Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports
Alex Rodriguez said that he no longer wants to talk about anything but what happens on the field, and wants to focus on helping the New York Yankees make the playoffs. This is because all the talk about A-Rod concerns off the field issues, even though he has produced surprising well.
In the 14 games he’s played this year, Rodriguez is posting a .296 average with two home runs and six RBIs — his most recent homer being the farthest hit by a Yankees player this year. His numbers have been far better than any other player to play third base for the Yanks this season.
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The problem is that he has been battling with the Yankees organization and MLB ever since his 211-game suspension was proposed. Now that he is focusing on baseball and not appeals and court cases, will he be even more productive for the Bronx Bombers?
In my mind, he is doing as well as he possibly could so far. He’s playing a good third base defensively, hitting for some power while keeping his average around the .300 mark. In the past three years, he batted in the .270s with the average power he is showing now. If these numbers continue for the rest of the season, it would be more than adequate, especially for a player dealing with all the outside issues that A-Rod is.
He said that if a media member asks him a question about anything but what happened on the diamond, the interview would be over. If he really is that serious about playing, it’s a possibility that he will produce more than he already has, but I don’t see that happening.
