An afternoon social coffee with … guess who?

Author by SocraticGadflyPosted in Baseball, Marketing, Player News

I’m sure it’s no surprise to any intelligent follower of baseball on Planet Earth, but the Yankee player that fans most love to hate … 

Will retire after next season when his current contract runs out.

So, does A-Rod have chances at more milestones? Let’s look at his career on B-Ref.

He’s 28 HRs behind the Babe for third all time. Should get that, barring injury. Not likely to get the 69 to pass Aaron, let alone 76 for Bonds.

On sabermetrics, he needs 5 career WAR, B-Ref version, to be 10th among position players.

On counting stats? Just 243 total bases, very reachable, puts him past Bonds for fourth all time. Another 90 passes Mays and he has an outside shot at Musial. Eighth in runs scored, he’ll likely pass Mays, with a shot at Ruth and Rose. Fifth in RBIs, he’ll pass Cap Anson with an outside shot at Ruth.

Meanwhile, another player starts his retirement tour now. Per an ESPN brief:

First leg of David Ortiz’s farewell tour will take place Monday in Fort Myers. Red Sox announce he will be honored before final home spring-training game, with ’34’ painted on field and pregame ceremony.

Ready for some Sawks-Yankee action, eh?

Finally, in Forbes’ annual team valuation, the Pinstripes are first (surprise) and Boston third. The Dollars of LA hold second. Giants, Cubs, Mets and Cards are 4-7.

The Forbes piece is worth a read by itself. On the second page, it talks about the future of MLB Advanced Media (whose revenue is equally shared by the 30 teams) and other things. And, it lays out continued appreciation in team values, etc., which all mean …

Contra a certain other site …

Baseball is NOT Dying!

12 thoughts on “An afternoon social coffee with … guess who?”

  2. I think he has no interest in breaking the HR record or in even passing Aaron. He still wants people to like him, and he knows that people will like him less (or hate him more or more actively) if he breaks the HR record. In the current climate, holding that record isn’t worth anything if you have any PED taint (unless your name is Hank Aaron, then PED taint away because getting a free energy boost every day during a long season in your late 30s and 40s is fine, just fine), so holding it is actually a net negative for ARod.

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  4. My thought of A-Rod is that he doesn’t care about what people think, or perhaps equates that with media portrayal. Last year he came in low key, and controversy was waiting – remember he got to spring training early and caused a bit of kerfuffle? He kept it low key on his part and it worked: media coverage gradually became positive. (Of course positive is a relative – “Alex Rodriguez does nothing controversial” is a poor headline and was replaced by “A-Rod behaving like a normal human being” or something to that effect.)

    Why did he go to Texas? Was Texas good at that time? Did the Rangers have a 2013 Cubs-like minor league roster waiting to move up? No! but Texas was a place were he could possibly average 50 HR for ten years and that would be quite a number – close to 700 HR total at 35 years old. I believe he has been thinking of his entire career – his legacy – for quite some time.

    Paper Lion, if he truly wants to avoid controversy he would not limit his active career – he’s now saying he’s going to wait and see, not planning to retire after 2017. http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/is-it-over–alex-rodriguez-to-retire-following-the-2017-season-183202640.html
    If Alex does want to keep his low profile “I’m just another ballplayer” persona he would be foolish to set a date. Imagine the retirement of Ortiz, a much less controversial ballplayer yet one also widely hated. I still haven’t decided to go or not go to the Big A in July, when the Red Sox drop in. Do I go to honor the “It’s our f-ing city” guy or stay home to avoid the big to-do over the crybaby “that was a hit, not an error” doofus?

    Only one thing is certain: count on Alex changing his mind no matter what he says now. Oh, and another certainty: barring injury this summer he will pass 4th-ranked Sammy Sosa soon (Sosa 2306 SO, A-Rod 2220).

    I actually like Alex, but I don’t count on him – as in all baseball, there can be no certainty.

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    1. Good post, tmc, but I will disagree on one point, I think A-Rod does care what people think. But I think after years of total tone deafness, he has awakened to the fact that he isn’t going to change things quickly or easily. So he lies low and plays baseball.

      Probably the best he can do, while time and a decent baseball performance this year allow some healing..

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    2. Why did he go to Texas?

      Because they offered $100M more than the Mets. Boras was trying to sign the largest FA contract ever, and he ended up beating it by 2x (Kevin Garnett’s deal).

      Also there’s no way he gets a contract after ’17. He’s going to get blackballed Bondsed out of baseball even if he asks for the veteran minimum.

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      1. That said, Bonds had legit value even at the time of his somewhat forcible retirement. A-Rod can’t play any defensive position now; wait until the end of 2017. And, I wouldn’t be surprised if his OPS+ for 2017 is below 110.

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        1. Bonds value is the same as Arods now, all in their respective bats. But it’s just Bonds bat was (and might still be) far better than Arod’s.

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      2. Yeah, Bonds was still one of the best hitters in the game…not good or very good, but motherfuckingfantastic….and not a single team even talked to him, even after he offered to play for the league minimum.

        The Reds just re-signed a murderer and a rapist (probably), but no team would sign a guy because of possible media backlash? As much as the media loved to hate him, interviews with his former team mates showed they didn’t mind him much at all.

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      3. Oh yes, the money was the primary reason I agree. He didn’t go to Tezas just to get a few more longballs. But it helped.

        I’m not so sure about equating the Bonds free agency. Several new owners and a new Commish, but mainly the lack of the media firestorm that was just starting as Bonds was retiring. All good points from you folks.

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