Yankees backup infielder Cody Ransom: A-Rod's Understudy?

Scary, isn't it? To be the understudy to a player with a tainted history. Some might say, "Uh-oh! A-Rod's gonna teach him how to use steroids." Others might say, "Uh-oh, he's hanging out with Alex and his celebrity friends." I say, "Get out of here!" As long as Cody picks up things from A-Rod on the field and not off the field, he's going to be fine. I see 3 things  that Ransom can learn from Alex: his work ethic, how to hit for power, and how to handle the media.

The first thing Cody can learn from A-Rod is his work ethic. Yankee fans, you've seen Yankeeography: Alex Rodriguez. You've seen the extensive amount of exercise he does to keep himself in playing shape. He keeps himself in great shape. Ransom should be motivated by this. He should also be inspired by how hard A-Rod worked in rehab after hip surgery. He is no stranger to rehab. Imagine what it took to come back after that car accident he was in. What Cody should not do is take chances and play around with steroids. Look at what happened to A-Rod. Look what happened to Manny.

The next thing Cody Ransom can pick up from Alex Rodriguez is hitting for power. Die hard Yankee fans will remember how last year he hit home runs in his 1st 2 plate appearances as a Yankee. He is the only player in franchise history to ever do this. A-Rod couldn't do this. Mark Teixiera couldn't do this. He would finish the season with a career high 4 home runs, though he did hit 22 HRs for Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre that year. There's no question he's got power. He just needs to do it at the Major League level more. He should get a tape of A-Rod hitting a home run and just study it. Yankee hitting instructor Kevin Long can be very instrumental here. Sometimes all it takes is 1 little tweak to a batting stance and next thing you know, you're hitting home runs like crazy.

Finally, Cody can learn Rodriguez handling the media. Learn what to do and what not to do. Ransom's got his own personality. He needs to adjust to the media accordingly. He should be inspired by how Alex came off rehab focused saying that he is just coming back and that he just wants to focus on baseball until the season's over. Baseball is 162 game grind. Ransom cannot allow himself to be involved in civilian affairs, unless of course, it's family. Family is important. He's got a wife and daughter to support.

Being an understudy to A-Rod is some tremendous shoes to fill. I believe Ransom has the power to do it offensively coming off the bench. He's recently come back from injuring a quad muscle while running the bases. He may not exactly be batting cleanup in the batting order, but he can get some key hits, and drive in runs. All-in-all, I believe Cody Ransom can get something being Alex Rodriguez's understudy as long as he learns from the good and not from the bad.