Athletes - Alex Rodriguez

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	Athletes - Alex Rodriguez

Alexander Emanuel Rodriguez (born July 27, 1975 in New York City), nicknamed A-Rod, is widely regarded as one of the best players in Major League Baseball and at a relatively young age is already being talked about among the all-time greats.

His swing and defensive play are known for their mechanical soundness. On the field, he has especially great range to his right side which also helps to showcase his strong arm. Tall, with long arms and a crouched stance, he can cover most of the strike zone and can hit almost any pitch for a home run. Rodriguez won Gold Gloves at shortstop in 2002 and 2003.

Rodriguez was drafted out of high school by the Seattle Mariners. He later signed an unprecedented $252 million free-agent deal to play shortstop with the Texas Rangers, and was traded in 2004 to the New York Yankees, where he played third base. In 2003, he became the youngest major-leaguer to reach 300 home runs; on June 8, 2005, he became the youngest with 400.

On November 17, 2003, Rodriguez won the American League Most Valuable Player award. It was the second time the award had gone to a player whose team finished last in the league (Andre Dawson won the award for the last-place Chicago Cubs). The following month, the Rangers tried to trade Rodriguez and his hefty salary to the Boston Red Sox. The Players Association blocked the deal, because the Red Sox wanted to cut Rodriguez's pay. On January 25, 2004, he was named captain of the Rangers. Less than three weeks later, he was traded to the Yankees, the first reigning MVP to be traded.

On November 14, 2005, Rodriguez won his second MVP award as the Yankees' third baseman.

Beginnings

Born in New York City, Rodríguez moved with his parents to their native Dominican Republic when he was four. They moved to Miami, Florida four years later. There, Alex's father announced he had to go to New York for a short time; he never returned. Rodríguez has said in interviews he can forgive his father for abandoning the family, but that he will never forget.

Rodríguez was a star player at Miami's Westminster Christian High School. His skills were rewarded with a baseball scholarship to the University of Miami, but Rodriguez would never play college baseball. He was recruited by the Seattle Mariners, who made the 17-year old the No. 1 pick of the amateur draft in 1993. He rose rapidly through the Mariners organization and made his major league debut at 18, one of the youngest players to appear in a game at shortstop.

Early career with the Seattle Mariners

After his major league campaign in 1994 was cut short by the players' strike, Rodríguez split most of 1995 between Seattle and their AAA club 30 miles away in Tacoma before staying on the major league roster in August, making a pair of postseason appearances on the Mariners' playoff run. Memorably, he consoled second baseman Joey Cora, who cried after the Mariners' loss in the League Championship Series.

Rodríguez took over as the regular shortstop the following year, and became a superstar, hitting 36 home runs and pacing the American League with a .358 batting average, and leading the league in runs, total bases, and doubles; great numbers even by the standards of the Kingdome, one of the American League's best hitter's parks. He came close to being the youngest MVP in baseball history, but fell 3 points short to Juan González. He may have been denied the honor by the two Seattle-area sportswriters who gave him 8th- and 9th-place votes in the balloting.

Rodriguez was a favorite with Mariners fans. He hit for the cycle with them in 1997, but slumped that year with only 23 home runs and a "mere" .300 average; the Mariners won the division but were quickly eliminated from the playoffs. He recovered with authority in 1998 by becoming the 3rd member of the 40 home run/40 stolen bases club, racking up 42 HR and 46 SB. Despite missing 30+ games with an injury and playing home games at Safeco Field (a considerably less hitter-friendly ballpark than the Kingdome) for the second half of the season, he matched his HR total in 1999.

A-Rod entered 2000 as the cornerstone of his franchise, which had recently dealt superstars Randy Johnson and Ken Griffey, Jr.. Rodriguez put up great numbers as the team's remaining superstar, and hit 41 more HRs in 2000 as he hit .316, doing so playing in the best pitcher's park in the AL. Winning the AL West in 2000, Rodriguez hit well in the playoffs, but the Mariners lost to the New York Yankees in the LCS.

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Athletes - Alex Rodriguez

Beginnings

Early career with the Seattle Mariners

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