Alex Rodriguez

"A-Rod" redirects here. For the tennis player also nicknamed "A-Rod", see Andy Roddick.

Alex Rodriguez
New York Yankees – No. 13
Third base
Bats: Right Throws: Right
debut
July 8, 1994, for the Seattle Mariners
Career statistics (through 2006)
AVG	.305
HR	464
RBI	1347
Former teams
Seattle Mariners (1994-2000) Texas Rangers (2001-2003) New York Yankees (2004-present)

Alexander Emmanuel "Alex" Rodriguez (born July 27, 1975, in Manhattan, New York) is an American-Dominican baseball player. He is currently the starting third baseman for the New York Yankees, after having played shortstop for the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners.

He has led the American League in home runs 4 times. Of all active ballplayers, he is 6th in slugging percentage, 7th in at-bats per home run, 8th in home runs, 9th in batting average, 11th in RBIs, and 12th in runs scored. Of all players in baseball history at age 30, he is 1st all-time in both home runs and runs, 2nd in total bases and extra base hits, 3rd in RBIs, and 4th in hits. In the 2000s, through 2006 he leads the major leagues in runs (628) and RBIs (633), and is 3rd in home runs (233), 6th in hits (916), and 9th in slugging percentage (.593).

He has often been cited as the best all-around player currently in baseball, but his playing woes have also been much analyzed.

Rodriguez is known for signing the richest contract in sports history, a 10-year, $252,000,000 dollar deal.

Alex is also known for starting a fight with Jason Varitek in a 2004 game and when Jason fought back, Alex started to cry like a little baby even thought he started it. Ever since that incident he has been very angry at life and emotional. In 2006 he broke down in a game and started crying because he stated he didnt know who he was, he had struck out 3 times in the game and has constantly been booed by the crowd, but has done better.

Background

Rodriguez was born in the Washington Heights section of New York City. He is married to Cynthia Rodriguez and they have one daughter, Natasha (born November 23, 2004). When he was four, Rodriguez moved with his parents to their native Dominican Republic. After the family moved to Miami, Florida three years later, Rodriguez's father announced his intention to move back north to New Jersey for a short time. He never returned, leaving his wife and young Alex to struggle in their new environment.

Rodriguez was a star shortstop at Miami's Westminster Christian High School. In 100 games he batted .419 with 90 steals. He was first team prep All-American as a senior, hitting .505 with 9 homers, 36 RBI, and 35 steals in 35 tries in 33 games, and was selected as the USA Baseball Junior Player of the Year and as Gatorade's national baseball student athlete of the year.

Rodriguez signed a letter of intent to play baseball for the University of Miami and was also recruited by the university to play quarterback for its football team. Rodriguez turned down Miami's baseball scholarship and never played college baseball, opting instead to become eligible for the amateur draft at the age of 17.

He was drafted first overall by the Seattle Mariners in 1993. Rodriguez rose rapidly through the Mariners organization, and made his major league debut in July of 1994 at the age of 18.

Seattle Mariners

Alex Rodriguez was signed by Roger Jongewaard of the Seattle Mariners right out of high school. Alex Rodriguez's first major league campaign lasted just one month; the season was cut short by the 1994 baseball strike. While he was in the major leagues, he was the youngest player in baseball.

Rodriguez then split most of 1995 between the Mariners and their AAA club, the Tacoma Rainiers. Rodriguez joined the major league roster permanently in August, where he got his first taste of postseason play, albeit in just two at-bats. Again, he was the youngest player in baseball.

The following year, Rodriguez took over as the Mariners' regular shortstop and emerged as a star player, hitting 36 HR (home runs), driving in 123 RBI (Runs Batted In), and pacing the AL (American League) with a .358 batting average. He also led the AL in runs, total bases, and doubles. Rodriguez came close to becoming the youngest MVP (Most Valuable Player) in baseball history, finishing second to Juan González in the voting by three points, 290-287.

In 1997, Rodriguez's numbers fell somewhat, hitting 23 HR with 84 RBI and a .300 batting average that year. Rodriguez rebounded in 1998, however, becoming just the third member of the 40 HR/40 SB (Stolen bases) club, with 42 HR and 46 SB. In 1999 he again hit 42 HR, despite missing over 30 games with an injury and playing the second half of the season at Safeco Field, a considerably less hitter-friendly ballpark than the Kingdome.

Rodriguez entered 2000 as the cornerstone player of the Mariners franchise, which had recently dealt superstars Randy Johnson and Ken Griffey, Jr.. Rodriguez put up great numbers as the team's remaining superstar; he hit 41 HR with 132 RBI and had a .316 batting average. He hit well in the playoffs too, but Seattle lost to the New York Yankees in the ALCS (American League Championship Series) despite Rodriguez's .409 batting average and .773 slugging percentage.

Texas Rangers

Rodriguez became a free agent after the 2000 season. After several playoff disappointments with the Mariners, he declared his intention to go to a World Series-caliber team. During his free agency, Rodriguez's agent Scott Boras met with New York Mets officials, who were considered the favorites to sign the All-Star shortstop. Boras made extravagant contract demands, reportedly including the use of a private jet for road trips, personal office space usually reserved for managers and executives, a personal tent to sell A-Rod merchandise, and more billboard advertising space than crosstown Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter. Pulling out of negotiations, the Mets GM Steve Phillips took the unusual step of publicly announcing that he no longer had interest in pursuing the slugger's services. Some felt this was the Mets' way of saving face for not meeting media and fan expectations, but the squabble helped fuel the perception that Rodriguez and his agent were greedy.

Rodriguez eventually signed with the Texas Rangers, who had fallen to last in their division in 2000, but had won three of the previous four AL Western division titles. The contract he signed was then the most lucrative contract in sports history: a 10-year deal worth $252 million. The contract was harshly criticized because it was believed that once the Mets pulled out of running, no other team had come close to offering that amount of money, and thus Texas had topped the next highest offer by as much as $50 million. (Rodriguez's contract remains the most lucrative in American sports history.) The deal is worth $63 million more than the second-richest baseball deal, the $189 million contract Derek Jeter signed in February 2001.

Rodriguez's power hitting numbers improved with his move to Texas. He hit 52 HR in 2001, and followed that with a major league-best 57 HR in 2002 (the most ever for a shortstop), while also winning his first Gold Glove Award, awarded for outstanding defense. However, the Rangers finished last in the AL Western division in both years, a showing that likely cost Rodriguez the MVP award in 2002 when he finished second to fellow shortstop Miguel Tejada, whose 103-win Oakland A's won the same division.

Rodriguez's last season with Texas, 2003, was another productive year. He hit .298 with 47 HR, led the AL in slugging and runs scored, and won his second consecutive Gold Glove Award. He led the league in fewest at bats per home run (12.9). Following five top-10 finishes in the AL Most Valuable Player voting between 1996 and 2002, Rodriguez won his first MVP trophy.

The Rangers, however, remained mired in last place. Some laid the blame on Rodriguez's contract, which allegedly monopolized the team's resources, leaving them with little chance to pay other quality players. Others attributed that same criticism to Rangers owner Tom Hicks' "buyer's remorse," and general jealousy of the record-setting contract.

Following the 2003 season, Texas set out to move Rodriguez and his expensive contract. The Rangers agreed to a trade with the Boston Red Sox, but the MLBPA (Major League Baseball Players Association) vetoed the deal because it called for a voluntary reduction in salary by Rodriguez. Despite the failed deal with the Red Sox, the Rangers named him team captain during that off-season. This designation did not last long, however, as the New York Yankees had taken notice of the sudden trade availability of Rodriguez. Alex Rodriguez was traded to the New York Yankees.

New York Yankees

New York's third baseman, Aaron Boone, suffered a knee injury while playing a game of pickup basketball which sidelined him for the entire 2004 season. On February 15, 2004 Rodriguez was successfully traded to the New York Yankees for second baseman Alfonso Soriano. The Rangers were obliged to pay $67 million of the $179 million left on Rodriguez's contract.

Alex Rodriguez taking his position at 3rd base at the beginning of a new inning

Rodriguez agreed to switch positions from shortstop to third base, paving the way for the trade. Rodriguez also had to switch uniform numbers, from 3 to 13; he had worn 3 his entire career but that number is retired by the Yankees in honor of Babe Ruth.

In his first season with the Yankees, Rodriguez's numbers dipped from his numbers with Texas. He hit .286 with 36 HR and 106 [RBI], his seventh consecutive season with at least 100 RBI. He finished 14th in balloting for the AL MVP Award. Near the end of the season, Yankees manager Joe Torre moved Rodriguez to the No. 2 spot in the batting order.

On July 24, 2004, after being hit by a pitch, Rodriguez and Boston Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek scuffled, leading to a brawl between both teams. Many later interpreted the event as the turning point of the Boston Red Sox' season. Boston won that game with a 3-run rally in the bottom of the 9th inning, and their fortunes improved from that date. For the time being, however, the incident endeared Rodriguez in the hearts of Yankees fans.

In the 2004 ALDS, Rodriguez was a dominant hitter against the Minnesota Twins, batting .421 and slugging .737 while delivering two key extra-inning hits. Following the series win, Rodriguez's first season with the Yankees had culminated in a dramatic playoff series against the team he had almost ended up playing for: the Yankees' bitter rival, the Boston Red Sox.

One of the most controversial plays of Rodriguez's career occurred late in Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS (American League Championship Series). With one out and Derek Jeter on first base in the bottom of the 8th inning, Rodriguez hit a slow roller between the pitcher's mound and the first base bag. Red Sox pitcher Bronson Arroyo fielded the ball and ran towards Rodriguez to apply a tag. As Arroyo reached towards him, Rodriguez slapped the ball out of Arroyo's glove. As the ball rolled away, Jeter scored all the way from first as Rodriguez took second on the play, which was initially ruled an error on Arroyo. However, the umpires quickly huddled, then ruled that Rodriguez was out for interference. Jeter was sent back to first base, his run nullified. The Red Sox escaped the inning with no further damage and eventually won the game 4-2, tying the series at 3-3. Rodriguez's behavior, perceived as unprofessional, inspired much derision from Red Sox fans.

In 2005, his second season with the Yankees, Rodriguez's numbers improved, as he hit .321 with 48 HR and 130 RBI. An offensive highlight of his season came on April 26, when Rodriguez hit 3 HR off Angels' pitcher Bartolo Colon and drove in 10 runs. Rodriguez also set several marks for power during the 2005 season. He set a new team record for home runs by a right-handed hitter in a season, surpassing Joe DiMaggio and Gary Sheffield. His 48th and final home run tied him for the most homers by a third baseman (along with Mike Schmidt and Adrian Beltre). Rodriguez now holds the records for most HRs in a single season at two positions, shortstop and third base, becoming the only major leaguer ever to accomplish this feat. 2005 also marked the tenth straight season that Rodriguez scored at least 100 runs.

Rodriguez beat out Boston's David Ortiz for his second AL MVP Award in three seasons. He became the fifth player to win an MVP award with two different teams, joining Mickey Cochrane, Jimmie Foxx, Frank Robinson and Barry Bonds. Rodriguez was also named the shortstop on the Major League Baseball Latino Legends Team. However, Rodriguez hit .133 without an RBI as the Yankees lost in the Division Series to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. It was argued that since Rodriguez played in the field he was more valuable than the MVP runner up David Ortiz, a designated hitter.

On July 27, 2005, Rodriguez turned 30 years old. In his career to that point, Rodriguez had more home runs, more runs batted in, more runs scored, and more base hits than all-time leaders Hank Aaron (HR and RBI), Rickey Henderson (runs scored), and Pete Rose (hits) did prior to their 30th birthdays.

Rodriguez's 2,000th hit, on July 21, 2006, was also his 450th home run. Six days shy of his 31st birthday, Rodriguez became the youngest player in baseball history to reach 450 home runs (surpassing Ken Griffey, Jr. by 267 days). He also became the 8th player to reach 2,000 hits before turning 31. Ty Cobb reached the mark while still 29, while Rogers Hornsby, Mel Ott, Hank Aaron, Joe Medwick, Jimmie Foxx and Robin Yount all got their 2,000th hits at age 30. All 7 of the players are members of baseball's Hall of Fame.

In 2006 Rodriguez was again an All-Star, and was 4th in the league in RBIs (121), 5th in runs (113), 8th in home runs (35) and walks (90), and 9th in obp (.392).

After the 2006 season, of all active players lifetime Rodriguez was 6th in slugging percentage, 7th in at bats per home run (14.6), and 8th in home runs (468) and batting average (.309). He was one of only 4 players with at least 1,300 runs scored and driven in, 450 home runs, a .380 on base percentage, and a .550 slugging percentage, along with Barry Bonds and Frank Thomas.

Criticisms

Despite Rodriguez's outstanding career numbers, he has become one of the most criticized players on the Yankees line-up. His successful history and continued production as a player is often discounted because he has yet to make a World Series appearance. While Rodriguez won AL MVP in 2005 and played a pivotal role in the Yankees defeat of the Minnesota Twins in the 2004 ALDS, his postseason struggles have left fans with much to be desired. Rodriguez was promising in the earlier half of the 2004 postseason, hitting .320 with 3 home runs and 5 doubles in 50 at bats, but—as was the case with the team in general—he ceased to pose an offensive threat during the final four games of the ALCS against the Boston Red Sox. The following postseason, Rodriguez went 2-for-15 in five games, and most recently, in the 2006 postseason, his offensive output and defensive performance suffered with Alex going for 1-for-14 against the Tigers in 2006, on top of going 2-for-15 in 2005 against the Angels and closing out 2004 going 1-for-15 against the Red Sox.

Much of the criticism surrounding Rodriguez is focused upon his inability to produce hits with runners in scoring position and other clutch situations. However, during the 2003-2005 regular seasons, Rodriguez posted a .371 batting average with the bases loaded and maintained an on base percentage of .422. In 2006, his numbers improved to .474 and .500 respectively. Additionally, Rodriguez's other batting lines during this period included a .432 average with a runner on third (.333 in 2006), .381 with a runner in scoring position (.302 in 2006), and .392 with a runner in scoring position and 2 outs (.313 in 2006). In an attempt to lend an element of objectivity to the debate over performance in the clutch, Bill James' definition of "clutch" concluded that Rodriguez outperformed David Ortiz in 2006 with a 3.0 "clutch factor" compared to Ortiz's 7.0. The issue became the focal point of speculation during the 2005 race for AL MVP; an honor that was ultimately awarded to Rodriguez (16 votes) over Ortiz (11 votes). Although Rodriguez's overall statistics proved superior to that of Ortiz's, it has been alleged that the latter's performance was considered simply due to its flair for the dramatic, which involved several memorable game-tying or game-winning hits. The drama of Ortiz's at bats were frequently contrasted with Rodriguez's statistics, leading at least a few critics to claim that Rodriguez posted his best offensive numbers when they were least needed. Nonetheless, Rodriguez's impressive regular season records are still overshadowed by his lackluster postseason performance. In 2006, Rodriguez went 1-for-14 (.071) with no runs, runs batted in, and only a single to his credit. However, over the course of Rodriguez's career, his postseason numbers are otherwise statistically indistinguishable from his regular season record. Furthermore, his career postseason statistics are comparable to that of Reggie Jackson, Derek Jeter, and David Ortiz. In 14 American League Champion Series games, Rodriguez has hit .315 and slugged .611, superior numbers that contrast with usual media perception. With the Yankees, however, Rodriguez is batting just .241 with 8 RBIs in 20 games. Since 2005 his numbers have slumped even further with a batting average of .103 with no home runs or RBIs and 9 strikeouts in 29 plate appearances.

In May 2006, Rodriguez finally responded to the criticism directed at him. He said:

I could care less. In my career, I've been hearing it for a long time. It will never stop until you win five or six World Series in a row, and hit a Joe Carter home run. I've done a lot of special things in this game, and for none of that to be considered clutch, it's an injustice. I don't take anything personally; I enjoy it, it motivates me and I think it's comical. I think [for] anyone that drives in over 130 runs numerous times in his career, it's impossible not to be clutch.

In an issue of Sports Illustrated, Rodriguez surmised new reasons why he has become an apparent magnet for criticism, "When people write [bad things] about me, I don't know if it's [because] I'm good-looking, I'm biracial, I make the most money, I play on the most popular team. "

Nonetheless, sportswriters, fans, and teammates have continuted to debate Alex Rodriguez's performance in the clutch. Some writers such as the New York Post's Joel Sherman have asked, "How do you disregard your eyes completely? How do you ignore that at the most intense moments Rodriguez seems to be carrying his 32-ounce bat and the weight of the world into each at-bat?" Other sportswriters including ESPN's D.J. Gallo openly mocked Rodriguez's harshest critics while discussing an off-day in the Yankee schedule: "Typical A-Fraud -- the Yankees manage to win back-to-back games against the Red Sox and he needs a day off. Pathetic." In the same issue of Sports Illustrated cited earlier, teammate Jason Giambi also criticized Rodriguez, remarking:

...you've got to get the big hit. ... You call those hits? You had two dinkers to rightfield and a ball that bounced over the third baseman! Look at how many pitches you missed! When you hit three, four or five [in the order], you have to get the big hits, especially if they're going to walk Bobby [Abreu] and me. I'll help you out until you get going. I'll look to drive in runs when they pitch around me, go after that 3-and-1 pitch that might be a ball. But if they're going to walk Bobby and me, you're going to have to be the guy."

He also told Yankees manager Joe Torre, "It's time to stop coddling him." However, Rodriguez and Giambi implied that the story was taken out of context, with Giambi claiming that his comments were part of a "pep talk," and not an argument, because he "was just trying to find a way to help him out." Rodriguez agreed, "This is the most support I've ever gotten from any team. I couldn't be more proud."

Miscellaneous

• In 2003, Alex Rodriguez gave $3.9 million to the University of Miami to renovate its baseball stadium. The new facility will be named 'Mark Light Field at Alex Rodriguez Park.' Rodriguez remains an ardent University of Miami fan and can frequently be found at Hurricane sporting events, as well as working out at the school's athletic facilities in the off-season.
• He married Cynthia Scurtis on November 2, 2002. The couple's first child, Natasha Alexander, was born on November 18, 2004.
• After vacillating between playing for the Dominican Republic and the United States, Rodriguez, on January 17, 2006, declared he would play for the U.S. in the World Baseball Classic.
• In 2005, Vladimir Guerrero and Rodriguez appeared together in a television ad for Pepsi.
• In 2005, The Sporting News published an update of its 1999 book Baseball's 100 Greatest Players. Rodriguez did not make the original edition, but for the 2005 update, with his career totals considerably higher, he was ranked at Number 70.
• Rodriguez played on the same high school football team with Kansas City Royals first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz.
• Missy Elliott's "Lose Control" and Jay-Z and Linkin Park's "Numb/Encore" are the songs played before his at-bats in Yankee Stadium.
• On October 13, 2006, Rodriguez's plane overshot a runway at Burbank's Bob Hope Airport -- a mere two days after his Yankee teammate, Cory Lidle died when his plane crashed into a high-rise building in New York City, a tragic event which itself invoked ghostly images from 3 decades earlier when former Yankee Captain Thurman Munson died in a plane he was piloting in Ohio. The plane was not significantly damaged and no one was injured thanks to a special surface designed to stop planes that overshoot the runway.

Awards

1993 1st Team High School All-American (IF) 1994 Seattle Mariners Minor League Player of the Year 1994 Midwest League All-Star (SS) 1995 Baseball America 1st Team Minor League All-Star (SS) 1995 Triple-A All-Star (SS) 1996 AL MVP (Voting Rank: # 2) 1996 AL Batting Title 1996 AL Silver Slugger Award (SS) 1996 AL Runs Leader 1996 AL Doubles Leader 1998 Seattle Mariners Player of the Year 1998 Baseball America 1st-Team Major League All-Star (SS) 1998 AL Silver Slugger Award (SS) 1998 AL MVP (Voting Rank: # 9) 1999 AL Silver Slugger Award (SS) 1999 AL MVP (Voting Rank: # 15) 2000 AL Silver Slugger Award (SS) 2000 AL MVP (Voting Rank: # 3) 2000 Baseball America MLB Player of the Year 2000 Baseball America 1st-Team Major League All-Star (SS) 2000 Seattle Mariners Player of the Year 2001 AL Hank Aaron Award 2001 Baseball America 1st-Team Major League All-Star (SS) 2001 Texas Rangers Player of the Year 2001 AL Silver Slugger Award (SS) 2001 AL MVP (Voting Rank: # 6) 2001 AL Home Run Title 2001 AL Runs Leader

2002 AL Glove Glove Award (SS) 2002 AL MVP (Voting Rank: # 2) 2002 AL Silver Slugger Award (SS) 2002 AL Hank Aaron Award 2002 Baseball America MLB Player of the Year 2002 Baseball America 1st-Team Major League All-Star (SS) 2002 Texas Rangers Player of the Year 2002 AL Home Run Title 2002 AL RBI Title 2003 AL Glove Glove Award (SS) 2003 AL Hank Aaron Award 2003 Baseball America 1st-Team Major League All-Star (SS) 2003 Texas Rangers Player of the Year 2003 AL MVP 2003 AL Silver Slugger Award (SS) 2003 AL Home Run Title 2003 AL Slugging Percentage Leader 2003 AL Runs Leader 2004 AL MVP (Voting Rank: # 14) 2005 AL MVP 2005 AL Silver Slugger Award (3B) 2005 Baseball America 1st-Team Major League All-Star (3B) 2005 AL Home Run Title 2005 AL Slugging Percentage Leader 2005 AL Runs Leader

Career statistics

• Career statistics and player information from Error: Template:Baseballstats must contain at least one valid parameter name.

Quotes

"Always follow your dreams, don't let anyone tell you that you can't be something." - Alex Rodriguez

"I'd rather have a Gold Glove (Award) than a Silver Slugger (Award). Defense is so much more of a team game and one of my goals this year was to make fewer than 25 errors." - Alex Rodriguez

"I'm having a hard time finding a date. I don't trust any women I meet. I'm very skeptical." - Alex Rodriguez

"Keep reading books, stay in school. I encourage kids to read as much as they can, I challenge you to read a book every two weeks, like I try to." - Alex Rodriguez

"Like I say, it's almost embarassing to talk about. I don't know if Michael Jordan or Bill Gates or Alexander the Great or anyone is worth this type of money, but that's the market we're in today. That's what Mr. Hicks decided to pay me, and now it's time to pay him back and win a couple championships." - Alex Rodriguez

"Why do people sing Take Me Out to The Ballgame when they're already there?" - Alex Rodriguez

"Money and fame are like dust. You aren't worth anything if you don't stay the same person you were before you had them." - Lourdes Navarro (Alex Rodriguez's mother)

"The great thing is that he's always looking to improve. How good can he be? Well, we're talking about a guy who is Hall of Fame caliber." - Lou Piniella

See also

• 50 home run club
• 40-40 club
• Top 500 home run hitters of all time

External links

• AROD.com - Alex Rodriguez's official website
• Player Information from Yankees.com
• Template:Espn mlb
• Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference
• Alex Rodriguez at The Internet Movie Database