Through the first two weeks of the MLB season, Alex Rodriguez has resembled the hitter who terrorized opposing pitchers for over a decade.
Alex Rodriguez has been the Yankees’ best hitter, will he maintain his impressive start?
Alex Rodriguez has helped keep the Yankees’ offense afloat this April, but can the 39-year-old slugger maintain his strong performance at the plate?
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Despite a year-long suspension in 2014 and intense media scrutiny throughout the spring, Rodriguez is off to an impressive start with the New York Yankees. In 12 games leading up to Monday, he hit .316/.447/.711 with four home runs in 47 plate appearances. On Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays, Rodriguez went deep twice, including a mammoth blast that traveled 477 feet, according to ESPN's Home Run Tracker.
Rodriguez's early-season power surge has stood in sharp contrast to the rest of the Yankees' offense, which, outside of surprise performer Chris Young, has received few positive contributions from the team's roster. The Yankees might wish A-Rod didn't exist, but the three-time MVP is central to their hopes of competing in the AL East this year.
Can Rodriguez continue to feast on MLB pitching as the season continues?
It’s a fair bet he won’t finish 2015 with a slugging percentage over .700, but the return of Rodriguez’s power is a good indicator he can still drive the ball with authority. More worrying, though, is A-Rod’s 32 percent strikeout rate, which generally makes hitting with any type of consistency a tough task.
However, the 21-year veteran is pairing all these strikeouts with a fair amount of walks. Opposing pitchers are clearly fearful of Rodriguez’s power and are pitching to him cautiously as a result.
Rodriguez likely won’t hit home runs with such frequency for the rest of the season. But his April performance is a sign that he could be headed for a successful 2015 campaign. At the very least, Rodriguez looks like the best hitter on the Yankees.
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