Alex Rodriguez


Date of Birth: 7/27/1975
Birthplace: New York, New York
Nickname: A-Rod

Alex Rodriguez was first drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 1993 as a star high school player. He played in the Mariners' minor league system in 1994 and 1995. In 114 games in 1994, he batted .312 with 21 home runs. The following season, he batted .319 with 14 home runs in 65 games.

Rodriguez joined the Mariners for 17 games in 1994 and 48 games in 1995. In 1996, he had his first full season in the major leagues and it was one of his best seasons. He won the American League batting title and his first of ten Silver Slugger awards. In 146 games, he batted a career high .358 with 36 home runs, 123 RBIs, and career highs in hits with 215 and doubles with 54.

From 1998 through 2003, Rodriguez won six consecutive Silver Slugger awards, two Gold Gloves (2002, 2003), and one MVP award (2003). He led the AL in home runs three times (2001-2003) and in RBIs once (2002) and he batted .300 or better four times (1998, 2000-2002). In addition to his batting accomplishments, he showed speed on the bases in 1998 with a career high 46 stolen bases.

Rodriguez received a record monetary reward for his achievements in 2001, when he signed a 10-year, $252 million contract with the Texas Rangers. That season, he led the AL in home runs with 52. The following season, he led the AL in home runs with a career high 57 and in RBIs with 142. He won his second Silver Slugger award in 2002 and his first Gold Glove award.

In 2003, Rodriguez won his first of three AL MVP awards, his seventh Silver Slugger award, and his second Gold Glove. He batted .298 with 181 hits, 30 doubles, a league leading 47 home runs, and 118 RBIs in 161 games.

Rodriguez was traded to the Yankees in February, 2004. In his first season with the Yankees, he won his second AL MVP award, his eighth Silver Slugger award, and he led the league in home runs for the fourth time. He batted .321 with 194 hits, 29 doubles, 48 home runs, and 130 RBIs in 162 games in 2005.

The 2007 season was Rodriguez's last great one. That year, he won a third AL MVP award, a ninth Silver Slugger award, and he led the league in home runs and RBIs. He batted .314 with 183 hits, 31 doubles, 54 home runs, and a career high 156 RBIs. In December, 2007, the Yankees rewarded him with a 10-year, $275 million contract.

In 2008, Rodriguez had a good season, batting .302 with 154 hits, 33 doubles, 35 home runs, and 103 RBIs in 138 games. It was his last season with a batting average of .300 or better and the first season where he started to be plagued by injuries. The following year, he batted .286 in 124 games and in 2010, he batted just .270 in 137 games.

From 2011 through 2013, Rodriguez battled injuries and he spent extensive time on the DL. He had knee surgery in 2011 that limited his playing time to just 99 games. He followed that with 122 games in 2012. He had hip surgery in January, 2013, and he played in just 44 games in 2013. He was suspended for the entire 2014 season for involvement with the Biogenesis Clinic and the use of banned substances.

Rodriguez has excelled with the bat during the regular season but his postseason numbers are far from great. In 75 postseason games, he batted .263 with 72 hits, 16 doubles, 13 home runs, and 41 RBIs. His fielding skills have also not matched his regular season batting numbers. He started as a shortstop but switched to third base after being traded to the Yankees. As a shortstop, he had a .977 fielding percentage and as a third baseman, he has a .965 fielding percentage.

Rodriguez had a strong comeback year in 2015, finishing the season with 131 hits, 22 doubles, 33 home runs, 86 RBIs, and a .250 batting average in 151 games. He had no hits and two strikeouts in four at-bats in the postseason Wild Card game.

On May 7, 2015, Rodriguez hit his 661st career home run and he became number four on the all-time MLB home run list. A month later, on June 19th, he hit his 3,000th career hit.

On August 7, 2016, A-Rod and the Yankees announced that he would retire as a major league player on August 12, 2016. He returned to the Yankees in Spring training, 2017, as an instructor and special advisor. His contract for that position lasted through December, 2017. He was a special advisor for the Yankees in 2018.

Although Rodriguez's use of PEDs and other banned substances has marred his accomplishments, he has amassed very impressive numbers in his 21 years in the major leagues. His statistics from 1994 through 2016 include:

  • 12 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 215 in 1996
  • 8 seasons with 30 or more doubles, with a high of 54 in 1996
  • 16 seasons with over 20 home runs, with a high of 57 in 2002
  • 14 seasons with 100 or more RBIs, with a high of 156 in 2007
  • 6 seasons with over 20 stolen bases, with a high of 46 in 1998
  • 9 seasons with a batting average of .300 or better, with a high of .358 in 1996
  • 24 grand slams (most in MLB history)

Career batting statistics for Rodriguez through 2016 include:

  • 2,784 games played
  • 3,115 hits
  • 548 doubles
  • 696 home runs
  • 329 stolen bases
  • 2,086 RBIs
  • 2,287 strikeouts to 1,338 walks
  • .295 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Rodriguez as a shortstop through 2016 include:

  • 1,272 games played
  • 3,605 assists
  • 853 double plays
  • 2,015 putouts
  • 131 errors
  • .977 fielding percentage

Career fielding statistics for Rodriguez as a third baseman through 2016 include:

  • 1,194 games played
  • 2,076 assists
  • 205 double plays
  • 750 putouts
  • 103 errors
  • .965 fielding percentage

Rodriguez started a broadcasting career in 2018, becoming an analyst for games broadcast on ESPN. He also worked with Fox Sports during the 2018 playoff season.

Charitable Work

In 2003, Rodriguez donated $3.9 million to aid in the renovation of the University of Miami's baseball stadium.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Alex Rodriguez
ESPN - Alex Rodriguez