This is the second installment of my starting pitching capsules from my trip down to the Florida State League to watch the High A Tampa Yankees play.

I saw quite a few games which included four of the five starting pitchers. The one starter I did not see pitch was Dellin Betances.

The first capsule can be seen here, and included right-handed pitcher Adam Warren and left-handed pitcher Manuel Banuelos. I like both those guys, and can see Warren (who reminds me of Greg Maddux) and Banuelos (who reminds me of Johan Santana with a better curve ball), getting to the Bronx by 2012.

Which reminds me, I am not saying these pitchers will have those types of careers, but they have similarities.

After my report on Warren, he was promoted to Double A Trenton where he has made two starts, and has a 2-0 record and 2.25 ERA. I saw him again in Trenton and we spoke a bit about his season. I mentioned to him that I saw Graham Stoneburner for Charleston, wrote a report, and then he was promoted to High A Tampa. I then saw Warren pitch in Tampa, wrote the report, and he was then promoted to Trenton.

I asked Warren who else does he want me to see so they can get promoted. He replied, "keep coming to my starts." He is very mild-mannered kid, and has a good sense of humor.

This capsule includes another left-handed/right-handed due, Shaeffer Hall and aforementioned Stoneburner. I saw both of these guys pitch for Low A Charleston in early May and again in Tampa.

Shaeffer Hall - LHP   6"0", 185 lbs.

Hall was the RiverDogs opening day starter, throwing six innings and allowing three hits, no walks while striking out four. Of the 13 other outs recorded, Hall generated nine ground outs, including one double play.

The first time I met Shaeffer Hall, he was in the Charleston clubhouse on their trip north to the Lakewood (NJ) Blue Claws.

Here was my first question:

Joseph DelGrippo: "Last year in college, Stephen Strasburg threw a no-hitter against the Air Force Academy. Do you know the other college pitcher who threw a no-hitter against Air Force last year?

Shaeffer Hall: Laughing out loud saying, "Yeah, you're looking at him, but I guess you already knew that."

Yes, I did. Hall threw an early season February nine inning no-hitter for the University of Kansas. The Jayhawks have a good baseball program but it is overlooked because of a great Kansas hoops team and other well-known Big 12 baseball programs such as Texas, Oklahoma and Nebraska.

Later that season, Hall pitched a complete game shutout against Dartmouth in the NCAA tournament. He was the Jayhawks Friday night starter in 2009, indicating he was the ace of that staff.

However, he did not have a great season going 5-6 with a 4.18 ERA in 15 starts, but his walk rate of 0.97 per nine innings attracted the Yankees. New York likes to take college pitchers who they feel pitched well but were the victim of "metal bat syndrome."

Hall appears to fit into that category. He is also a hard worker, who worked to lose about 20 pounds from his college frame. I noticed the difference from his college photos to his body type in Lakewood.

Due to a slight shoulder strain, Hall only threw nine professional innings last season for short season Staten Island. The 2010 season is basically Hall's first full year in pro baseball.

It's funny, but Hall has had such a good season in his first full year in pro baseball, but in the two games I saw him pitch were his two worst outings of the year.

While I was "good luck" for Stoneburner and Warren, I am like a pariah of sorts for Hall.

Hall is a fastball, curveball, change-up guy who relies primarily on precise location to be effective. And based upon his results this season, he does have great control and command within the strike zone. He works quickly (a great trait) and can throw all three of his pitches for strikes.

RiverDogs pitching coach Jeff Ware agrees. "He has great command of all three of his pitches. When he has all three working and keeping the ball down, he is on top of his game. He can strike you out and can induce lots of ground balls. Schaef is also well prepared and hard-working. It is a great combination."

Hall needs to be precise because he does not throw that hard, mostly 87-89, barely touching 90 a few times, but has some fastballs hovering around the 85 range. His curve ball is a nice weapon (mostly around 74), but while it has good bite, it is not consistent with its depth. Shaeffer sometimes leaves this pitch up, especially to right-handed hitters.

Like almost all Yankee farm hand pitchers, Hall's out pitch is his change-up. It will arrive normally in the 76 range, and has decent bite, running slightly away from righties. It is not as good as Banuelos' on an every pitch basis but it does have the ability to get lot of weakly hit balls in play.

Hall needs to also have an umpire who has a liberal outlook on strikes. In the game I witnessed in May up in Lakewood, the umpire has a very tight zone and would not give Hall any pitches on the corner. It forced Hall to bring his pitches over the plate more, where they proceeded to get hit.

In speaking with Hall after that game, he did not blame the umpiring, but said the zone was a little "tighter" than the day before. "I wasn't getting many calls on the corners," Hall said. "But I still need to work around that and throw better pitches when guys got on base."

But that is what happens when a pitcher does not have "put away" stuff. Hall needs to work the strike zone in and out, down and away. If Hall does not get the pitches on the corner called strikes, the hitters will adjust to the tighter zone. And Hall can get hit hard when he brings the ball back over the outer and inner thirds of the plate.

In Tampa, it was more of the same. Lots of hits against Hall, who despite not walking anyone, was battered around. Some hits were dinks and dunks, but others were really belted. He seemed to not have command of his fastball. Around 88 with the fastball and similar as in Lakewood with the curve ball (74-75) and change-up (76).

Shaeffer Hall is a very nice pitcher, but is likely not going to be in any future Yankee plans. They just do not like that type of pitcher, a guy who doesn't have dominant stuff with "great upside."

Hall reminds me of former Yankee Chase Wright, but I expect Hall to get more than just a cursory major league look. Mark Buehrle and maybe Jamie Moyer would also be good comparisons to what type of pitcher Hall is stuff wise.

Hall might be best suited as a left-handed relief specialist, but deserves to progress as a starter for at least another season or two.

Hall is a great kid who really likes the Yankees organization. My time in Tampa was during the Cliff Lee trade scenarios and Hall, Stoneburner and Adam Warren were asking me about what I had heard.

Graham Stoneburner - RHP  6'1", 180 lbs

I also saw Stoneburner pitch twice, once in Lakewood and once in Tampa. He was great both times, and you can read about the Lakewood game here.

Stoneburner has a power fastball, above average to plus slider and a vastly improving change-up. When I saw him in Lakewood back in early May, I was told by one scout that Graham did not possess a good change. But his performance in that game, and other which followed proved that assessment incorrect.

The change-up was pretty good and he threw it quite often, generating lots of swings and misses. It had good downward bite as did his slider and two-seam fastball, which moves in both directions.

When asked about the change-up, Stoneburner said, "I think my change-up is coming along really well. It was pretty good all spring and I have more confidence in throwing, even in some fastball counts. The more I throw it, the better I get a feel for it."  

That is the important thing about the change-up. Some pitchers don't get a good feel for it, then they scrap it for long periods of time, which is a huge mistake.

It is a credit to Stoneburner that he continues to go with the pitch in different situations.

Graham has an explosive fastball which reached up to 96 MPH in the Lakewood start. In fact, in Stoneburner's 95th pitch against Blue Claws that day saw him bring a 95 MPH up and in fastball past the No. 5 hitter Darin Ruff.

Stoneburner is a power pitcher to the core. He goes right after hitters and doesn't mince his pitches as he throws strike after strike. He also has the rare ability to throw that hard and still command his arsenal within the strike zone.

His slider was consistently around 80-81 showing good, late break. Many people have talked about him needing to "tighten" up the slider, but I did not see any real need to alter that pitch as it appeared the same both times I saw him pitch. Stoneburner even told me in Tampa that he has thrown the slider the same way all season.

With his really good fastball/slider combination, some people have talked about Stoneburner becoming a power reliever as he moves further up the Yankee ladder. Maybe near the end of this season, that might happen as Double A Trenton goes into a playoff push and Stoneburner has already eclipsed 104 innings.

I spoke to him in July at a Tampa game and he feels he will be a 130-140 inning pitcher this year. It is a possibility, and I would like to see hin challenged again this season. But the Yankees do not like to promote a pitcher two times in one season, and with this being Graham's first pro season, it is unlikely he will be moved to Trenton.

But with four pitches which he commands well, Stoneburner can be a real good starting pitcher. He has shown that this season in two levels, and owns one of the best WHIP's for a starting pitcher in the minor leagues with a 0.90. 

Although he has a somewhat long arm action in the back, Stoneburner's delivery appears to be consistent, and the control numbers are good. He has issued only 26 walks in 104 IP (2.25 per 9 IP), a great number considering how hard Stoneburner throws.

He reminds me of Tim Hudson, a sinewy guy with a smallish frame who throws hard, with control, and has a good slider.

While the Yankees always trade away their fringy prospects, Stoneburner is much more than a fringe prospect and can be a vital member of the Yankees pitching staff as soon as 2012.

He should not be traded, but given every opportunity to continue up the ranks as a starting pitcher.

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Bloomquist, 32, literally plays every position on the field except pitcher and catcher. Unfortunately for him, he doesn’t hit. His career OPS+ is 75 and even though he’s actually outdone that this season with an 81 OPS+, that still isn’t very impressive.

Bloomquist is actually a pretty good infielder, but not necessarily the strongest outfielder. So he wouldn’t be an upgrade offensively or defensively over Colin Curtis. Realistically, he’s not much better at any aspect of the game than Ramiro Pena either. If the Yankees were going to trade for this guy, they might as well stick with Pena or call up Eduardo Nunez.

Related Stories

• June 22, 2010 -- Yankees Trade Rumors: Focus is on the Bench (7)

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The Yankees have offered their top prospects in deals for pitchers Cliff Lee and Dan Haren, but have not done so in any deals for Dunn. The supposed reason for this is because the Yankees viewed Lee and Haren as real difference makers and Dunn as more of a bonus than a necessity.

They do have the most potent offense in baseball, leading the league in runs scored. So it wouldn’t make sense to mortgage the future or deal prospects that they could include in more essential deals than one for Dunn.

The Yankees were also concerned about Dunn because the outfielder has repeatedly said he does not want to DH. That’s a big part of the reason the Rays backed away from him as they saw how unproductive Pat Burrell had become, another slugger who didn’t want to become a DH.

Sherman said the Yankees could still change their minds and acquire Dunn, but it would have to take a significant drop in the asking price for him.

Related Stories

• July 29, 2010 -- Yankees Notes: Burnett, Igawa, Quite Deadline, Tejada & Dunn Rumors, Moseley (2)
• July 25, 2010 -- Yankees Trade Rumors: Soria, Dunn, Haren, Oswalt, Wigginton, Peralta, Ross (0)
• July 18, 2010 -- Yankees Trade Rumors: Latest on Adam Dunn (0)
• July 17, 2010 -- Yankees Trade Rumors: Yanks Like Dunn and Soria (0)

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There is no denying the fact that Alex Rodriguez is having a bit of an off-year.

Entering July, his batting average and slugging percentage have dropped and he hasn’t been quite as patient at the plate. In July, he started turning things around, at least power-wise, by cracking five homers in the first 17 games of the month. His average and patience hadn’t totally returned, but it was a start.

Then he hit home run No. 599.

Since that time, just six games, A-Rod has gone cold. In that span, he has a decent batting average of .280. However, with just one walk, his OBP is a lowly .333 and his slugging percentage is almost non-existent (in A-Rod’s terms) at .360.

A-Rod says he’s happy with his approach at the plate , but when he’s not walking and not picking up many extra base hits, you know things are going wrong.

No need to sound any alarms here.

A-Rod will eventually come out of this funk, which has only been six games so far anyways. Hopefully he does it sooner than later though. You do get the feeling that he’s going to need to hit No. 600 to turn it around though.

So here’s hoping that he hits 600 tonight just so we can get this over with already and get back to the same old A-Rod.

Related Stories

• July 25, 2010 -- Yankees Notes: Recap, Aceves, A-Rod, Haren (0)
• July 24, 2010 -- Yankees Notes: Burnett, Milestones, Albaladejo, Swisher, Guillen (2)
• July 23, 2010 -- When and Where will A-Rod Hit No. 600? (1)
• July 23, 2010 -- Yankees Notes: A Mural, an Estate Tax, Arm Bands, Cubs, and a Bat Boy (0)

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By now, the biggest question surrounding Alex Rodriguez’s 600th home run may not be where/what section in the stadium, but when?

Two long weeks ago, here at SeatGeek, we released our initial report on where Alex Rodriguez’s 600th home run may land at Yankee Stadium. There was a substantial likelihood that A-Rod would hit the milestone home run towards the end of the Yankees’ nine game home stand which began after the All-Star break.

One week ago, A-Rod hit career home run number 599, and had three games left on the current home stand to hit the milestone homer in front of the home crowd. Yet, A-Rod did not hit 600 in New York, and he took his chase with him to Cleveland, as the Yankees were slotted to play four games versus the Indians at Progressive Field.

SeatGeek and Hit Tracker followed up our initial report with a prediction of where the historic ball may land at Progressive Field. Given the frequency in which Rodriguez has hit home runs this season and in the past, there again was a high percentage chance he would hit one home run during the Cleveland series. Yet, three games have passed, and A-Rod has gone homerless. Now, here we are, preparing to release another report with a prediction of where A-Rod’s 600th home run ball may land at Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay (the Yankees play their next three games after tonight versus the Rays–let us know if you want a sneak peak at the data).

Throughout the coverage of A-Rod’s milestone chase, SeatGeek and Hit Tracker have kept track of the percentage chances of when A-Rod may hit his 600th home run.

By now, everyone is wondering when (if ever!) will A-Rod actually hit number 600?

At this point, there is a 22 percent chance that Rodriguez puts one in the bleachers during tonight’s game at Progressive Field. Remember, if he does, the most likely section is Section 182, while "The Money Seat” is Section 181, Row J, the aisle seat in between Sections 180 and 181.

If A-Rod does not hit a home run tonight, there is a 42% chance that he hits it during one of the three games versus the Rays in Tampa. If he doesn’t hit it at Tropicana Field, then there is a 29% chance he hits it during the Yankees next home stand (seven games), beginning August 2nd–track Yankees ticket prices updated daily to track the impact, if any, that A-Rod is having on the secondary ticket market.

Don’t lose hope Yankees' fans! If you were hoping to see A-Rod hit his 600th at Yankee Stadium, there is still a chance!

If you want to go to any of the upcoming games in which the Yankees play and A-Rod may hit 600, SeatGeek is the place to get your tickets! Click on a game below to see the best ticket deals around on the secondary ticket market:

7/29 Yankees @ Indians

7/30 Yankees @ Rays

7/31 Yankees @ Rays

8/1 Yankees @ Rays

If you have any questions or data inquiries, don’t hesitate to email me at justin@seatgeek.com. Also, don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @SeatGeek, “Like” us on Facebook, and stop by SeatGeek for all of your ticket needs.

This article is also featured on SeatGeek Sports Blog

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Last July, I wrote a story titled "Joba Chamberlain for Roy Halladay: Would You Pull the Trigger? " I did this with a straight face. There were no drugs in my system at the time.

It seems laughable now, but there was logic to it in the salad days of 2009. Chamberlain's breakout 2007 season was still somewhat fresh, and he had shown enough potential as a starter to make you think he would eventually develop into a front-line pitcher.

Most people who commented on the story didn't believe the Blue Jays—then Halladay's team—would have any interest, but there was a vocal minority who said Chamberlain was good enough to be the centerpiece of a trade package.

Even crazier, some believed Joba was too good to be traded at all. In a poll of 135 people, 32.6% said that Joba was untouchable.

Halladay was eventually dealt to the Phillies in the offseason, where he's put up his typical Cy Young-worthy numbers. Chamberlain, meanwhile, has regressed to the point that he's inserted into 8-0 games like yesterday.

You have to earn such an indignity, and Chamberlain has certainly done that with his 5.86 ERA.

Of course, the working theory is that the Yankees "messed up" Chamberlain, that the "Joba Rules" and all the ridiculous strategy that it entailed somehow stunted the right-hander's development.

This is nothing more than a big fat excuse.

I'm reading Bill Madden's excellent biography on George Steinbrenner right now, and let me tell you something, that was a man who could stunt a player's development.

Back when Ron Guidry was coming through the system, Steinbrenner—angered by a rocky spring training appearance—said within earshot of the then 25-year-old, "He'll never be more than a Triple-A pitcher!"

Guidry was so distraught by the criticism that he packed up his things and began to drive back to Lafayette, Louisiana. Only a pep talk by his wife got him to change his mind about quitting.

That , my friends, is how you mess with a young pitcher. On a related note, has enough time passed for me to say that George was a complete and utter buffoon? Let me know.

Was Joba coddled unnecessarily? I think even the Yankees would admit that now. But more than anything, the "Joba Rules" were about ensuring Chamberlain's health, and from that standpoint you could say it was successful.

Chamberlain is healthy right now, if not healthy looking. He appears to be carrying more weight this season than in the '07-'09 era. He has visible love handles, and his face has swollen to Bambino-sized proportions. Once a big boy with a baby face, Joba is starting to take on a Bobby Jenks-type mold.

Is a lack of conditioning behind his struggles? I wouldn't go that far, a relief pitcher doesn't need to be cut like Apollo Creed, and one look at CC Sabathia proves that, um, husky guys can excel on the mound.

But something's off, and Chamberlain better figure it out quick. If he thought coming into an eight-run game in Cleveland was a buzz kill, perhaps he should picture what it'd be like to waste away in the Kansas City Royals' bullpen in 2011.

Dan Hanzus writes the Yankees blog River & Sunset and can be reached via e-mail at dhanzus@gmail.com. Follow Dan on Twitter @danhanzus .

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Alex Rodriguez once again failed to hit home run No. 600 (he did hit one off the right field wall), but the Yankees won 8-0 in an easy game against the Indians anyway.

Here are some notes:

• AJ Burnett got the win, he is now 3-0 with a 2.00 ERA in July.
• Kei Igawa continues to disappoint, and everyone wants him out. And the Yankees would have had to take a luxury tax hit if they had traded him.
• Joel Sherman of the Post warns us that it might be a quiet July 31st trade deadline.
• Jon Heyman of SI backs that up with two not-so-exciting rumors. The Orioles aren’t interested in dealing Miguel Tejada to the Yankees after all. And the Yankees are still interested in Adam Dunn, but there have been no talks.
• Dustin Moseley will get the start tonight against the Indians in place of Andy Pettitte .

Sorry I don’t have more elaborate information regarding Kei Igawa. I’m actually interested in seeing how that works, do they really get a bigger tax hit if they trade him than if they hold on to him?

Also, I’m not excited to see Moseley start for the Yankees. At least it’s against the Indians. Too bad it wasn’t last night though. Hopefully they can score eight runs again.

Related Stories

• July 2, 2010 - Yankees Notes: Recap, Moseley, Oppenheimer, Montero, Burnett (0)
• July 28, 2010 - Yankees Trade Rumors: Orioles Willing to Deal Tejada (0)
• July 28, 2010 - Yankees Notes: Sabathia, Teixeira, Posada, AJ and Pie Safety, Cotham, and Adams (1)
• July 27, 2010 - Yankees Notes: Vazquez, Granderson, 8th Inning, Pettitte’s Replacement, Aceves (0)

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New York Yankees CC Sabathia had a rare loss in his old stomping ground Tuesday night, falling 4-1 to the Cleveland Indians.

The Yankees are in first place, with a margin of only two games before they get caught.

This added a lot of pressure on an already erratic AJ Burnett. It was mandatory that Burnett put the team in a winning position.

Burnett surpassed all that was required, as he dominated the Indians batters. Burnett’s teammates helped make sure he had a chance to shine again and the Yankees won 8-0.

Another factor in the Yankees success is using David Robertson in the eighth inning.

It is no secret where the Yankees biggest weakness lies—in the bullpen.

With Alfredo Aceves on the DL since May, the Yankee bullpen has become a total mess. Chan-ho Park, Joba Chamberlain, and Boone Logan are not reliable at all and it has spelled trouble whenever they were called on.

Robertson was right in the mix, with a bad beginning to 2010.

The timing could not have been more perfect for Robertson to get find his form again.

Robertson thrived as the eighth inning guy even under the lights of the 2009 World Series. Translation: The pressure does not bother Robertson.

Skipper Joe Girardi realizes that he can count on Robertson to get the outs needed with no regrets.

Robertson’s small role has made the biggest difference since the All-Star break.

Still, the bullpen is the biggest roadblock for the Yankees. Most Yankees fans take comfort in the idea that Hughes will join Robertson once Andy Pettitte gets off the DL in a few weeks.

For now, the Yankees will head to Tampa following the fourth game against the Indians. Friday night starts a three-game set at Tropicana Field against the second place Rays.

This weekend series will be a literal battle royale for first place in the AL East. Both teams have their work cut out for them, as both are on fire right now.

Whichever team wins will purely be based on who played better defense and how each starting pitcher sets the tone.

Why?

Simply because both ball-clubs have proved they can hit the heck out of the ball, but if a pitcher is throwing heaters it will be considerably harder to accomplish.

This might be the most important series of 2010 thus far, because the Rays are just two games behind the Yankees in the standings.

Please check out Lady Loves Pinstripes, as the next three posts will break down each game pitching matchups.

*First pitch is at 7:10pm this Friday night, but Yankees have to win the last game against the Indians tonight...but trust me, this weekend will be some damn good baseball.

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August is upon us.

This is when baseball really gets interesting.

The cream will rise to the top and the pretenders will start to fold. The winner of this series will be cream. The loser will still be cream too. This is the type of series that, if you're a baseball fan, you have to watch.

The Yanks and Rays both have it all.

They have great pitching. The Yanks can throw C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Phil Hughes, and when healthy, Andy Pettitte at you. The Rays counter with All-Star starter David Price, recent no-hit hurler Matt Garza, and Jeff Niemann. The bullpens have those lock-down closers with maybe the best ever in the Yanks' Mariano Rivera and the Rays closer extraordinaire, Rafael Soriano.

Both teams have speed and power in the lineups too. The Rays can hit you with speedsters like B.J. Upton and Carl Crawford or they can go deep on you with Evan Longoria, Carlos Pena, or Ben Zobrist. The Yanks have great hitters in veterans Derek Jeter, Mark Texeira, and Alex Rodriguez. And they can play the speed game with Robinson Cano, Brett Gardner, and Curtis Granderson.

If you cannot get excited about this series, then you are not a baseball fan. This is going to be great stuff.

The Yanks are coming in hot. They have the best record in baseball at 64-36. That is a .640 win percentage. The only other team in baseball playing at .600? You guessed it. Tampa Bay. They are 62-38, a .620 percentage. 

What you will be watching here is most likely a preview of this year's ALCS.

The winner will most likely win this year's World Series.

I know, I know, there is still a lot of baseball to be played still. If I were a betting man, I'd be putting my money on one of these two teams to win it all. This weekend might tell me which one that would be.

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First off, let me begin by stating the fact that I am not a Yankee fan. With all due respect, I despise them. Any fan of the Toronto Blue Jays, as I am, MUST loathe the men in pinstripes. 

I am, however, a huge fan of baseball history and any baseball fan knows Yankee history is synonymous with baseball history.  

Despite my allegiance to the Blue Jays, my favorite player of all time is Mickey Mantle. I have always respected the way he played the game and I firmly believe that if he had taken better care of himself, he would have been the first player to reach 700 home runs.

Yankee history is filled with some of Major League Baseball's greatest hitters. With A-Rod one home run shy of the exclusive 600 club, I got to thinking about where he would rank amongst other all time Yankee players.

Obviously Rodriguez does not match up against the Great Bambino, Joltin' Joe, or the Iron Horse Lou Gehrig, or Mickey. Babe Ruth is a God. A legend in the game. Nothing else needs to be said. 

As for DiMaggio and Gehrig, both are unanimously in the top 10 players in MLB history. Again, both are legends in the game. Enough said. Mantle, a five tool player who played his entire career in the Bronx, played with extraordinary pressure as "the next one" and still delivered incredible numbers. 

This is where the proverbial water gets murky.

During his six and a half seasons in pinstripes, Rodriguez has put up some incredible numbers that are comparable to other Yankee greats.

His batting average as a Yankee is .298, tied for 14th on the all-time list with Mickey Mantle, above the likes of Thurman Munson (.292), Yogi Berra (.285), and Phil Rizzuto (.273), despite the fact that A-Rod is having his worst season for batting average in 14 years.

Rodriguez ranks eighth on the Yankee all time home run list with 254 today. He is one behind Jorge Posada for seventh and is 17th in runs batted in, a category that he will be in the top 10 by the end of next season if he is healthy.

Not bad so far, eh? It gets better.

In the current era of baseball when an on base percentage (OBP) of .340 is considered average, Alex's OBP during his Yankee tenure is .396, two one hundredths of a point behind Dimaggio and one behind Wade Boggs. He is good enough for ninth on the list, ahead of Rickey Henderson (.395), Derek Jeter (.386), Reggie Jackson (.371), and Don Mattingly (.358).

Alex's slugging percentage (SLG) is probably the most impressive statistic. His SLG percentage as a Yankee is .559, forth on the all time list, putting him behind only Ruth, Gehrig, and DiMaggio. 

Another incredible statistic in A-Rod's arsenal is his on base plus slugging percentage (OPS). This statistic is a better representation of how complete a hitter is. Generally, a hitter who has an OPS at or above .900 is considered amongst the game's best. Rodriguez's OPS is .955, which ranks him 5th behind only Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, and Mantle.

Rodriguez is also a two time American League MVP and three time Silver Slugger Award winner during his time in the Bronx.

As you can see, A Rod's numbers speak for itself. Even though he has spent the majority of his career elsewhere, Rodriguez has at least earned the right to have his name included amongst the greats. 

The more important question is where does he rank. I have already established the fact that he does not belong in the top four. There is no way I can possibly argue against Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio or Mantle. 

Despite the fact that Rodriguez does not come in as a popular choice as an all-time Yankee great, it is hard to argue against his inclusion. He consistently ranks ahead of Berra, Jackson, Winfield, and Bernie Williams. If he finishes his career as a Yankee, he may very well approach the top five in most major hitting categories for the Yankees.

When deciding on where to rank A-Rod, you have to factor in a few things. First and foremost, steroids. According to Rodriguez, he used the banned substance from 2001-2003. So, according to him, he was clean during his entire Yankee career. Whether you believe him or not, he has not had a positive test since then. 

Secondly, the Derek Jeter factor. Jeter has gained legendary status among Yankee fans. He can do no wrong. Because of this, A-Rod has been portrayed as the anti-Jeter. A player who is not a leader.

It is very reminiscent of how Roger Maris was vilified during and after the 1961 season. Maris was the outcast and Mantle was the prodigal son. In many Yankee fan's eyes, Jeter will always be a better Yankee than Rodriguez. 

It is unfair to compare the two in terms of leadership. Jeter is one of the best leaders in pro sports and it is pointless to compare the two as leaders, much the same as if you compare their power numbers. It makes no sense. 

Rodriguez came to New York with expectations so high that no matter what he did, it would never be good enough. This was Jeter's team. The media has portrayed their relationship as tumultuous at best and it may very well be so. By doing this however, the media in essence justified the fanbases' feelings toward A-Rod.

With respect to the post season, Jeter is clutch. His .313 career average tells it all. Rodriguez has been labeled largely as a post season flop during his time with New York. His .287 post season average is solid but pedestrian when compared to his batting average in the regular season. This is due in part to the fact that he rarely gets anything good to hit, especially when there are runners on base.

I think Yankee fans take Alex Rodriguez for granted.  

With all that said, here is how I rank the Yankee greats.  

1 - Babe Ruth

2 - Mickey Mantle

3 - Lou Gehrig

4 - Joe DiMaggio

5 - Alex Rodriguez

6 - Derek Jeter

7 - Yogi Berra

8 - Don Mattingly

9 - Bernie Williams

10 - Reggie Jackson

Yes, you read that right. I believe A Rod should be ranked above Derek Jeter as an all time Yankee. 

What do you think? Post a comment and leave your thoughts.

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