Yankees Lineup Projections, Part 5 of 9: Can Alex Rodriguez Surprise Us All?

Alex Rodriguez has had quite the up-and-down career as a Yankee.

In eight seasons, he has won two MVP awards and three Silver Sluggers. That being said, he has also experienced some of the worst seasons of his career while wearing pinstripes.

Sure, a down season by Rodriguez would be considered great seasons for others, but the Yankees expect big things from him, considering his monstrous contract.

After a decent 2010 (.270/.341/.506, 30 HR, 125 RBI, 137 Games), Rodriguez entered Spring Training in 2011 in very good shape. He gave Yankee fans hope as they watched him absolutely dominate early on.

In spring training, he hit .404/.451/.936 with six home runs in 47 at-bats.

Shotty pitching or not, those stats are remarkable.

Despite his great bill of health entering the season, Rodriguez broke down as the season went on. After undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery, A-Rod played in just 99 games.

This offseason, Rodriguez took the advice of fellow superstar Kobe Bryant and decided to undergo a new type of treatment. This treatment, called orthokine therapy, takes the patient's own blood, runs it through a centrifuge and then injects the blood into the affected joint.

The treatment worked for Kobe, but will it work for Alex?

The Yankees need A-Rod to produce this season, especially considering it's unlikely that Curtis Granderson will have a repeat performance.

Although he often seems like a bit of a head case, Rodriguez needs to not let Yankees fans get in his head this season. If he comes out of the gates cold, expect a sea of boos from the fans.

He needs to put those boos behind him and put together a solid season.

If he stays healthy for the whole season, expect his usual 30 home runs and 100 RBI.

The Yankees will be well on their way to the postseason if they have a healthy Alex Rodriguez in 2012.