I’ve stuck with Swish all year long and can do so even longer. You people are so impatient. You want things done now and your way without really thinking if your way is actually THE RIGHT WAY. Let the man do his job. There’s a reason he’s the manager and you aren’t. ;)
If the team loses, it’s ON THE TEAM. They lost as a team, not because of one person, remember that. Same goes for if they win.
by jigglytuffy on Oct 24, 2009 11:35 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I Agree About Not Fixing What Isnt Broken But..
If this team blows this ALCS, I truly hope they fire Girardi. Because he has made very poor managing choices during these playoffs that have twice cost us wins. Win or go home indeed Joe.
by YankeesJets on Oct 24, 2009 11:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
it's a thankless job
managing the Yankees
103 wins? 1 win away from the World Series?
FIRE GIRARDI BECAUSE I OBVIOUSLY KNOW WHATS BEST FOR THE TEAM!
by Brian5517209 on Oct 25, 2009 12:03 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
there’s a reason they pay girardi the big bucks while we sit here with our thumbs up our asses. and fans will always bitch and moan about his managing capabilities; alas that is the life of a new york yankees manager.
everyone just has to step back and take a deep breath and just relax
Thank God for making us Yankees.
by noonoo on Oct 25, 2009 12:37 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
So Do You Think Girardi Is A Great Manager?
by YankeesJets on Oct 25, 2009 1:11 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
i’m not saying that. all managers have their flaws but i’m not ready to break out the torches and pitchforks and hang him just yet
Thank God for making us Yankees.
by noonoo on Oct 25, 2009 2:18 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
oops
that was supposed to be +1 for thankless job’s post….
by Fakey McFake on Oct 25, 2009 11:39 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
bench is too one-dimensional
One of the biggest issues i have with this roster right now is our bench. Not having a big bat to come off the bench is what we are lacking. Every time we pinch run I want to hang myself. Its not like any of these guys on the bench could come up with a clutch hit if they have to bat in a late inning or extra inning situation.
Yet another reason why swisher should come off the bench in game 6. He has the advantage as a switch hitter. Obviously he wont steal a base anytime soon but we have guzman and hairston for that.
by eddieo311 on Oct 25, 2009 12:55 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
This team scored 6 runs in the 7th to take
a 2 run lead the other night. Seems like they lost because the bullpen could not hold the lead not because of any problems with the bench. Even then, Swisher was at bat in the 9th with the bases loaded anyway. I doubt that having him come off the bench rather than being in his regular spot would have made much difference there.
by garp on Oct 25, 2009 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
bullshit for firing Girardi..........
whens the last time torre won 103 games….?
his first year with a new NEW team….he’s learning them and making moves…. and they have worked so far…
your not fans…….. your perfectionists……. kill yourself or get over it.
We have a championship team now….. and we have major issues…………. sort it out and were unstoppable….
As a hardcore yankee fan i tell myself… we don’t haven to win every year, we just have to make it further than the red sox.
You can’t expect perfection and championships every year……… thats how you easily get disappointed and post these retarded hate threads
by Gangsta Yanksta on Oct 25, 2009 2:14 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
right
as a die hard yankee fan too, i want to see the yankees win all the time but it is not gonna happen, this year the yankees have a great team and can very well win it, and yeah joe g has made some questionable calls, but what if they’ve worked out? we would all be saying what a great manager or just overlooking everything he did in the regular season. GO YANKEES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Yes we lost and yes we are upset. But like all Champs we will bounce back."
Osi umenyiora
by donnybaseball23 on Oct 25, 2009 7:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
This Is....
…. one of those there “sarcastic” pieces that people sometimes write, right?
by nettles9 on Oct 25, 2009 8:29 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Seems to me....
…that the bigger issue is bullpen management. Girardi seems to act like he has a formula for taking out the SPs and when to change from RP to RP. But in one game he’s going through RPs like a hot knife like butter when there is no reason to keep using them up. Then in another game he seems to leave any one RP in too long when they aren’t doing well.
So, it seems like he needs to stop looking at numbers and looking at PEOPLE and current PERFORMANCE from the bullpen. Put a guy in. Doing good? Leave him in. Doing bad? Take him out. And by doing bad I mean——-walk or extra base hit to first guy up——that’s when you bring in someone else. Not after he’s gotten 2 outs with no men on.
All that being said…..sure…Arod could bat 3rd and I wouldn’t exactly call that a bad thing or would I call it a major lineup change. Just a little flip flop to maybe get Tex better pitches to hit.
by Ragnar808 on Oct 25, 2009 10:26 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Hate to tell you
Yeah A-rods been doing awesome batting 4th so lets change things, RI-FUCKIN-Diculous GUY! Also Girardi ain’t getting fired even if they lose this series (which I don’t think will happen) Yankees win tonight.
by bronx joey on Oct 25, 2009 12:00 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
what?
Ya you are right. I guess Tex third and A-Rod fourth didn’t really work during the season, so Girardi is stupid to not change it on possibly one of the last days of the year…
Also, if A-Rod batted ahead of Tex right now, he would be walked in every at bat, because Tex is slumping. Overall, it would take the Yankees hottest bat away, and put a slumping hitter in the big situations. Oppose to having a slumping hitter get the best pitches, and the hot hitter in the clutch situations. I’ll go with option #2.
by lennysyankees on Oct 25, 2009 12:16 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
No.
..."I predict...the Giants are #1"...
...."That's not a prediction meatman, that's a FACT OF LIFE"!.
---Carl
by FreeBradshaw on Oct 25, 2009 12:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Just because he hasn’t done it doesn’t mean he hasn’t considered it.
Jeter-Damon-Tex-ARod is the lineup that got us into the post season, the lineup that gave us the best record in baseball. I see no reason to change it now.
The most obvious change though, the one he seems to be doing now, is flipping Jorge and Matsui. Jorge is the hotter bat, and Matsui is more likely to be pinch run for. It makes sense to flip them so you don’t end up with Hairston or Guzman “protecting” ARod.
The one move I wish he would consider is moving Cano to 9th. He sucks with RiSP. With Swisher’s dead bat, there’s a good chance Cano would start to act like a pre-leadoff hitter, and with Jeter behind him, pitchers will have to give him better pitches.
by misterd on Oct 25, 2009 1:45 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
im honestly surprised that this post made it to the "front page" of the blog
what are visiting members going to think?
by Brian5517209 on Oct 25, 2009 2:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Firing Girardi???
What is this?
The linup works through the whole season, …..why change the order now?
ARod is an excellent player, and he hit in any position in the order at bat and this is better to Texeira, and I think Texeira is not sucessfull at four.
Anyway the team is the best right now and Girardi is part of this, w/ wrong and good decisions.
by eugesports on Oct 27, 2009 1:07 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Get off the guy
how many close games did we win this year? He should get credit for that. In a DS game we were out hit by the twins and still won.
Its ARod we are talking about. When he is going well, dont mess with it. God forbid he feels pressure being moved to third and crumbles. He is the first one to say Tex is the team MVP.
And replacing Robertson with Aceves, he didnt want a fast ball pitcher throwing to a fast ball hitter. He brought in Aceves, a breaking ball guy. We had 11 innings to get more runs. Looking at our winning percentage in extra inning games, playing match ups has worked this season.
by ryanwk628 on Oct 27, 2009 9:17 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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