Alex Rodriguez is in the headlines once again, but this time it’s actually for on-field purposes. Rodriquez has kept his head down this spring and actually impressed Yankees general manager Brian Cashman.
A-Rod has appeared in 12 spring training games and racked up 33 plate appearances. In that time he’s slashed .286/.394/.536, hit two home runs and picked up three RBI. The last time Rodriguez had meaningful playing time was in 2013, when he hit .244 with just seven home runs over a 44-game stretch.
Despite not being particularly impactful, A-Rod was playing with a storm cloud of suspension hovering over him. A-Rod also still showed an ability to get on base at a high level, posting a .348 on-base percentage and walking in nearly 13 percent of his at-bats. He has actually impressed enough that the Yankees no longer plan on shoehorning him into a reserve first base role.
Jones has hit 15 home runs in back-to-back seasons, but batted .233 and .246 respectively. In 2014 Jones established himself as a perfect platoon candidate. He hit .250 and smacked all 15 of his home runs against right-handed pitching. Against lefties, Jones hit just .221 in 73 plate appearances. He looks like he will be used to spell Mark Teixeira at first base, and he could platoon with Brian McCann at first if Teixeira goes down. While both are left-handed hitters, McCann excelled in 2014 vs. southpaw pitchers.
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