Shakin’ up Arlington: An ode to Elvis Andrus

The office where this blog roams is inhabited by a couple of Rangers fans – including yours truly. But the other occupant of said space is, unfortunately, a fan of some team in Chicago named the White Sox.

And with that tragic fandom, this poor soul is convinced that Gordon Beckham is far superior to our own Elvis Andrus. He has gone so far as to say that Gordon Beckham is more of a franchise player than our beloved shortstop.

Personally, I don’t think this debate is worth even acknowledging. Gordon Beckham vs. Elvis Andrus is like Porky Pig vs. Bugs Bunny. Porky had some funny moments and was an overall good cartoon, but I mean, come on. Bugs is a national icon.

Same with Beckham/Andrus. Beckham is a nice player and can rake, but Elvis impacts the game positively in every aspect. He can run, hit, play AMAZING defense, and lead his team.

On Midwest Sports Fans, said White Sox fan defended his boy Gordon Beckham here. One of the points he made in support of Beckham was that he said one day he wanted to lead his team like Derek Jeter leads the Yankees. A noble goal, and one that I am not belittling in any way, shape, or form.

Elvis would never say that, though. He would never come out and say to the media that one day he hopes to lead his team like Jeter.

Elvis knows he’s going to lead his team like Jeter. Not to get all Chuck Norris-y on you here, but Elvis is probably going to lead his team unlike any player in Rangers history.

Is Elvis an outspoken guy? No. Not many 20-year-olds from outside of the United States are.

But is he a team leader? You bet your ass.

Rangers superduperfan Jamey Newberg has written quite a few things about Mr. Andrus, one of which talked about Elvis’ indefiniable charisma. How the ball just sounds different coming off his bat. As much as I’ve seen of Elvis, I have to agree. There’s a reason I got a shirt with his name on the back. I just know he’s going to be a star. Sometimes you’ve just got that feeling that a player’s going to be special. That’s how I feel when I watch Elvis play. I’m watching something special here.

All Rangers fans have seen his defensive plays and how spectacular they are. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that Elvis has truly energized the defense to where it is this year.

Are Elvis’ offensive statistics spectacular? On the surface, they are not. But take a deeper look at how Elvis does not strike out very often (15% of PA) and walks at a relatively decent clip (8%) as a 20-year-old provides some real good hope for this team’s future.

Elvis is one of the most untradeable guys on this team. He’s a young player that has nowhere to go but up. His hitting stroke has improved tremendously since the All-Star Break, and he’s getting on base more too. And once he’s on the bases, look out. Elvis already has 20 steals this year while only having been caught twice. He could easily get 30-35 steals in this, his rookie season.

Nothing against Gordon Beckham, as I’m sure he’s a fine player. But for the whole package of youth, speed, defense and athleticism?

Well, there is a reason they call him the King.

Elvis pic: http://mopupduty.com/index.php/inside-a-dominican-academy/