Gregory Shamus: Getty Images
As Marc Carig reported on Wednesday, Jorge Posada’s days in pinstripes are likely numbered, a fact that the longtime Yankee seems well aware of. Many Yankee fans feel similarly, due to Posada’s subpar 2011 season (89 WRC+, -0.4 WAR) and the emergence of superprospect Jesus Montero as his likely replacement in the DH/emergency catcher role. Since Posada seems finished in New York (at least on this side of town), many fans are hoping that he will call it quits, ending a distinguished 17-year career entirely in the uniform of one organization. I share some nostalgic hope that Jorge will be a career Yankee, but am conflicted about the idea of Posada hanging up his spikes after an awful 2011.
As we know very well, Jorge is a proud man who may very well want to go out on his terms. Posada’s performance at the end of the season and in the playoffs did not seem like a triumphant last hurrah to cap off a distinguished career, but rather, a signal to potential employers (the Yankees included) that he still has something left in the tank. While his 2011 season was well below his career norms, I think there will be teams who think Posada could contribute next season. Based on his 2011 splits, this does not seem like as unreasonable a proposition as it may initially appear.
As we know, Posada’s 2011 season was characterized by sharp platoon splits, and major struggles against left-handed pitchers. Against righties, Posada was more or less the hitter we have become used to seeing over the past 17 years, .269/.348/.466, good for a wRC+ of 118 and a wOBA of .353. Against lefties, Jorge’s numbers were downright abysmal, batting .092/.169/.108, good for a pitiful -33 wRC+ (that’s right, negative!) and .131 wOBA. Based on this horrible performance, it would be reasonable to assume that Posada’s right-handed swing had major problems in 2011, but since he was still pretty good against righties, it may be premature to call him washed up.
Posada’s atrocious performance against lefties came in a relatively small sample of 65 AB’s, which is big enough to be significant but in my mind not necessarily predictive, in light of past performance batting right-handed. In 2010, Posada posted a wRC+ of 116 against lefties (compared to 122 against righties), and a wRC+of 130 against them in 2009 (both in significantly larger samples than his 2011 performance). I am not going to simply blame low BABIP for Jorge’s poor performance against lefties, because by the eye test he clearly looked lost out there against lefties last year. However, Posada’s 2011 it seems like such an outlier compared to previous seasons that I can’t help but wonder if he is capable of bouncing back against lefties.
Of course, it is reasonable to say that Posada is not the same player that he was several years ago, as 17 years of wear and tear have no doubt taken their toll on him. However, it is also possible that he developed a hitch or mechanical problem in his right-handed swing, and (deservedly) didn’t get enough opportunities against lefties in 2011 to iron it out. The fact that his performance batting left-handed did not also drastically decline indicates that Posasda still has the bat speed, pitch recognition, etc. to continue to be a successful major league hitter next season and maybe going forward.
Due to the long-awaited arrival of Jesus Montero, Posada will, for the first time in his career, have to look elsewhere for an opportunity for major league playing time. Given Posada’s age, I assume his catching days are over. He may not be able to do much more than DH or play some first base (if he’s willing to learn the position), and fake an emergency 2nd base once in a while (maybe not, but seeing him make a play there was one of the highlights of 2011 for me). As a switch-hitter who was well above league average against righties, Posada could at minimum be a platoon player who would get a fair amount of playing time because righties are more common. If he is able to get his right-handed swing back to where it was in 2009-2010, he could even be more than that, perhaps an everyday starter at DH or even 1st.
Assuming Posada’s financial demands are not excessive, there could be multiple teams interested in his services for 2012. He could be a nice fit as a veteran mentor on an up-and-coming team, sharing his wealth of experience and tireless work ethic with an organization hoping to get a piece of that “winning Yankee culture.” However, as I mentioned earlier, I think Posada is capable of being more than a clubhouse presence, and could still contribute significantly with his bat. It would just require a GM to take a chance on him, and be willing to overlook his awful 2011 batting right-handed.
Jorge may want to keep playing to improve his Hall of Fame credentials or for pure love of the game, and I would root for him in either case. I’ve been a big Jorge Posada fan for his entire Yankee career, and I want to see him get the opportunity to go out on his own terms, even if that is in another uniform. I think he can still surprise the naysayers who think he is washed up, and be a useful contributor in another organization. It would be strange to watch Posada play for another team after all these years in pinstripes, but I would welcome seeing him get another chance.
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
I’ve never been a huge Posada fan as many Yankee fans are. I loved his play, but I’ve honestly always thought of him as somewhat of a jerk and egomaniac behind the plate. I’ve never seen another catcher so angry when someone shakes him off, Posada never understood the catcher is a soundboard not where the buck stops.
If he wants to keep playing he has the right, but I don’t have nearly as much confidence in him as you do. To me, he’s a platoon DH who should never see the field, nothing more. If I was a GM I wouldn’t give him anything more than an incentive laden minor league deal with an invite to ST. I’ve read he might want to go to the Marlins, but I don’t see how that will work. Having him catch at all would be a terrible idea, but making it the only way he can get on the field is a recipe for extreme failure.
Personally, I think he shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. His career(performance, rings,opportunity at leadership, running a stable of the most expensive thoroughbreds available) far exceeds that of about 99% of ballplayers. That said, I think he could easily have a few good years and I bet he would have a ton of fun in Miami.
A few good years? He’s 40 years old and on a steep decline. I think he could possibly make a team and contribute in a limited way this season, but more than 1 more year seems next to impossible at his age.
I also agree that Posada has something left to contribute beyond just being an elder statesman. More importantly, I am an advocate for organizational loyalty (which I know isn’t popular), and I think Posada deserves to be offered a limited role (especially if the Yankees plan on carrying a Sergio Mitre-type this season). I know Posada isn’t happy (sad is more like it) about the Yankees not even making a call after the season, but am grateful he is taking the high road nonetheless.
Loyalty for loyalties sake helps no one. We don’t have near enough ABs to give him to make him happy, and he doesn’t have near enough left in the gas tank to help us in anyway Montero and others can’t.
Much easier to find mop up long relief roles for someone out of the pen, tan it is to find ABs to siphon off to Posada at DH.
Jorge has the right to choose how his final chapter in the game will be written, of course, and I will always wish him well. But the guy can’t run, throw out runners, hit lefties at all and has seemed unable (or unwilling) to drop to his knees to block breaking pitches for some time now — which I’m convinced influenced his pitch selection to the detriment of some of our pitchers in recent years. And I just have an awful feeling if he plays out the string somewhere else he will only embarrass himself and needlessly sully his legacy for a relative pittance.
Does he have something left in the tank to offer a team desperate for a backup or bench bat? Probably. But we all saw how difficult that role was for him to accept this season, if he ever really did. At best, he would most certainly be dogged with daily questions concerning his performance we all know will be painful — and potentially ugly — for him to face and answer.
From a purely selfish standpoint, I would much rather see him go to the Steinbrenners and ask for a graceful retirement befitting a Yankee great — a plaque in Monument Park, a “day” in his honor for the unveiling and a lifetime roving instructor or coaching job in the minors. I can’t imagine the Boss’s kids wouldn’t jump at it, if they haven’t privately offered it already.
Posada could sign with the Redsox and go 0-50 and his legacy wouldn’t be sullied. In fact people would barely remember it as they look back on his career. Posada has achieved his moments, now I think he should just enjoy whatever days he has left as a major league ballplayer, if any.
Seriously? His legacy has ALREADY been sullied by his stubborn and cantankerous resistance to accepting a changing role with the team as befitted his diminished skill set and conversion to DH. The Yankees did major damage control after his refusal to play vs the Sox this past season; admirably containing a nasty backlash within the clubhouse, his own fan base and team’s beat media over a single incident that continues to follow him in nearly every story containing his name.
If he chooses to play next season and goes 0 for 50 for the Red Sox or anywhere else outside the Yankee brand — where he has been granted a far wider latitude for his failures due to his past contributions — I have no doubt the daily “Yankee has-been” thumping he would take in the national media would be unprecedented blood sport and he would become the cautionary poster boy for washed-up jocks everywhere. This isn’t the good old days where the sports media protects and exalts their heroes. This is the new media world where bad news is always the biggest news, and google and copy/paste render a newsmaker’s most tragic mistakes an eternal component of their bio. …Just sayin’.
He may take a hit at the time, but legacy suggests longterm view. In 10 years no one will talk about him taking himself out of the lineup this past year and no one will talk about where or how he plays next year. His legacy is fine.