A-Rod at shortstop- cool

[rotterdam_82]

He should be playing SS regardless. Now thats a VERY old conversation......

[MMoNeY24]

Just wanted to add that Russ Johnson is awful.

[TB13]

Bobby, that's very old news by now. Alex's days as a shortstop are over with this team. Alex is the starting third baseman now and as such, on days off for Jeter, he will continue to play his position. He's paid to be the team's 3B, not a utility infielder. That's why teams have backups (see Sanchez at SS).

Think about it. When Jeter's not in the game, you have to have a backup playing SS or 3B if for no reason Alex were to play SS. By definition, the backups know how to play the positions they are backups for and act as substitutes if the starter is not playing. Now the Yankees could have Alex play his position and put Sanchez in at SS or have Alex play a position he hasn't played in a year plus and have Johnson play 3B. No matter what you have a backup at 3B or SS. You thereby do not make any benefit by taking a starter out of his position just because you feel like it.

Very well said.

[Simulacrum]

Bummer. Guess I got a little excited there thinking how great it would be to be able to plug in A-Rod at shortstop for the rest of the season.

[BobbyRoberto]

blankman wrote:

Bobby, that's very old news by now. Alex's days as a shortstop are over with this team. Alex is the starting third baseman now and as such, on days off for Jeter, he will continue to play his position. He's paid to be the team's 3B, not a utility infielder. That's why teams have backups (see Sanchez at SS).

Think about it. When Jeter's not in the game, you have to have a backup playing SS or 3B if for no reason Alex were to play SS. By definition, the backups know how to play the positions they are backups for and act as substitutes if the starter is not playing. Now the Yankees could have Alex play his position and put Sanchez in at SS or have Alex play a position he hasn't played in a year plus and have Johnson play 3B. No matter what you have a backup at 3B or SS. You thereby do not make any benefit by taking a starter out of his position just because you feel like it.

That makes sense, I'll buy it. I might not do the same thing myself, but Joe Torre's won a few more World Series rings than I have. On the other hand, right now the Yankees are playing a 2B (Womack and his .301 OBP/.289 SLG) in LF and a LF (Matsui) in CF, so they can get the mighty bat of Robinson Cano (.258/.275/.402, .677 OPS) in the lineup, so I wouldn't say having two players playing out of position is currently something they're trying to avoid.

[blankman]

blankman wrote:

Bobby, that's very old news by now. Alex's days as a shortstop are over with this team. Alex is the starting third baseman now and as such, on days off for Jeter, he will continue to play his position. He's paid to be the team's 3B, not a utility infielder. That's why teams have backups (see Sanchez at SS).

Think about it. When Jeter's not in the game, you have to have a backup playing SS or 3B if for no reason Alex were to play SS. By definition, the backups know how to play the positions they are backups for and act as substitutes if the starter is not playing. Now the Yankees could have Alex play his position and put Sanchez in at SS or have Alex play a position he hasn't played in a year plus and have Johnson play 3B. No matter what you have a backup at 3B or SS. You thereby do not make any benefit by taking a starter out of his position just because you feel like it.

That makes sense, I'll buy it. I might not do the same thing myself, but Joe Torre's won a few more World Series rings than I have. On the other hand, right now the Yankees are playing a 2B (Womack and his .301 OBP/.289 SLG) in LF and a LF (Matsui) in CF, so they can get the mighty bat of Robinson Cano (.258/.275/.402, .677 OPS) in the lineup, so I wouldn't say having two players playing out of position is currently something they're trying to avoid.

Again, you're wrong.

Matsui played CF in his Japanese career and Womack has played a full season in the outfield before. The OF is very different from the IF and it's much easier to learn LF when you've already learned RF (Womack) than to move around in the IF. Matsui is now the starting CF, because Bernie was not doing well enough to be a starter. Womack is the starting LF now.

2B is not Womack's position. His position is LF, but he's able to play 2B. Matsui's position is CF, but he can play LF. There's a difference.

The fact that each player is now the starter at that position (Womack: LF, Matsui: CF) negates your statement, because their current position is their position.

[BobbyRoberto]

So you want to claim that Womack's position is LF when, until this season, he hadn't played regularly in the outfield since 1999, but A-Rod shouldn't play any shortstop even though he was a great shortstop as recently as 2003?

Womack is not an asset to the team in LF, as a hitter or fielder. In LF, you need a bat, not Rey Sanchez-lite.

Matsui is not who you want in centerfield on a championship-caliber team.

Just because the Yankees are starting them at those spots doesn't mean it's a good idea or that they're not playing out of position. The Yankees defense is dead last in Defensive Efficiency (the ability to turn hit balls into outs) and those two guys are part of the problem.

[blankman]

Womack is not an asset to the team in LF, as a hitter or fielder. In LF, you need a bat, not Rey Sanchez-lite.

Then what do you call Carl Crawford?

It all depends on what's on the rest of the team. Look at the Yankees. They've got "bats" as you say at 3B, RF, 1B, DH, CF, C. They hardly need a "bat" in Left Field.

[BobbyRoberto]

I don't think Carl Crawford is out of position in CF, he's a good outfielder with great speed. Hideki Matsui isn't the athlete that Crawford is, doesn't have that speed and isn't as good an outfielder.

And true, the Yankees have plenty of bats to cover for Womack's weak hitting, which is good because they need them with the way their pitching staff has looked this season.

Yankees leftfielders: .248/.312/.329, .641 OPS, last in the American League and 29th in MLB.

Yankees AL-rank in OPS by positiOn:
C-4th
1B-4th
2B-10th
SS-4th
3B-1st
LF-14th
CF-9th
RF-1st
DH-12th

Looks like 2B, LF, CF, and DH are problem areas.

[blankman]

I don't think Carl Crawford is out of position in CF, he's a good outfielder with great speed. Hideki Matsui isn't the athlete that Crawford is, doesn't have that speed and isn't as good an outfielder.

I hate to break it to you, but Carl Crawford is a LEFT FIELDER, hence my point that you don't need to be a slugger to play Left Field.

As for the rest, Matsui is obviously underperforming power and average-wise and Cano is a 23 year old ROOKIE. Derek Jeter hit .250 his first year up with the club and look at him now. You're very naive if you expect a 23 year old rookie to have no problems in his first time up from the minors.

And since when do you need a top player at every position to win? You're telling me the Yankees can't win without a great player in LF or 2B? Look at their championship players at those positions, Curtis, Ledee, Knoblauch..harldy a top player in the bunch. It's just sheer foly to expect the team to have a top-4 player at every position.

Finally, rather than attempt to make yourself feel better by putting fault on the Yankees, take a look at whoever your team is and most likely they've got more problems than the Yankees do.