I realize I am not exactly breaking new ground with this post, but I have been fascinated by the media coverage of Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter this season, and how it compares to the coverage in years past. For years, Derek Jeter has been the media’s golden boy: the hardworking, selfless captain who comes through in the clutch, says the right things, and always gets the girl. In Alex Rodriguez’s early years in New York, however, the media treatment was brutal: he was portrayed as a narcissitic, me-first player who was more concerned with compiling stats than winning games.
The pressure on A-Rod largely eased up after the Yankees won the World Series in 2009, while the media scrutiny of Derek Jeter intensified last season during his down season and impending free agency. The media circus, combined with Jeter’s tough start to 2011 has led to somewhat of a role reversal. Now, Jeter has become the bad guy who held out for more money than he was worth, won’t give up his leadoff spot despite his poor performance, and stopped taking an active leadership role. Ian O’Connor’s of Jeter may certainly contribute to (or feed off of) this changing impression of Jeter. The portrayal of Alex Rodriguez of late (recent offensive struggles aside) could hardly be more positive. Look at this excerpt of an ESPN-NY article from Wallace Matthews:
Alex Rodriguez may not be the New York Yankees’ captain, but lately he has taken to playing the role of one in the clubhouse…A few moments later, after Nunez had mumbled out his mea culpa, it was A-Rod’s turn to act as the elder statesman of the clubhouse, delivering a de facto pep talk to Nunez, expounding on the nuances of playing shortstop — you will remember he used to play the position a long time ago — and taking the time to remind his listeners, “Hitting is something I know how to do very well.”
It was a remarkable performance, poised and articulate and not a little presumptuous, but it was perhaps more than that. Rodriguez, of course, has a contract that will keep him in Yankee pinstripes until 2017. Jeter, who just came through a contentious contract negotiation this winter, has a deal that runs out three years earlier.
Unless something momentous happens to change the future course of Yankee history, Alex Rodriguez is likely to be playing for the Yankees after Jeter has retired to his compound in Tampa, or is doing color commentary for the YES Network, or–the most dreadful possibility of all–has moved on to another team, the way Babe Ruth finished up his career in the costume of the Boston Braves.
As such, someone is going to have to succeed Jeter as the Yankees’ captain, and from the looks of things, A-Rod has tossed his cap into the race.
Ordinarily I don’t pay much attention to Matthews or his pot-stirring compatriots, but this article made me think a little bit. Assuming Derek Jeter retires (or leaves the Yankees) after 2014, the Yankee captaincy will be vacant. Assuming Jorge Posada has also retired or left, the potential list of Yankee captains is pretty short. Assuming it has to be a position player, Rodriguez could be the leading candidate, if his on-field performance continues to be strong, and his off-field actions continue to reflect positively on him.
I imagine a home-grown player would be preferred as captain, but will there really any tenured homegrown alternative? Robinson Cano would be the longest-tenured home grown player, but given how he is portrayed in the media, he may lack the leadership qualities required for the position (though it would be interesting to see the captaincy go to a foreign-born player). Brett Gardner may be “gritty” enough to be a captain (a la Jason Varitek), but does he have the ability to lead by example on the field while being a leader off of it? I’m not sure, and the Yankees would probably prefer to have a star player as captain. If Jesus Montero comes up and makes a big splash, he could be in consideration as well, though once again the foreign-born stigma applies.
Assuming non-homegrown players could be considered for the position Rodriguez would have to be the leading candidate. I could see somebody like Curtis Granderson being an interesting candidate (mostly because he comes off as such a nice guy). As would Russell Martin, if he performs well enough to be the Yankees’ catcher of the future as well as present (catchers often seem to be good candidates for captain).
A lot of this discussion depends on how Alex handles his twilight years. If he is able to maintain a high level of performance (or gracefully acknowledge his decline) he could become a more attractive candidate. If he goes back to the arrogant overpaid Alex Rodriguez of old, however, then the negative media coverage would prevent him from ever being considered.
I realize that a baseball captain is not a particularly important position, with most of its impact in symbolism. There’s also no compelling reason that the Yankees even need a captain, so it’s possible that they could simply go without one for a few years until a suitable candidate emerges. Nonetheless, this could be an interesting storyline (not narrative, which has quickly become the most overused word in the Yankee blogosphere) to follow over the next few seasons. So grab your popcorn (or preferably have Cameron Diaz feed it to you) and watch the fun as it unfolds.
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my vote would probably go to the one guy that you didn’t mention in this entire post…TEX. Impeccable defense, leading offensive player, leadership qualities on and off the field, dealing with the media, philanthropy, etc.
To speculate 3 years out is pretty impossible, but I doubt A-rod would be considered, let alone even want it as a declining 39 year old (likely) DH.
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nettles Reply:
May 6th, 2011 at 6:13 pm
Thumbs up for Tex. I can’t see A-Rod being captain of any team. Steve Lombardi had an insightful post on this today.
http://waswatching.com/2011/05/06/is-a-rod-the-new-yankees-leader/
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Moshe Mandel Reply:
May 6th, 2011 at 6:15 pm
I didn’t find Lombardi’s post very helpful, because it talks about 2 instances of things that he saw as an outsider. All the beat guys I have spoken to say A-Rod is a leader for the young guys in the clubhouse.
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nyyankeefanforever Reply:
May 6th, 2011 at 7:08 pm
For all the sniping the press has done at Alex through the years, I’ve read many an appreciative quote from teammates young and old at every stop in his career who said he was generous and helpful sharing his baseball knowledge with them. I guess that kind of thing just doesn’t make good headlines.
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bornwithpinstripes Reply:
May 6th, 2011 at 7:14 pm
leader off record is great..but not a yankee captain..arod…munson…ahh just don’t seem right to etch those names together ..yankee captain means more than someone on a competitive team.that is just my opinion
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nettles Reply:
May 6th, 2011 at 7:33 pm
Well, if the team consisted of young guys and A-Rod, then I could see A-Rod as captain. But I’m not sure other veterans would follow a guy who has 1.) used steroids, 2.) thrown his own pitchers under the bus by flashing signals to his buddies on other teams so they’d know what pitch was coming, and 3.) kissed himself in a mirror.
I do think he’s changed and isn’t the self-absorbed jerk from seasons past, based solely on what I’ve read and observed at games and on TV. But I’m not in the room, so hard to say how he relates to his teammates. It’s a big stretch, however, from finally being accepted by his team as “one of the guys” to being named “Captain of the New York Yankees.”
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Benjamin Kabak Reply:
May 6th, 2011 at 8:25 pm
Are you talking about the backhanded racist article on WW about how A-Rod is trying to start cliques of Spanish speakers to sow dissent on the Yanks? Yeah, that’s not insightful at all.
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nettles Reply:
May 6th, 2011 at 9:35 pm
I guess I wasn’t reading anything racist into Steve’s post, necessarily. Though I can see your point on how it can be taken that way.
I’m reading it more as an example of how younger players being drawn to A-Rod and seeing him as a leader more than a veteran player does, for the reasons I cited above.
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he should never be the captain of the yanks..great player and a favorite of mine..it should be someone who comes through the system, lives right and loves the game not just the dollars..jeter has everything to be that guy..except he was never really a leader..even now with his declining ability.he should drop himself down in the line up and lead by example, not ego..jeter will always be one of the greatest yankees and major leaguers ever..if tex would have come up with us ..he could be the next guy after jeter..we will know him when he comes..
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The Rehabilitation of Alex began awhile back. He got the playoff/clutch monkey off his back a few years ago and also there was a lot of coverage of how he was a positive influence on Cano and Melky plus all of the talk about how high his baseball IQ is. He makes as much sense as anyone but that doesn’t mean that they’d name him captain or need to name anyone captain. Remember there wasn’t a captain between Gehrig and Munson.
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Patrick Reply:
May 6th, 2011 at 6:36 pm
I don’t think they need to worry about who the next captain will be at all. When Donnie baseball retired after 1995 season, the Yanks didn’t have a Captain again until 2003. Heck before Thurman Munson became Captain in 1976 the last one the Yankees had before that was Lou Gehrig in 1939. What makes the Yankees better than other franchises is they simply don’t give out that title to just anyone.
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nyyankeefanforever Reply:
May 6th, 2011 at 6:52 pm
Great point, Patrick. I wholeheartedly agree with you and with Jake’s comment below. What’s the rush anointing or speculating about the next one?
For a little fun perspective, I’d just like to note that Babe Ruth held the title for all of five days. He lost it after being ejected from a game for arguing with an ump about being thrown out trying to stretch out a double, He proceeded to blind the ump with a fistful of dirt to the face, then went into the stands to attack a heckler on his way back to the dugout.
They don’t make captains like that anymore…LOL!
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bornwithpinstripes Reply:
May 6th, 2011 at 7:17 pm
if the yanks keep playing the they are now ..they need someone to do something close
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bornwithpinstripes Reply:
May 6th, 2011 at 7:15 pm
great point ,when we make a player captain it must be a guy that will stand out for alot or reasons
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What in the Yankees’ past indicates that the team requires a captain to win?? Jeter should live out his term, because regardless of whether he performs or not, he’s still Jeter. And then, if someone no clear successor is identified, why can’t we wait??
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bornwithpinstripes Reply:
May 6th, 2011 at 7:16 pm
correct
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Yeah, Tex is definitely not a bad choice, not sure how I missed him (serves me late for posting while tired). He definitely falls into the leading by example category, and always says the right things to the media (albeit in a bland, Jeteresque way).
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Why even have a captain? Few teams have captains and it’s not as if the Yankees always have captains.
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The Yankees have had long stretches without a captain. Unless there’s someone who fits perfectly in that hole like Jeter did, no reason to force someone into that posistion.
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I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’d whole heartedly approve of Cap’n Alex.
Understand, I never wanted the Yankees to trade for him. I did not really embrace him as a player, and I never really liked him, but I did tend to feel bad about the way he was often treated in the Torre years by both the management and the fans.
When he opted out, I was terribly disappointed, not because he was leaving (I was happy to be rid of the contract) but because he clearly hadn’t learned it was better to go where you are happy than to chase dollars. When he fired Boras, I was happy for him (though crestfallen at the Hank Steinbrenner contract that followed).
I was crushed when he admitted to using steroids, but was glad to see him stand up to what he did (hello Manny, Papi), and have seen a noticable difference in him since. I have seen how he has embraced younger players, mentored them, been the first to recognize when they got their 1st home run or RBI or what have you.
In many ways this has become ARod’s team, as much as if not more than Jeter’s, and so I would embrace him as a captain.
Some caveats:
1. Jeter would have to leave before his contract is up. It is highly unlikely the Yankees would declare a new captain a season or two after he retired, and if Jeter is here until 2014, ARod would be lucky to be a captain for more than a season or two.
2. The Yankees have to be confident he is clean.
3. He still has to be an every day player.
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