Anybody who watched ARod play in the last two months of the season knew it was possible he was still injured. I thought it must have been his wrist or his conditioning, but it's certainly plausible that he was unable to generate his typical power because of his hip:
"He became the punching bag for a team-wide offensive flameout and it might be, as opposed to say Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson or Nick Swisher, that he had a legitimate excuse. He told the Yankees his surgically repaired right hip wasn’t firing after being pinch-hit for in Game 2 of the AL Division Series, went for an MRI and nothing was found.
It sounds like a shamed man grasping for extenuating circumstances, except eventually a tear, a bone impingement and a cyst were found in his left hip and, well, how do you fake that? Rodriguez had a real issue, a real explanation for going from a decent player — albeit not the star of his prime — to pretty much an automatic out, an empty uniform.
'It’s a likely scenario that the struggles we saw in September and in October are more likely than not related to this issue,' general manager Brian Cashman said."
Right. Makes sense to me, and not just because I'm wishing.
"Thus, we have yet another last stand for A-Rod, another comeback attempt for his body and reputation. The odds are steep, complicated by injury, age and whatever self-doubt is floating around in Rodriguez’s congested brain.
He will not get the benefit of the doubt — but what if he did?"
He's 37, not 47. He could very well be a productive player if he can get healthy.
I disagree with Sherman about one point. ARod gets no bonus points for playing through the injury and failing to produce.
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