The Horse Setting The Spring Training Pace

Among the bevy of labels that have been given to A-Rod since he joined the Yankees, "clubhouse leader" probably isn't one that's been attached to him very often.  Yet this story by Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports paints The Horse as just that; a veteran who has been through the battles before standing up in front of his teammates and rallying the troops, getting them ready for the season at hand.  It's a very interesting image to ponder and one that makes me excited about what this season has in store for A-Rod as it signifies both a change in role for him and a change in mindset.

For years A-Rod was the stereotypical detached superstar, seemingly out of touch with his teammates and the clubhouse environment and always looking out for number 1.  But over the past few seasons there has been a change in A-Rod; he's been more subdued in his superstardom, he's talked more about team-related things, and hasn't drawn as much negative attention to himself with his actions on or off the field.  Perhaps not so coincidentally, this change has occurred over a period of time where he has tumbled from the top of the MLB mountain, spending his last few seasons fighting injuries and watching his OPS and wOBA numbers shrink.  The Horse is now well set in the downside of his career, and he seems to recognize this with what he has been saying this spring, this pregame speech being the latest example.

That's not to say that A-Rod is completely done as a player.  He has shown that when healthy he can still put up well above-average numbers.  But his days of being the cream of the crop and the elitest of elite-level producers at the plate are likely over, and he has to find new ways to contribute to the team.  Filling the void of clubhouse leader could be one of those ways.  Even though he was minimally effective on the field last season, it's almost a sure thing that behind the scenes in the Yankee clubhouse Jorge Posada was still the main vocal leader.  With Posada now retired, somebody has to assume the role and it's a safe bet that it won't be Mr. Cool Derek Jeter.

As a guy with a reputation of being among the hardest working and smartest players in the game, who better than The Horse to become that voice of the clubhouse?  Older or injured or otherwise, his name and reputation probably still carries a lot of weight with his peers and teammates, especially the growing crop of young Yankees poised to take over as the next generation after guys like A-Rod, Jeter, and Mo move on.  He's a guy who has been there and done everything there is to do in the game, and because of that he should be someone that everybody looks up to.  A-Rod might be starting to realize that now, and knowing that he can't carry the team by himself with his bat and glove anymore he's willing to step up and be a guy who can help carry and guide the team with his words.

It's always risky trying to delve into the intangible side of baseball and talk intelligently about it, but I like the idea of A-Rod as the vocal leader of this team.  He still has a lot to offer on the field and if he now recognizes that he can offer just as much off of it, behind the scenes, that should be a good thing for clubhouse culture.  If a guy like A-Rod can stand up and talk about being "all in" during the first week of Spring Training when things have barely gotten rolling, and speak only of his desire to help his team win a championship rather than the individual things that he has to do in order for that to happen when talking to the media, that's a great foot to start this season off on mentally and emotionally.  Even though I can't prove it analytically or statistically, I've got a hunch that this new approach is going to pay off for The Horse on the field this year.  He may be settling into "grizzled veteran" status, but Alex isn't completely washed up yet and I expect him to remind everybody of that this season.