It’s been two months since the Yankees found out about Alex Rodriguez‘ hip, and on Wednesday, the third baseman will finally have his surgery. After 27 awful-looking Postseason plate appearances, it’s no surprise that Rodriguez had a significant injury. It wasn’t until being benched by Joe Girardi in Game three of the ALDS, that the slugger admitted to his manager that his hip had been bothering him, and that he wasn’t “firing on all cylinders.” Cashman would later say that one benefit of the hip ordeal was that it brought peace of mind to Rodriguez, who had worries about his October performance.
Yesterday, Dan Martin of the New York Post got a few quotes from batting coach Kevin Long on the subject. Long believed the hip problems manifested themselves earlier in the season, and that his swing was noticeably different months earlier.
“I knew it in August,” the Yankees hitting coach said by phone Saturday. “I didn’t know exactly what it was, but his lower half was not letting him do the things he’s normally able to do.”
Later on in the article, he hints at what might have changed in his approach during 2012.
“I hope he’ll be able to overcome the deficiencies that were holding him back and gain flexibility in his hips and glutes,” Long said. “He has to go through the healing process, but last time he got through it pretty quick. I’m glad he’s getting it done. The last time we were both very concerned about how he would come back and he is getting older, but the fact that he’s already done this once will ease both of our minds.”
As optimistic as it sounds, I’m curious to see how his hip injury had such a large impact on his swing. Rodriguez was shut down for nearly 40 days prior to his Sepetember return, and even older players like Derek Jeter found a way to work through their own cumulative injuries. Perhaps I’m wary about what Yankee personnel say, but this excuse seems a little too convenient.
I decided to look back at the footage. I grabbed one of Rodriguez’ at bats from June of this season and compared it to his last ALDS at bat.
Not much of his swing is different until you see the lower half. If you compare his left hip from June To October, you’ll see that it makes a slight bend, in the Postseason, when he’s making contact with the pitch. You’ll get a better sense of how it affects his swing by looking at the angle on his left foot. In both instances, the left foot falls while pointing towards first base, however it differs on contact. In his June at bat, you can see the foot land and plant itself as he’s hitting the ball. In October, his foot comes down at the same angle, but then instantly shifts on contact with the pitch. He fails to successfully plant his foot to the ground as the torque reaches his hips. His weak left hip couldn’t transfer the power to his legs.
There was a lack of power, but more importantly, there was a lack of balance. It looks like his weak hip had a significant effect on Alex Rodriguez, and we can hope that the surgery allows him to get back into his June form. The organization should have a better idea of the recovery time and severity of the injury on Wednesday, when they finally see what they’re dealing with.
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9 Responses to How Alex Rodriguez’ Hip Injury Affected His Swing
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TIQ IQ
Fanstastic analysis!
That all may be true, but I am still pissed that he knew something was wrong and lied about it.It was a mistake taking him back after he bailed on us and now we are stuck with him. It is all bullshit.
Also look how much smaller his leg kick is in October.
What Long, the Yankees and the writer argue about the hip injury altering A-Rod’s swing may all be true, but I find the video evidence highly flawed. Perhaps the foot movement in A-Rod’s later at bat is only quick recognition that he has hit a grounder and needs to run quickly to first base. For the video comparison to make sense, you would need to compare virtually similar pitches (fastballs for example)… thrown to virtually similar locations (both belt high and over the plate)… and hit in a virtually similar way (drives to center)… to pick up real swing or power changes.
Agreed – comparing a single video of different pitches with different outcomes is not a scientific comparison
Rather obvious in later swing that it is powerless…Alex unable to rotate and push off as he did in earlier swing.This no doubt affected his bat speed.It will be very interesting to see if the surgery is successful at his advanced age,but explains Arod’s decline.Wish him and Yankees good luck.
The big difference that I see between the two swings is that: on the left he is staying on the ball (extending to the ball and letting the bat snap through it), on the right (injured one) he is pulling off of the ball as he tries to extend to it. On the left he is only using his legs and hips for power, on the right he uses his leg/hips for power but, then also adds in trunk rotation for power. Using trunk rotation for power will always cause you to pull off of the ball and miss hit it. You can visualize this and see the telltale sign of powering the trunk on the right when you see at the end, how his trunk rotation pulls his front foot off the plant. When you can’t fully power the swing with just a hip/leg drive because your hip joint hurts, your brain/mind will sense this and try to add power with your upper body. It is not possible to use upper body muscles for power and accurately guide a bat as well as keep the bat on the ball. That’s my two cents
Everytime I read an A-rod article, I just hope (wish) he was back in his prime and make all the money worthwhile. This discovery does give me the hope that he could be much better once he is fully healthy.
When I read about A-Rod I just keep thinking about the analysis and ownership comments that appeared when he signed his new contract. It was blatantly obvious that a 10 year deal to a guy his age was foolish, but somehow it would all be different with Super Alex. Perhaps more surprising than this idiotic contract is the fact that the Angels could not see the obvious and gave a similar deal to Pujols.