A-rod or Beltran

[SaintsOfTheDiamond]

Beltran for me. I think both are generally overrated, but Beltran is the only real legit 40-40 threat now. If he gets his AVG up around .290ish then he's head and shoulders above A-Rod IMO because I don't think '04 was a fluke for him in NY.

[NY Yankees Fan 2004]

I'll take A-rod over Beltran. Beltran is going to Shea which is not a good hitters park and will hurt his numbers. His average also concers me.
His steal will be nice, but he won't go 40-40.

A-rod I excpect better numbers last year. I just think that he needed that year of adjusting to the Pressure of NY and all that other stuff. I see no reasons why A-rods steals will go down this season.

So the only category I see Beltran Winning is steals this year.

[Yin_Xu88]

I'll take A-rod over Beltran. Beltran is going to Shea which is not a good hitters park and will hurt his numbers.

How is Shea going to hurt him? if you look at his away/home split stats, it shows that Beltrans number werent only high because played at MM and Kauffman. In fact he played a lot better on the road

[CubsFan7724]

I like Beltran over ARod, but I like Vlad over both. But Beltran will have more steals and 30 some HR, and good runs and RBI. And his average won't be that much lower than ARod.

[Cleveland Steamers]

ARod above Beltran. What has Beltran proved? He IS a 40-40 threat but I dont see it happening. He has hit over 30HR once. He hit below .270 last year. He is now in his prime, but has moved from a huge hitting park in Minute Maid to a pitcher's park in Shea. He isnt surrounded by Bagwell, Berkman, Biggio, etc. He is now surrounded by Piazza, Matsui, Reyes, Cameron, etc. I would say its a bit of a downgrade. His walks should increase, average is lucky to increase since he has proven in the past to be an aggressive swinger. When pitchers start pitching around him, he is more likely to start swinging at bad pitches. I think he is a top 4 pick, but is it worth the risk when ARod is available? ARod will hit 40HR and steal 20+, along with 100+runs and 110+RBI. People are hoping Beltran goes .290 37HR 100+runs 100+RBI and 35+SB. Id say thats a huge year and a bit unlikely. ARod is a guarantee to have a great year. Early picks are about guarantees, Id take ARod.

[Yin_Xu88]

ARod above Beltran. What has Beltran proved? He IS a 40-40 threat but I dont see it happening. He has hit over 30HR once. He hit below .270 last year. He is now in his prime, but has moved from a huge hitting park in Minute Maid to a pitcher's park in Shea. He isnt surrounded by Bagwell, Berkman, Biggio, etc. He is now surrounded by Piazza, Matsui, Reyes, Cameron, etc. I would say its a bit of a downgrade. His walks should increase, average is lucky to increase since he has proven in the past to be an aggressive swinger. When pitchers start pitching around him, he is more likely to start swinging at bad pitches. I think he is a top 4 pick, but is it worth the risk when ARod is available? ARod will hit 40HR and steal 20+, along with 100+runs and 110+RBI. People are hoping Beltran goes .290 37HR 100+runs 100+RBI and 35+SB. Id say thats a huge year and a bit unlikely. ARod is a guarantee to have a great year. Early picks are about guarantees, Id take ARod.

you have to remember that He only played in Houston for 1/2 of a season, and his stats at KC before getting traded to Houston were pretty similar. Also who was he surrounded by in KC? the only name I can think of is Mike Sweeney

[Tye]

I would take Pay-Rod

[WittyC]

Must we debate A-Rod vs. 'Los every day? I would say that on these boards, Beltran tends to get favored. However, A-Rod's seems to be getting drafted higher, on average. If you can't decide, just flip a coin. Of course, if A-Rod's heads I'd get a quarter w/ Washington's picture on both sides.

[watts1931]

i agree with the guy that said a-rod is a guarantee. A-rod will post numbers. Beltran is a risk if you ask me. As is Vlad, hes an injury risk. A-rod is almost never injured, he plays all the time, and he posts numbers. Last season, he was adjusting to the yankees..probably the toughest team to come to. Sure there great, but thats the problem. A lot of pressure was put on him to perform. Put yourself in his shoes: hes practically the most paid fielder in the game, he was moved to a new position, hes on a team of all stars, and he was expected to come in and "win" the world series. Thats tough for a player. I expect this season for him to come in and play his game. Besides the fact that hes getting into rivalries now with boston, which will make him that much more effective. Take A-rod

[Amazinz]

NY may be the toughest city to come to due to the media attention but it really wasn't anything new for Arod. He has always been one of the most heralded players in the game who receives a massive amount of attention. It's like wondering whether or not Bonds could handle the attention.

Also, there has always been a lot of pressure on Arod. Look what was expected of him in Texas after signing the huge contract. I would say there was more pressure on him there. He doesn't have to carry the Yankees on his back.

As far as coming to a team of all all-stars, boo-hoo. If only most hitters could be so lucky.

The one argument I do buy is the position change. Learning a new position no doubt detracted from his focus on hitting.