Rodriguez, Alex (1975-…), is a former professional baseball player. An athletic and powerful right-handed infielder, Rodriguez starred for three different teams over 22 Major League Baseball (MLB) seasons from 1994 to 2016. He finished his career with 696 home runs and 2,086 runs batted in. He also amassed 3,115 hits and scored 2,021 runs. Rodriguez, a 14-time All-Star, won Most Valuable Player awards as the best player in his league in 2003, 2005, and 2007. Known as “A-Rod,” Rodriguez’s outstanding career was tainted by his admitted use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez was born on July 27, 1975, to Dominican parents in New York City. He grew up mostly in Miami, Florida, where he starred in baseball and football at Westminster Christian School. The Seattle Mariners of the American League chose him as the first selection in the free-agent MLB draft in 1993. He made his MLB debut with Seattle in July 1994. He played with Seattle until the Texas Rangers signed him as a free agent in December 2000. A career-long shortstop, Rodriguez moved to third base after he was traded to the New York Yankees in 2004. Rodriguez finished his career with the Yankees, retiring in August 2016.
Rodriguez led the American League in home runs and runs scored five times. He hit .300 or better 9 times, including a career- and league-best .358 in 1996. He also won Gold Glove awards as the league’s best shortstop in 2002 and 2003. From 1998 through 2010, A-Rod averaged 42 home runs and 123 runs batted in per season. He retired with a lifetime .295 batting average, 329 career stolen bases, and 25 grand slams—the most grand slams in MLB history.
In 2009, Rodriguez admitted using performance-enhancing drugs earlier in his career. He was later suspended for the entire 2014 season for his part in a performance-enhancing drug scandal. In 2021, Rodriguez became part owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Minnesota Lynx of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).
