TAMPA — It was a sleeker Alex Rodriguez who took a physical, fielded grounders and worked in the hitting cage yesterday.
Not only was Rodriguez’s weight down from 228 to 224, his body fat plummeted from 12 to 9 percent.
“He is lighter, that’s all I will say,” general manager Brian Cashman said of his cleanup hitter, who will be looking to hit 30 or more homers for the 14th straight season.
Rodriguez, 35, starts the season sixth on the all-time home run list with 613. If he avoids injury, Rodriguez likely will pass Ken Griffey Jr., who is fifth with 630. Willie Mays is fourth at 660 and out of reach this summer.
Manager Joe Girardi said he expects Rodriguez, a career .303 hitter to bounce back from a .270 season a year ago. It was Rodriguez’s lowest batting average since he hit .232 in 48 games in 1995.
“Do I think he is a .270 hitter? No I don’t,” Girardi said. “I think he is a higher hitter than that. He had a down year average wise. I think he is a much higher hitter.”
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Believing today was reporting day instead of yesterday, second baseman Robinson Cano
was the only position player missing from George M. Steinbrenner Field yesterday when players underwent physicals.
“He said he got the date wrong, he thought [today] was the physicals and Monday the workout,” Cashman said. Since the mandatory reporting date is March 1, Cashman said he wasn’t upset with Cano.
Hector Noesi
, a fringe candidate for a rotation spot, is expected to join the workouts today. Noesi had visa problems in the Dominican Republic.
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Girardi might give Ronnie Belliard
a look at first base. Girardi can use Swisher at first when Mark Teixeira
doesn’t play but would rather leave Swisher in right. Jorge Posada
and Eric Chavez
also are candidates.