The End For Posada

Since the second week of the 2011 season, it has been evident that Jorge Posada had nothing left. His bat was slower, he was no longer able to play in the field, and he was unable to provide anything beyond the mythical ‘veteran leadership’. Even the leadership was redundant on a team built around established veterans.

Yes, Posada started off the year hitting for power, but that was all he was doing. Finally, roughly five months too late, Joe Girardi realized that he could get the same production from a cardboard standup of Posada, and has benched him. Posada has now become just another veteran who hung on too long through his inability to recognize the inevitable – that he no longer has the skill necessary to play major league baseball.

At first glance, Posada seems to be having a passable season. His batting average stands at .230, which is not good, but is also not Adam Dunn. However, he hit .382 in June, has not hit a home run in his last 78 at bats, and cannot play in the field any longer. Presently, he has an OPS+ of 83, his lowest in a season with more than 200 plate appearances. His strikeout to walk rate is almost two to one, far worse than his career average. He is -8 at offensive runs above replacement, and -1.2 in WAR. In short, at the $13.1Million he is making this season, Posada is playing worse than your typical 25th man on the roster.

It rarely ends well for professional athletes when their career is winding down. Bouyed by their past successes, they feel that it is only a slump that they can work their way out of. More often than not, the only time they understand that the reality is that they no longer have the skills to play is when they are shown the door and they are forced into retirement, as the next prospect or free agent veteran is brought in to take their place.

And so, the writing is on the wall for Jorge Posada. Perhaps he can hang around for another year or two at a much lower salary on a team desperate for some of that ‘veteran leadership’. Maybe he will end up catching or being the designated hitter a couple of times a week and providing occasional power off of the bench. But his days of regular playing time are over. The best case scenario for Posada would be for the Yankees to have ‘Jorge Appreciation Day’ and he announces that he is going to retire after the season. This way, he can claim that he went out on his terms, which many athletes are unable to say.