Friday, January 20, 2017

Remembering Yankees of the Past: Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez


The Baseball Writers Association of America, better known to you boys and girls as the BBWAA, elected three new members into the Hall of Fame this week including first baseman Jeff Bagwell, outfielder Tim Raines and catcher Pudge “Ivan” Rodriguez. Rodriguez, like Raines, is a former Yankees player albeit for a short period of time so let’s remember the Hall of Fame catcher’s not-so-memorable time in Yankees pinstripes before he makes his walk into the halls of Cooperstown, New York.

Pudge’s 2008 season started out magnificently leading all of Major League Baseball in home runs during spring training but his season went down from there, and in a big way. Pudge did have a couple high spots in 2008 as his career began to wind down including his 2,500th hit of his career on April 10th against the Boston Red Sox but it was on July 30, 2008 that Pudge endured something that no player wants to at that point in their career. Pudge was traded.

The New York Yankees acquired Pudge to be their backup catcher that season after sending relief pitcher Kyle Farnsworth to the Detroit Tigers in the trade. Pudge, splitting time with Jose Molina, started in just 26 of the Yankees 55 games that second half which did not sit well with the now Hall of Fame catcher.


Rodriguez hit just .278 as a Yankee, easily his worst part of the season, before fading off into the sunset as New York failed to make the postseason for the first time since the 1993 season. 

2 comments:

  1. I don't want anybody to misunderstand what I'm saying, but the hypocrisy in HOF voting needs to be addressed. Piazza was linked to steroids and got in. Pudge was HEAVILY linked to steroids and got in first ballot. Raines was an admitted cocaine user and got in. Bonds, one of the best players in history still isn't in. Clemens, a seven time Cy Young winner isn't in. Also, I'm not saying Posada is a HOF player. But to drop off the ballot with 3.8% in his first year? That seems a bit ridiculous.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thus, I have been calling the Hall...."The Hall of Shame" for a few years now.
    I have seen many players with nothing to show for the record books except, they were very nice guys with good baseball stats, not great, as we have been told one needed to join...the true Hall.
    We have players with one or three great seasons elected to the Hall, and other just as good or better not in, YET!
    Mike dominate...270 wins, Double Figures in wins in 17 of 18 years not in!
    Why not?
    Let's face it, he was not a Clemens or Cy Young but he was a #1 starter for many years and most always came very close to 17, 20 game winning seasons. That is what the Hall was made up with, players that were great or near great, for more than three or four years.
    Nice guys are nice guys but Game Changers are Game Changers for 3/4 of their playing time or 10 years or more. Clemens, Bonds, A-Rod all belong, if those can be elected why not three of the most dominate players of all time!

    ReplyDelete

Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)