Each year, however, the one with the largest contract seems to bear the heaviest burden of proof, both individually and collectively for his fellow major leaguers. This year, Alex Rodriguez of the Texas Rangers is the man under the microscope. It s all Monopoly money to me. Joe Siegler of Garland, Texas, for example, says A-Rod's contract doesn't bother him because it's too astronomical to comprehend. However numbing the dollar amount of Rodriguez's contract, the real question is what makes an athlete so valuable in a team game like baseball.
Pitchers initiate the action and are considered the key to the outcome of any single game.
But starters only take their turn in a pitching rotation every fourth or fifth game and seldom go the distance. By contrast, a shortstop like Rodriguez is an everyday player who plays a vital role in a key defensive position. Second base 4. Center field 5. Third base 6.