MLB 2012: 4 Reasons Why Alex Rodriguez Should Bat Sixth in the Yankees Lineup

Remember when Jorge Posada went diva on the Yankees last May after manager Joe Girardi dropped him to ninth in the batting order?

Posada was hitting .165 at the time.

He asked out of the lineup at the last-minute that Friday night against the Boston Red Sox because he said his back was troubling him. The speculation was that the injury was to his Yankee pride.

So how do you think Alex Rodriguez will take it if Girardi drops him a couple of spots in the batting order to No. 6?

Will A-Rod pout or sulk?

Or will he say and do the right thing and let his bat earn his way back to the third spot or clean-up position?

What other choices does he have? No one is trading for a 36-year-old third baseman who has been injury-prone the past few seasons and has six years left on his contract for a tidy sum of $143 million.

Batting sixth would distribute the Yankees power source more evenly through the lineup. Currently, this is a team that waits for the three-run homer. And almost everyone in the lineup can hit one.

But if Rodriguez is batting sixth and the Yankees entertain the thought of batting Brett Gardner in the leadoff position to give them more speed and opportunities at the top of the order, then the lineup overall figures to be even stronger.

Some will say that A-Rod needs to be higher in the order because he is a right-handed hitter in a predominantly left-handed hitting lineup. Dropping him made more sense before the Yankees traded Jesus Montero to the Seattle Mariners for Michael Pineda.

Nonetheless, the belief here is that Rodriguez would benefit from the sixth hole. Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher are switch hitters and although they are more productive from the left side, it does diminish the need for A-Rod to bat anywhere from third to fifth based on his career resume.

Here are some reasons why A-Rod might prosper batting sixth. And remember, if he begins swinging like the A-Rod of old instead of an old A-Rod, Girardi can move him up accordingly.   

The Cold Hard Truth About April

Climate change and global warming aside, April can be chilly and damp in New York. That is not conducive weather for a player getting on in age and who has been battling injuries on-and-off for three years.

It's easier to pull a hamstring muscle or have your back stiffen when the weather is cold.

It takes longer to loosen up. It might make Rodriguez more susceptible to an injury.

If Rodriguez bats sixth it enables manager Joe Girardi to begin resting him early on especially if the temperature at game time is in the 40s or lower. 

The Yankees will have established that Robinson Cano, Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson are their big-boppers and A-Rod doesn't have to shoulder the responsibility that comes with batting higher in the order. 

Even in the warmer spring weather in Texas Rodriguez often got off to a relatively slow start. And that was with his home games in hitter-friendly Rangers Ballpark.

The Yankees are an older team, but have the kind of quality depth that enables Girardi to give players the days off they will need. 

It's not April that the Yankees are concerned about—they want everyone healthy and primed for October.

It's better to be safe than sorry with Rodriguez. The last time he played in 140 games or more was in 2007.

Hearing Fastballs Whizzing by

Home run hitters strike out a lot.

That was true long before sabermetrics came along to break down a player's performance in new and informative ways.

The good thing about Alex Rodriguez is that he struck out less than most home run hitters. His highest total was 139 in 2005 and again in '06.

The difference now, however, is that he may be striking out more because his bat speed is diminishing, a result of age and injuries. The feeling is that Rodriguez can't catch up to high heat like he did in his prime.

That sets him up for failure and the wrath of Yankees fans if he is more prominent in the lineup.

If he is batting sixth, it may be less of a factor when he has to face pitchers such as Justin Verlander, Felix Hernandez or James Shields.

And when he comes to bat in the late innings against a hard-throwing reliever or closer.

A-Rod played in only 99 games last season and struck out 80 times in 427 plate appearances.

He also hasn't hit .300 since the 2008 season, an indication perhaps, that he is swinging late more often and not making solid contact. 

In the post-performance-enhancing-drug age, the normal age progression has returned. Older players aren't putting up the numbers they did when juicing was rampant.

We probably have seen the last of A-Rod as a .300 hitter with 40 or more home runs. 

No Rest for the Weary

What team wouldn't like to have Alex Rodriguez hitting sixth in its lineup?

That tells you how loaded the Yankees are.

Sure, they're a little on the senior citizen side of baseball career expectancy but guys like Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano and Nick Swisher are in their prime.

Granderson had 41 homers and 119 RBI last season with a .552 slugging percentage and .OPS of .916

Teixeira had a so-called down year and still hit 39 HRs and drove in 111 runs.

Cano batted .302 and had 28 home runs and a career-high 188 RBI. 

This is what makes it possible for manager Joe Girardi to bat Rodriguez sixth.

The Yankees don't have a lineup featuring multiple .300 hitters but the power potential is impressive. Even the best pitchers in the league will have to be at their best to get through the hitters mentioned above as well as Raul Ibanez, Russell Martin, speedster Brett Gardner and Andruw Jones when left-handers start.

Batting sixth, it's likely A-Rod will come to the plate with a runner or two on base. Girardi can also protect Rodriguez with Swisher, Ibanez/Jones or Martin in the seventh slot.

They are not Hall of Famers, but they are proven home run hitters.

Check out who most teams project as their seventh place hitter. Only the Texas Rangers with Mike Napoli can compare.

Managing Expectations of Yankee Fans and Alex Rodriguez

Yankee fans have never embraced Alex Rodriguez.

Even when Reggie Jackson signed with the Yankees as a free agent and said he was the one who stirred the drink, fans didn't hold the bravado against him.

It is a different story with A-Rod primarily because he has not done well in the postseason.

Jackson was Mr. October while Rodriguez has mostly been Mr. No-Show.

So while fans accept the inevitable decline of Yankee icons such as Derek Jeter, they always seem to be waiting to boo A-Rod for letting them down again.

Perhaps manager Joe Girardi can send a subtle message to the fans and A-Rod by batting him sixth. It will be saying that he isn't the player he once was and no one should expect the player who has hit 629 home runs in his career with a .567 slugging percentage and OPS of .953.

What would be a good season for A-Rod?

How about a batting average of .275 or .280, with 30 home runs and 85 RBI.

That might not be worth the money the Yankees are paying him but chances are that if he can produce these numbers for three years, he can continue his career and pursuit of the all-time home run record as a DH.

If his decline is accelerated, however, the Yankees eventually will try to reach a buyout agreement with Rodriguez.