Happy belated Birthday to Alex Rodriguez, one of the greatest all-around ballplayers to ever live. From the time he was selected 1st overall in the 1993 MLB Draft, he was destined to become one of the greatest players ever to live. With some controversy, for twenty-two seasons playing for the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, and New York Yankees, playing over 10,000 Innings at both Shortstop and Third Base, Alex Rodriguez, nicknamed “Arod,” was arguably the best player on earth.

Career Statistics/Accolades (1994-2016):

.295 BA, 3,115 HITS, 696 HR, 2,086 RBI, 2,021 RUNS, .380 OBP

  • 14x All-Star
  • 10x Silver Slugger
  • 4x Hank Aaron Award Winner
  • 3x MVP
  • 2x Gold Glove
  • 1996 Batting Title
  • 2009 World Series Champion

In 1996, at 20, his first entire season as the Mariners’ everyday Shortstop, he finished runner-up in the A.L. MVP voting. He led the majors with a .358 Average and 54 Doubles, as well as recording 215 Hits, 36 Home Runs, 123 Runs Batted In, and scoring 141 Runs. There wasn’t anything Arod couldn’t do at the plate he hit for contact and power, as well as drawing a healthy number of Walks. While on base, he was excellent at base running, and as a result, he ranks 8th all-time in Runs scored. In the field, while he only took home two Gold Gloves at Shortstop, Arod’s quick feet and strong arm made him an excellent fielder. However, when he accepted a trade to the Yankees, he voluntarily moved to Third Base to accommodate Derek Jeter; Arod had the strong arm to play Third Base, unlike Jeter, and would go to be arguably just as good as he was at Shortstop. 

When he left Seattle for Texas, signing the most significant contract in sports history in 2001, even he admitted to playing around with PEDs during his three years in Texas. Years highlighted were in Texas, in which he supposedly used PEDs.

2001-03, highlighted were the years in Texas in which Arod, supposedly played with PEDs.

While those three years in which he won an MVP were arguably his three best years, in which he probably would’ve been able to put up those numbers steroid-free, I have to put an asterisk next to those years. I understand there are critics of Alex Rodriguez due to his involvement with PEDs, but let’s be fair; he’s been punished worse than any other player involved with PEDs. Also, MLB, particularly Bud Selig, deserves as much blame for PEDs in the game as the players get, but that’s a different conversation. Let’s take out the three years in Texas and look at his other prime years with Seattle and New York. First picture with highlighted are the prime years he had in Seattle and the Second one are the prime years he had in New York.

Not only did he win two MVPs, but he put up the numbers he could do offensively. For twelve seasons, Arod was hitting around .300 while recording 175 Hits, over 30 HR, 100 RBIs, and Runs in his sleep. Not taking anything away from a player like Albert Pujols, who put up similar numbers, but he did at First Base; Arod put up all those numbers at Shortstop and Third Base, more challenging positions. Obviously, I believe that Arod should be in the Hall of Fame based on what he did without PEDs. Personally, Alex Rodriguez is the greatest ballplayer I’ve ever seen play with my own eyes. In 2009, after admitting to PED use, he missed the first month of the season with a hip injury, and during that time, the Yankees struggled. When he came back to the lineup, everything in the Yankees lineup fell into balance, and that year, they made and won the World Series. Before that year, he had a reputation for not being a playoff performer; he put the critics to bed, hitting .365 while driving in 18 RBIs during that playoff run.

Even after his PED suspension, missing the entire 2014 season, Arod returned and played at a high level in 2015, appearing in 151 games. The following year at 40, age finally caught up to Arod and would be his final season in a minimal role.

As a teammate, yes, there are always times when teammates fight or feud, but during his time with the Yankees, he had a reputation for helping out teammates. When he was on a Rehab assignment with a team’s minor league affiliate, he’d buy dinner for the entire team, in which most minor leaguers get paid next to no money. Overall, despite the money, fame, and other stuff, this was a guy who loved the game in every way. Even in retirement, despite making over $400 million in just MLB contract earnings, he works for Fox Sports as a Baseball Analysis during games; clearly, he doesn’t need the paycheck. Just by listening to him speak, you can tell he’s obsessed with every aspect of the game. Arod has been on the Hall of Fame ballot for the last two years and received only 35.7%, short of the 75% needed for induction. It’s anyone’s guess if he will one day be inducted; regardless, he should be remembered as one of the greatest all-around players ever to play.

References:

  1. Alex Rodriguez via Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Rodriguez#
  2. Alex Rodriguez Career Statistics via Baseball-Reference: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/rodrial01.shtml