All Or Nothing

After 21 games played and 72 at bats, Jorge Posada has six homeruns and 12 RBIs. Looks respectable for a 39 year old DH with terrible knees, right? I mean, he's on a 38 homer pace. But Posada has managed just three other hits besides the six homeruns. His average stands at an abysmal .125.

Posada sorta has the right idea. Six homeruns for every nine hits is quite the ratio. But he seems to have forgotten about the hits per at-bat part. His power production hasn't made up for his horrendous average. 2011 has truly been all or nothing for him.

This season is Posada's first as a full-time DH. Jorge has always been a intensely prideful and passionate player. For the past decade or so, he's been one of the consummate leaders of the Yankees and, as starting catcher, the orchestrator of the pitching staff. Passing the reins of this pitching staff over to newcomer Russell Martin was likely extremely difficult for Jorge. Still, he handled it like a true professional and accepted his new role. But he's been slow to adapt.

On top of all this, Russell Martin has been flourishing as a Yankee. Through 23 games played, he has a .293 average, six homeruns, and 19 RBIs. He's outhit Posada while successfully leading a thus far overachieving pitching rotation. Martin's defense behind the plate is also light-years ahead of where Jorge's ever was. As a Dodger, Martin's first three seasons in the majors were impressive and promising. But in 2009 and 2010 he dropped off the face of the earth. Last season he hit just .248. Thankfully, he has shown signs of a career rebirth in a Yankee uniform.

Martin's success and the depth of strong catchers in the Yankee farm system make Posada's future in New York look bleak. His days as a catcher, for any team, are almost certainly in the past. Soon, the same will be said of his days as a major league player if he doesn't pick up his performance at the plate.