The Yankees started slowly again in 2007, dropping to the bottom of the standings in the spring. They regained their bearings over the summer and nailed down a playoff spot. Rodriguez carried the team in the first half and finally got help from his teammates when the weather warmed up. Hideki was a huge contributor to the cause, despite playing much of the year on a sore right knee.
Hideki finished with 25 home runs and 103 RBIs—both second on the club to A-Rod. Six of those long balls came during a 10-day span in July that boosted the Yankees back into Wild Card contention. Hideki hit 13 altogether in July and was named AL Player of the Month..
For the fourth year in a row, however, the Yankees came up empty in the postseason, losing the Division Series to the Clevelnd Indians. Hideki got little to hit from Tribe pitchers—and as a result, hit little.
After the season, the Yankees terminated Torre’s contract. In the mood to do some more housecleaning—and in desperate need for starting pitchers—they listened to offers for previously untouchable players, including Hideki, who would not have been opposed to relocating to the West Coast. For a time the Yankees and San Francisco Giants discussed such a trade, but the names and numbers didn’t mesh, so Hideki remained in pinstripes.
After five years in the Bronx, Hideki has proven without a doubt that he belongs in pinstripes—and in the majors. Opponents recognize him as a “true” Yankee, an acknowledgement of how hard he plays and how much respect he shows for the game. For Hideki, a player raised on baseball’s fundamentals, there is no higher compliment.
HIDEKI THE PLAYER
Before Hideki came along, the only type of Japanese player who had not tried his hand in the majors was a slugger. That raised a lot of questions. Although the teams that scouted Hideki believed his skills would translate to big league playing fields, they couldn’t ignore the fact that the Americans who win home run titles in Japan usually can’t crack the starting lineups of most U.S. teams. What if the reverse was true?
Hideki ended this argument by hitting for power, albeit not with the same numbers he had in Japan. But a good hitter is a good hitter, and Hideki has found success using the entire field and making pitchers work extremely hard to get him out, especially with men on base. Few players in baseball hit the ball as hard with the same consistency.
In the outfield, Hideki has decent range (made better by his ability to read the ball off the bat), an average-but-accurate arm, and doesn’t make many mistakes. In the locker room, he is respected for his work ethic and well liked for his desire to fit in. Ask the Yankees and their fans, and they will tell you how happy they are to have him in pinstripes.
Source:jockbio.com