Mellow arrival for A-Rod?
Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez takes the field for an evening workout before Game 1 of the ALDS against the Minnesota Twins. Credit: Newsday / Thomas A. Ferrara
Alex Rodriguez ends his globe-hopping, celebrity-filled offseason with his scheduled arrival at spring training on Saturday.
The Yankees said A-Rod will meet the media on Monday.
There are no particular controversies following him at the moment. Unlike other springs, there is no performance enhancing drug admission to be made. There are no books out on him, nor is there an overriding need to update his relationship—or lack thereof—with Derek Jeter.
If anything, there has been a bit of a role reversal. Jeter is the one who has been on the spot to explain his 2010 performance, which saw him hit only .270 as age intruder on his resume. Jeter has been around camp for weeks but will meet the press again on Sunday.
A-Rod is 35, still a prime-time age, and while he also comes off a .270 average, he still managed to hit 30 home runs for the 13th straight season.
While Jeter will get first half attention in his quest for 3,000 career hits, A-Rod starts the season with 613 homers. If healthy, he will surely pass retired Ken Griffey (630) on the all-time list then take aim at Willie Mays (660).
After Mays, A-Rod has until 2017 on his contract to catch Babe Ruth (714), Hank Aaron (755) and Barry Bonds (762).
By then, Jeter will be long retired and—this is hard to fathom—the team may be considered A-Rod’s Yankees.