It is not wrong to rip sabermetrics. Sometimes the computer isn’t always right.
But Alex Rodriguez went a bit too far during Sunday night’s version of the “KayRod Cast.”
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During the bottom of the second inning of the Red Sox’ eventual 11-6 win over the Yankees, Michael Kay and A-Rod were talking about exit velocity with Billy Crystal. The legendary actor and Yankees fan was mentioning his disillusion with advanced metrics, and how he thinks they’ve become too important. Kay added that he often brings up exit velocity on the YES telecasts for the same reasons he recites other statistics: the segment is sponsored.
Then A-Rod jumped in with a pretty outlandish statement. “Some of the worst hitters I’ve ever seen in my life have the greatest exit velo. Some of the worst pitchers I’ve ever seen in my life threw the fastest,” he said. “Sometimes they’re mutually exclusive. You go back to guys like Maddox and Glavine and Pettitte and Jeter, [Keith] Hernandez. If they just made it the exit velocity game, they wouldn’t be getting into the Hall of Fame. Their numbers wouldn’t be retired. You’ve gotta trust your eyes.”
A-Rod’s comments make sense in spirit: when evaluating players, its best to watch the games. Stat lines don’t tell the whole story.
But exit velocity is one of those markers that accurately reflects a hitter’s ability, since it tracks how hard balls are hit. It would make sense that the best hitters also hit the hardest balls. It means they’re making strong contact.
That’s true if you look at the exit velocity leaders from 2021. The top 10 players were: Giancarlo Stanton, Manny Machado, Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Pete Alonso, Jorge Soler, Nelson Cruz, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Miguel Sano and Jonathan Schoop. There are nine perennial All-Stars on that list, including Judge and Stanton, who are carrying the Yankees this season.
A-Rod’s point is a little more true when it comes to pitching velocity, since the art of pitching requires more than just throwing the ball fast. As he mentioned, some of the best pitchers in history prioritized precision over power.
But to say some of the “worst pitchers” he’s ever seen also threw the hardest seems like a stretch. It’s hard to imagine many guys toiling in the minor leagues with upper-90s heat.
Overall, Rodriguez’ work on the “KayRod Cast” is a sound improvement over his performance in the traditional Sunday night booth. He’s far more conversational sitting in ESPN’s Seaport studios with Kay, and the eight times per season schedule ensures the concept stays novel.
But still, this is A-Rod we’re talking about. It would be out of character for him to make it through a telecast without any malapropisms or absurd statements.
He hit his quota Sunday.