TonyStarks
09-06-2007, 10:36 PM
...From Star Ledger
What Cabrera does in-between is the key to his season and, in some sense, the Yankees' turnaround.
During his 2 1/2 hours in the city, Cabrera tosses a medicine ball, lifts weights and does stretches under the watchful eye of his behind-the-scenes mentor: Alex Rodriguez. The result of this highly tailored workout regimen is a lighter, stronger player who is more able to hold up under the rigors of his first full major-league season.
"He's maintained his energy," manager Joe Torre said. "And the thing about the energy, it's so important for us to have that. It's a big reason why we were sort of able to do something about our season, to be honest with you."
Since June 1 -- when he took over as the Yankees' regular center fielder and about the time he began working out with Rodriguez -- Cabrera has hit .320 with six homers, seven triples, 18 doubles and 50 runs scored while playing in every game (starting all but five).
And the Yankees have gone 56-33.
Early in the season, Rodriguez figured Cabrera could be in better shape and invited Cabrera to join him in his daily workouts. Rodriguez didn't want to push Cabrera into it, just leave the door open.
As Cabrera recalls, Rodriguez would say, "Come on, let's go 'Leche.'" (Cabrera's clubhouse nickname is "Leche" -- Spanish for milk, which sounds like Melky.)
Once Cabrera decided to take up Rodriguez on his offer, he quickly got hooked.
On the surface, it seems an unlikely pairing. Their reputations are near opposite: Rodriguez the aloof superstar, Cabrera the carefree youngster.
And, yes, Rodriguez has made an effort this year to spend time getting locked in for games while Cabrera, who turned 23 on Aug. 11, is often goofing around with best pal Robinson Cano.
But less obvious is that Rodriguez makes an effort to mentor the younger Spanish-speaking players, and Cabrera takes his game seriously.
Rodriguez did say he is "overly impressed" with Cabrera's commitment, as Cabrera has not missed a day. But Rodriguez refuses to take credit for any of Cabrera's accomplishments and is reluctant to talk about how he has helped Cabrera. (That probably goes back to the 2004-05 off-season, when Rodriguez was quoted bragging about his workouts, leading to a flurry of spring-training jibes from the Boston Red Sox.)
Asked if his routine with Rodriguez has helped his play, Cabrera gave an arched-eyebrow, wide-eyed look and said, "Oof," as if he can hardly believe the difference. "Yeah."
(Cabrera, a native of the Dominican Republic, is making an earnest effort to improve his English but is still shy and halting in his second tongue.)
Improved "core" strength has helped Cabrera's bat speed. His weight is 198 pounds, down from 207 earlier this year. But most important has been his endurance.
"I haven't seen him drag," hitting coach Kevin Long said. "I haven't seen slow days from him. (That's) easier said than done. There's life in his body every day. You would expect there to be some days where you just see the bat dragging. I just haven't seen it."
Every day when the Yankees are home, a car service picks up Cabrera at 9 a.m. and takes him into New York. Then he returns home at about 11:30 for lunch before heading to Yankee Stadium.
The workouts, done with Rodriguez's personal trainer, vary. They toss a medicine ball, lift weights, do agility drills or work in a pool.
When the Yankees are at home, they go to A-Rod's workout center. If the Yankees have a day game, they keep it to stretching and a massage. And when the Yankees are on the road, they work out at the fitness room in the team hotel or find a nearby gym.
They work out every day, even if the Yankees are off.
Besides Rodriguez, Cabrera gives credit to Torre and the coaching staff for giving him the opportunity to be a regular.
"He was going to get bigger," Long said. "He was going to get stronger. But the work he has put in with Alex has definitely shown big dividends, both defensively and offensively.
"I just hope that whether Alex is here or not here (next year) he remembers a lot of what he's done. I think he will."
What Cabrera does in-between is the key to his season and, in some sense, the Yankees' turnaround.
During his 2 1/2 hours in the city, Cabrera tosses a medicine ball, lifts weights and does stretches under the watchful eye of his behind-the-scenes mentor: Alex Rodriguez. The result of this highly tailored workout regimen is a lighter, stronger player who is more able to hold up under the rigors of his first full major-league season.
"He's maintained his energy," manager Joe Torre said. "And the thing about the energy, it's so important for us to have that. It's a big reason why we were sort of able to do something about our season, to be honest with you."
Since June 1 -- when he took over as the Yankees' regular center fielder and about the time he began working out with Rodriguez -- Cabrera has hit .320 with six homers, seven triples, 18 doubles and 50 runs scored while playing in every game (starting all but five).
And the Yankees have gone 56-33.
Early in the season, Rodriguez figured Cabrera could be in better shape and invited Cabrera to join him in his daily workouts. Rodriguez didn't want to push Cabrera into it, just leave the door open.
As Cabrera recalls, Rodriguez would say, "Come on, let's go 'Leche.'" (Cabrera's clubhouse nickname is "Leche" -- Spanish for milk, which sounds like Melky.)
Once Cabrera decided to take up Rodriguez on his offer, he quickly got hooked.
On the surface, it seems an unlikely pairing. Their reputations are near opposite: Rodriguez the aloof superstar, Cabrera the carefree youngster.
And, yes, Rodriguez has made an effort this year to spend time getting locked in for games while Cabrera, who turned 23 on Aug. 11, is often goofing around with best pal Robinson Cano.
But less obvious is that Rodriguez makes an effort to mentor the younger Spanish-speaking players, and Cabrera takes his game seriously.
Rodriguez did say he is "overly impressed" with Cabrera's commitment, as Cabrera has not missed a day. But Rodriguez refuses to take credit for any of Cabrera's accomplishments and is reluctant to talk about how he has helped Cabrera. (That probably goes back to the 2004-05 off-season, when Rodriguez was quoted bragging about his workouts, leading to a flurry of spring-training jibes from the Boston Red Sox.)
Asked if his routine with Rodriguez has helped his play, Cabrera gave an arched-eyebrow, wide-eyed look and said, "Oof," as if he can hardly believe the difference. "Yeah."
(Cabrera, a native of the Dominican Republic, is making an earnest effort to improve his English but is still shy and halting in his second tongue.)
Improved "core" strength has helped Cabrera's bat speed. His weight is 198 pounds, down from 207 earlier this year. But most important has been his endurance.
"I haven't seen him drag," hitting coach Kevin Long said. "I haven't seen slow days from him. (That's) easier said than done. There's life in his body every day. You would expect there to be some days where you just see the bat dragging. I just haven't seen it."
Every day when the Yankees are home, a car service picks up Cabrera at 9 a.m. and takes him into New York. Then he returns home at about 11:30 for lunch before heading to Yankee Stadium.
The workouts, done with Rodriguez's personal trainer, vary. They toss a medicine ball, lift weights, do agility drills or work in a pool.
When the Yankees are at home, they go to A-Rod's workout center. If the Yankees have a day game, they keep it to stretching and a massage. And when the Yankees are on the road, they work out at the fitness room in the team hotel or find a nearby gym.
They work out every day, even if the Yankees are off.
Besides Rodriguez, Cabrera gives credit to Torre and the coaching staff for giving him the opportunity to be a regular.
"He was going to get bigger," Long said. "He was going to get stronger. But the work he has put in with Alex has definitely shown big dividends, both defensively and offensively.
"I just hope that whether Alex is here or not here (next year) he remembers a lot of what he's done. I think he will."