In the wake of the ongoing postseason, former teammates found themselves in a nostalgic discussion. As one of the iconic franchises, the New York Yankees has always aimed at onboarding the best. Be it the front office staff, players, or coaches. This particular time, Alex Rodriguez took the forefront to bring out stories of one of the best.
The ever-so-active A-Rod posted a snippet of his rather elaborate discussion with a panel of baseball folks. The table was graced with the presence of former players Derek Jeter, and David Ortiz. Ranging from analytics to statistics to game predictions, they discussed it all. However, amid all that, A-Rod did not forget to pay his respects to a man who coached him in his heyday.
Alex Rodriguez Recalls A Tough But Respected Coach
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During their time, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter had the privilege of being coached by some elite names. While the 48-year-old listed out names like Missily, Roy White, and Willie Randolph, he reminisced about another coach, Larry Bowa. He recalled how Bowa would pick Rodriguez and Jeter and would not let them loose.
In A-Rod’s words, “And if we were doing something that was kind of half, you know what? He would bury us right in our face. He was like,’ What are you guys doing? Are you gonna show up?’”. He was stern enough to set all his players straight.
Well, doesn’t that kind of authority seem to come from experience? Rightly so, A-Rod even highlighted that the coach he shared with Jeter had 40 years of experience. With 4 decades of work experience, one not only masters the game but also develops a quality of seeing thought and predicting moves. Bowa challenged both the then-players, hence they achieved what they did. But what about Bowa remains in A-Rod’s heart?
As a man who was tough, he earned the respect of the players he coached. The feat that the 3X MVP and 14X All-Star achieved back in the day is the outcome of the right kind of coaching. Respect goes a long way and with that, they also shed light on an important aspect of baseball these days. Analytics.
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The Future of Baseball With Analytics Dominating Autonomy
As the game has met technology over a period of time, drawing data out of each game and player has become a prized asset. Truly, analytics are controlling the baseball managers’ decisions (in many ways, not all). Though this comes with a set of advantages, it is not feasible to predict what happens in the diamond, 2 days prior. A-Rod vouches for autonomy, quite like one non-Yankees General Manager.
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Chris Young, the GM of Texas Rangers, is a believer of free-flowing autonomy rather than heavily relying on analytics. Rodriguez too seconds the belief. He attributes Young’s 3-World championships win to his approach. Quite an interesting take.
Watch This Story : “My Teammates Would Make Fun of Me”: MLB Icon Alex Rodriguez Unveils a Hilarious Secret Which Made Him the ‘King’
