Even a broken analyst is right twice per day.
During a recent appearance on Colin Cowherd’s show, Alex Rodriguez was asked about how the Yankees should propel themselves back to World Series contention. He said they’re too one-dimensional, and need to prioritize more than home runs.
Just like the Red Sox.
“The Yankees have gotten (Giancarlo) Stanton, they have (Aaron) Judge and (Joey) Gallo. All three, similar players. All three, over 6′5″ right?,” said A-Rod, via NJ.com. “What they need is the (Alex) Verdugos, the (Kike) Hernandez, the (Christian) Vazquez. They need baseball players and a diversified set of skills.”
Later, A-Rod continued his trend of showering Alex Cora with praise, saying the Red Sox’ manager has “figured out a way to bring the hybrid and do it better than anyone.”
That’s actually a good point. We just witnessed the difference between a manager who only follows the analytics script and another who also uses his insinuation. The former results in taking out an opener after two perfect innings; the latter results in ballsy calls like going to Nick Pivetta on two days’ rest and Eduardo Rodriguez on three.
It’s also true that the Red Sox are a more balanced team. They were a wagon offensively, finishing third in runs scored — well ahead of the 12th-place Yankees. Though they hit home runs (10th in the league), they put the ball in play more than others. Red Sox hitters finished 20th in strikeouts, whereas the Yankees were sixth.
The Rays, for what it’s worth, were third.
So yes, A-Rod may be wrong about nearly everything. But after watching the Red Sox all season, at least he’s picked up some respect for the way they’re constructed.
If only he could share that kind of cogent analysis more often on Sunday nights.
