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Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez (born July 27, 1975 in New York, New York), commonly nicknamed A-Rod, is a Dominican American baseball player. He currently plays third base for the New York Yankees , after having played shortstop for the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers.

Since 1996 (his first full season) through 2007 he leads the Major Leagues in home runs (HR), runs scored, runs batted in (RBI), total bases and extra-base hits. Of all players in baseball history at age 31, he is first all-time in HR, runs scored and total bases; second in extra base hits and RBI, and 4th in hits. To this point in his career Rodriguez has more HR, RBI, runs scored and more base hits than all-time leaders Hank Aaron (RBI), Barry Bonds (HR), Rickey Henderson (runs scored), and Pete Rose (hits) did prior to their 31st birthdays.

He has often been cited as among the best all-around players currently in baseball. Rodriguez is also known for signing the richest contract in sports history, a 10-year, $252 million deal, negotiated by prominent sports agent Scott Boras.

Rodriguez is the youngest player ever to hit his 500th home run, breaking the record Jimmie Foxx set in 1939.

On October 28, 2007 Rodriguez, at the recommendation of his agent, opted out of the final three years of his contract with the Yankees. On November 15, 2007, Rodriguez agreed to a new contract with the Yankees, reportedly worth $275 million.

Free Agent — No. 13:
Third base

• Born: July 27, 1975 (1975-07-27) (age 32)
• Bats: Right     Throws: Right
• Major League Baseball debut  July 8, 1994 for the Seattle Mariners
• Selected MLB statistics (through 2007 season)
• Batting average         .306
• Home runs         518
• Runs batted in         1503
• Hits         2250
• Runs         1501
• Teams:
•      Seattle Mariners (1994-2000)
•      Texas Rangers (2001-2003)
•      New York Yankees (2004-2007)

Alex Rodriguez was born in the Washington Heights section of New York City. 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, abandoning Rodriguez and his mother. His favorite baseball players when he was growing up were Keith Hernandez, Dale Murphy, and Cal Ripken.
Rodriguez was a star shortstop at Miami’s Westminster Christian High School. In 100 games he batted .419 with 90 steals. Westminster went on to win the high school national championship in his junior year. He was first team prep All-American as a senior, hitting .505 with 9 home runs, 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 was the first high school player to ever try out for Team USA in 1993, and was regarded as the top prospect in the country. Rodriguez’s current Yankees teammate Doug Mientkiewicz played baseball with him at Westminster.

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. In 2003, 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 received the University of Miami’s Edward T. Foote II Alumnus of Distinction Award in 2007. Rodriguez had previously been named an “honorary alumnus” of the university in 2004.

Alex Rodriguez was drafted first overall by the Seattle Mariners in 1993. He was signed by Roger Jongewaard right out of high school. Rodriguez rose rapidly through the Mariners organization, and made his major league debut as the starting shortstop on July 8, 1994, in Boston at 18 years, 11 months, and 11 days of age, just the third 18-year-old major league shortstop since 1900. He was also the first 18-year-old major league player in 10 years, and the youngest position player in Seattle history. His 1st major league hit was a single off Sergio Valdez on July 9 at Fenway Park. Rodriguez’s first major league campaign lasted just one month; the season was cut short by the 1994 Major League Baseball strike.Rodriguez then split most of 1995 between the Mariners and their AAA club, the Tacoma Rainiers. He connected for his 1st major league home run off Kansas City’s Tom Gordon on June 12. Rodriguez joined the major league roster permanently in August, and 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 (SS) and emerged as a star player, hitting 36 HR, driving in 123 runs, and pacing the American League (AL) with a .358 batting average, the highest for an AL righthanded batter since Joe DiMaggio hit .381 in 1939 and the 3rd highest ever for a SS. At 21 years and one month, he was the 3rd youngest AL batting leader ever behind Al Kaline (20) in 1955 and Ty Cobb (20) in 1907, and the 3rd youngest player in history with 35+ homers. He was also the 1st major league SS to win a batting title since 1960, and the 1st in the AL since 1944, and at 20 years, 11 months, was the youngest SS in All-Star Game history. He also led the AL in runs (141), total bases (379), and doubles (54) and ranked among the league leaders in hits (2nd, 215), extra base hits (2nd, 91), multi-hit games (3rd, 65), slugging (4th, .631), RBI (8th, 123), and on-base percentage (8th, .414). Rodriguez posted the highest totals ever for a shortstop in runs, hits, doubles, extra base hits, and slugging, and tied most total bases, and established Seattle club records for average, runs, hits, doubles, and total bases, in a season that statistical analysts consider the best ever by a SS.

in baseball history, finishing second to He was selected by both The Sporting News and Associated Press as the Major League Player of the Year, and came close to becoming the youngest MVP (Most Valuable Player)Juan González in one of the most controversial MVP elections in recent times.

He finished three points behind González (290-287), matching the 2nd closest A.L. MVP voting in history.

In 1997, Rodriguez’s numbers fell somewhat, as he hit 23 HRs with 84 RBI and a .300 batting average that year. He hit for the cycle on June 5 at Detroit, becoming the 2nd Mariner to ever accomplish the feat, and at 21 years, 10 months, was 5th youngest player in history to do it. He was the fan’s choice to start the All-Star Game at shortstop for the AL team, becoming the first player other than Cal Ripken to start at shortstop in 13 years. It was the first All-Star start of his career and his second All-Star Game in two years.

Rodriguez rebounded in 1998, setting the AL record for homers by a shortstop and becoming just the third member of the 40-40 Club, (with 42 HR and 46 SB) and one of just 3 shortstops in history to hit 40 home runs in a season.

He was selected as Players Choice AL Player of the Year, won his 2nd Silver Slugger Award and finished in the top 10 in the MVP voting.

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 set a career high for walks (100) and became the first and only shortstop to have 100 runs, RBI, and walks in the same season. He hit well in the playoffs as well (.409 batting average and .773 slugging percentage), but Seattle lost to the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series.He was selected as the Major League Player of the Year by Baseball America and finished 3rd in the BBWAA AL MVP voting.

Rodriguez became a free agent after the 2000 season. He eventually signed with the Texas Rangers, who had fallen to last in their division in 2000. The contract he signed is the most lucrative contract in sports history: a 10-year deal worth $252 million. The deal is worth $63 million more than the second-richest baseball deal.

Rodriguez’s power hitting numbers improved with his move to Texas. In his first season with the Rangers, Alex produced one of the top offensive seasons ever for a shortstop, leading the American League with 52 HR, 133 runs scored, and 393 total bases. He became the first player since 1932 with 50 homers and 200 hits in a season, just the third shortstop to ever lead his league in homers, and was just the second AL player in the last 34 seasons (beginning 1968) to lead the league in runs, homers, and total bases; his total base figure is the most ever for a major league shortstop. His 52 homers made him the sixth youngest to ever reach 50 homers and were the highest total ever by a shortstop, surpassing Ernie Banks’ mark of 47 in 1958, and also the most ever for an infielder other than a 1st baseman, breaking Phillies 3B Mike Schmidt’s record of 48 in 1980. It was his 5th 30-homer campaign, tying Banks for most ever by a shortstop. He also tied for the league lead in extra base hits (87) and ranked 3rd in RBI (135) and slugging (.622). He was also among the AL leaders in hits (4th, 201), average (7th, .318), and on-base percentage (8th, .399). He established Rangers club records for homers, runs, total bases, and hit by pitches, had the 2nd most extra base hits, and the 4th highest RBI total. He led the club in runs, hits, doubles (34), homers, RBI, slugging, and on-base percentage and was 2nd in walks (75), stolen bases (18), and game-winning RBI (14) while posting career highs for homers, RBI, and total bases. Rodriguez started 161 games at shortstop and one as the DH, the only major league player to start all of his team’s games in 2001.

He followed that with a major league-best 57 HR, 142 RBI and 389 total bases in 2002, becoming the first player to lead the majors in all three categories since 1984. He had the 6th-most home runs in AL history, the most since Roger Maris’ league record 61 in 1961, and the most ever for a shortstop for the 2nd straight year while also winning his first Gold Glove Award, awarded for outstanding defense.

His 109 home runs in 2001-02 are the most ever by an American League right-handed batter in consecutive seasons. 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.

Awards and honors:

• 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 All-Star (SS)
•     1996 AL MVP (Voting Rank: # 2)
•     1996 AL Silver Slugger Award (SS)
•     1996 The Sporting News Player of the Year
•     1997 AL All-Star (SS)
•     1998 AL All-Star (SS)
•     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 All-Star (SS)
•     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 All-Star (SS)
•     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)
•     2002 AL All-Star (SS)
•     2002 AL Gold 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 The Sporting News Player of the Year
•     2003 AL All-Star (SS)
•     2003 AL Gold 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)
•     2004 AL All-Star (3B)
•     2004 AL MVP (Voting Rank: # 14)
•     2005 AL All-Star (3B)
•     2005 AL MVP
•     2005 AL Silver Slugger Award (3B)
•     2005 Baseball America 1st-Team Major League All-Star (3B)
•     2006 AL All-Star (3B)
•     2006 AL MVP (Voting Rank: # 13)
•     2007 AL All-Star (3B)
•     2007 The Sporting News Player of the Year
•     2007 AL Hank Aaron Award
•     2007 AL Silver Slugger Award (3B)

Criticism:

Due to the unsuccessful nature of the Yankees 2005 and 2006 postseasons and Rodriguez’s sub .200 batting average in both of the series, Rodriguez has drawn much criticism in the New York area. Because of the Yankees’ successful history, he is often compared unfavorably to other Yankees greats who have performed exceptionally well in the postseason, such as Reggie Jackson.

While Rodriguez won the AL MVP award in 2005 and played a pivotal role in the Yankees defeat of the Minnesota Twins in the 2004 ALDS, his recent postseason struggles have left fans frustrated. Rodriguez performed well 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, went 1-for-14 against the Detroit Tigers. Through 2006, Rodriguez was a paltry 4-for-41 (.098 batting average) with no RBI in his last 12 postseason games.

Much of the criticism regarding Rodriguez is focused upon his alleged inability to produce hits in clutch situations. However, during the 2003-05 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. In 2007, through July 14 he hit .444 and .455, 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; .333 in 2007 through July 14th).

In May 2006, Rodriguez responded to the criticism directed at him, saying:

In an issue of Sports Illustrated, Rodriguez surmised further reasons why he has become an apparent magnet for criticism, saying:

Nonetheless, sportswriters, fans, and teammates have continued 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?” In the same issue of Sports Illustrated cited earlier, teammate Jason Giambi also criticized Rodriguez, remarking:”…you’ve got to get the big hit. 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.”

In the 2004 American League Championship Series, Rodriguez hit the ball out of Boston Red Sox pitcher Bronson Arroyo’s hand while he was attempting to apply a tag. Rodriguez was subsequently called out by the umpires. Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling criticized Rodriguez by referring to the move as an example of “junior high school baseball.”

Rodriguez also received considerable bad press when on May 30, 2007, he yelled something (he says he yelled “Hah!”; the Blue Jays contend he yelled “Mine!”) while rounding the bases in the ninth inning, distracting third baseman Howie Clark of the Toronto Blue Jays from making a play on a fly ball in the infield. Many Jays players and sports personalities considered this poor sportsmanship and against the “unwritten” rules of baseball. Even Yankees manager Joe Torre considered this probably out of line, saying “It was probably inappropriate to do it at the time he did it, but you can’t change it, unfortunately.”

On July 29, 2007, former baseball outfielder and steroid-user Jose Canseco said that he was planning to publish another book about steroids in Major League Baseball, after his 2005 book Juiced. Canseco said the book has “stuff” on Rodriguez. Canseco did not come out and say anything specific about steroids making people theorize about what “stuff” Canseco has to say about Rodriguez

He was also heavily criticized for announcing, through his agent Scott Boras, that he would be opting out of the final 3 years of his contract with the Yankees during game 4 of the 2007 World Series. Boras later made a public statement of apology to the players and the league.

Achievements:

• 1996 AL Batting Title
• 1996 AL Runs Leader
• 1996 AL Doubles Leader
• 1996 AL Total Bases Leader
• 1998 AL Hits Leader
• 2001 AL Home Run Title
• 2001 AL Runs Leader
• 2001 AL Total Bases Leader
• 2001 AL Extra-Base Hits Leader
• 2002 AL Home Run Title
• 2002 AL RBI Title
• 2002 AL Total Bases Leader
• 2003 AL Home Run Title
• 2003 AL Slugging Percentage Leader
• 2003 AL Runs Leader
• 2005 AL Home Run Title
• 2005 AL Slugging Percentage Leader
• 2005 AL OPS Leader
• 2005 AL Runs Leader
• 2007 AL Home Run Title
• 2007 AL Slugging Percentage Leader
• 2007 AL Runs Leader
• 2007 AL RBI Title
• 2007 AL Total Bases Leader
• 2007 AL OPS Leader