Adjusting to any position is difficult. For example, from outfield to first base is tricky. You go from shagging flies, sprinting to balls and sometimes not always getting action out there, then you could move to first and well, your now part of almost every single play in the game. You need to stay in front of the ball, keep your foot on the bag and be a Venus flytrap over there. It's busy. I'm going to be honest about this, I wondered what it would be like for
Jorge Posada, who was a terrific catcher for so many years to now being a Designated Hitter with the Yankees in 2011. I was alittle worried. It's got to be strange for him. As a catcher, there's constant conversation about batters with your pitchers, you're reading the old Girardi binder, calling a game and there's plenty going on. The mind is racing always. Suddenly Posada's the Designated Hitter and there a lot more time between at bats. There's a lot of pacing, sitting, water breaks and Jorge probably feels he's not doing enough. He may feel helpless, like he's offering less to the ball club because he's been directly involved for so many years as a catcher and now his role seems diminished. The good news is Jorge still has a bat. It was evident against Detroit with his 2 home runs and 4 RBIs and it was last night when he cranked another out. Yes, getting adjusted to the DH role is tricky for a once very day active Posada, but if he can harness his energy correctly, he could be a driving force in the Yankees lineup. First off,
Russell Martin's gonna have questions and Jorge knows the inner workings and can be Russell's teacher, a mentor in between at bats.
"Look for this batter to swing at fastballs out" or
"go inside on this guy". Teaching the tricks of the trade and knowing how each pitcher operates.
And speaking of pitchers operating,
Phil Hughes is a perfect example. No one knows Hughes better than Posada and I'm sure they spoke with Rothschild to try and figure out what happened to Hughes velocity yesterday. See? Posada, if he plans accordingly, can have the best of both worlds without even stepping behind the dish. Thirdly, now Posada has more time to think about his own at bats against the pitching he's seeing. There are definitely positives for Jorge Posada as a DH. If he rethinks his routine, I see Posada being incredibly valuable. Posada will just need to ease his mind, be a mentor when called upon and embrace the roll as DH.
Put it this way, others in the past have had problems adjusting.
Giambi couldn't hack it.
Hideki Matsui took a while to adjust. Posada will be different. Why? Because Posada is no nonsense and he has something to prove to the Yankees organization and the fans. He's a Yankee for life and he will make it as a DH for sure... after all, he's the ultimate New York Yankee...Bleeding Yankee Blue, as always.
Please comment and let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.
Adjusting to any position is difficult. For example, from outfield to first base is tricky. You go from shagging flies, sprinting to balls and sometimes not always getting action out there, then you could move to first and well, your now part of almost every single play in the game. You need to stay in front of the ball, keep your foot on the bag and be a Venus flytrap over there. It's busy. I'm going to be honest about this, I wondered what it would be like for Jorge Posada, who was a terrific catcher for so many years to now being a Designated Hitter with the Yankees in 2011. I was alittle worried. It's got to be strange for him. As a catcher, there's constant conversation about batters with your pitchers, you're reading the old Girardi binder, calling a game and there's plenty going on. The mind is racing always. Suddenly Posada's the Designated Hitter and there a lot more time between at bats. There's a lot of pacing, sitting, water breaks and Jorge probably feels he's not doing enough. He may feel helpless, like he's offering less to the ball club because he's been directly involved for so many years as a catcher and now his role seems diminished. The good news is Jorge still has a bat. It was evident against Detroit with his 2 home runs and 4 RBIs and it was last night when he cranked another out. Yes, getting adjusted to the DH role is tricky for a once very day active Posada, but if he can harness his energy correctly, he could be a driving force in the Yankees lineup. First off, Russell Martin's gonna have questions and Jorge knows the inner workings and can be Russell's teacher, a mentor in between at bats. "Look for this batter to swing at fastballs out" or "go inside on this guy". Teaching the tricks of the trade and knowing how each pitcher operates.
And speaking of pitchers operating, Phil Hughes is a perfect example. No one knows Hughes better than Posada and I'm sure they spoke with Rothschild to try and figure out what happened to Hughes velocity yesterday. See? Posada, if he plans accordingly, can have the best of both worlds without even stepping behind the dish. Thirdly, now Posada has more time to think about his own at bats against the pitching he's seeing. There are definitely positives for Jorge Posada as a DH. If he rethinks his routine, I see Posada being incredibly valuable. Posada will just need to ease his mind, be a mentor when called upon and embrace the roll as DH.
Put it this way, others in the past have had problems adjusting. Giambi couldn't hack it. Hideki Matsui took a while to adjust. Posada will be different. Why? Because Posada is no nonsense and he has something to prove to the Yankees organization and the fans. He's a Yankee for life and he will make it as a DH for sure... after all, he's the ultimate New York Yankee...Bleeding Yankee Blue, as always. Please comment and let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.
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