Yankees MVP

An interesting thing is happening in New York. Alex Rodriquez, who was nearly booed out of the Big Apple last year, is on pace for the best April in big league history. What's changed? Beyond his swing, which he clearly spent a great deal of time tuning up over the winter, I think the answer lies about 127.2792' across the diamond (although lately only late in games or before getting lifted for a pinch hitter.)
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How, you may ask, can a skinny guy who isn't hitting his weight (currently his below Mendoza average is .152) be the MVP of the most potent line-up in the majors? Well it certainly isn't with his bat. And as brilliant a fielder as he is, it's also not with his glove. Doug Mientkiewicz's value to the Yankees lies entirely in his ability to keep A Rod's head on straight.

Baseball and football stars at the same high school, these two go way back, and other than an effective starting pitcher and a reliever that leaves his gas can in the bullpen, it's exactly what the Yankees needed. As expressed in Tom Verducci's Sports Illustrated article The Lonely Yankee, A Rod isn't exactly the most popular guy in the clubhouse, but now he has with Doug what he wished he had with Jeter.

What's really interesting is how Jeter is going to come out of this whole situation. Sabremetric types have know for years that Jeter is no wizard with the glove, but his ability to look so good (and almost never screw up the routine plays), while pulling off enough "to his right Jump Throws" to make the Sportcenter cut has fooled the general public, not to mention the Gold Glove voters, into thinking he's a great defender. But the fact is he has possibly the worst range in the league, and its really starting to show. Combine that with the cold shoulder he threw to "now everybody loves me" A Rod and a cluster of errors on routine plays, I think the captain is about one slump away from seeing just how bad Alex got it last year. Lucky enough from his .316 average should keep the wolves at bay for a little while.

For me, the really most fascinating part will be to see just how A Rod will react if Jeter runs into an 0-fer streak and the media unleashes the hounds. But of course Alex will have to keep yarding them out at a steady clip to enjoy the kind of love he's getting lately.

All and all, I have to wonder just how long Torre can stomach writing MIENTKIEWICZ onto the line-up card, and for that matter, how long Cashman can justify his spot on the roster. Hopefully, for A Rod's sake, he'll get his average up the 100 points he needs to keep his job, so these two old high school buddies can ride off into the sunset after a successful October.