Alex Rodriguez

Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez is an American former professional baseball player who played as a shortstop and third baseman, he is also a businessman and a philanthropist. Rodriguez played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, and New York Yankees for a total of 22 seasons. He is currently the CEO and chairman of A-Rod Corp. and chairman of Presidente beer.He began his professional baseball career as one of the top prospects and is considered to be one of the greatest baseball players of all time.

EARLY LIFE AND BACKGROUND

Rodriguez was born in 1975 in Manhattan to Victor and Lourdes Rodriguez. He was raised alongside his two siblings, Joe and Suzy. When he was young, the family moved to the Dominican Republic, then to Miami, Florida. Alex attended Christopher Columbus High School in Miami and at the end of his freshman year, he transferred to Westminster Christian School. In Miami, he played a shortstop on the baseball team and was a quarterback on the football team.In his junior year, Westminster took home the high school national championship trophy.

ALEX RODRIGUEZ DRAFT YEAR AND MLB JOURNEY

The Seattle Mariners selected Rodriguez with the first overall selection of the 1993 MLB draft. The Mariners signed him to a 3-year, $1.3 million deal and a $1 million signing bonus. During the 1995 season, Rodriguez played in 48 games and batted .232 with 5 home runs, 19 RBI, and four stolen bases the next year he took over as the Mariners' regular shortstop and led the AL with a .358 batting average, Rodriguez had a 3-year deal with the Mariners and permanently joined the major league roster in August.Rodriguez became a free agent in 2001 and eventually signed with the Texas Rangers for the most lucrative contract in sports history: a 10-year deal worth $252 million.

Rodriguez's power-hitting numbers improved as he moved to Texas. He produced one of the top offensive seasons ever for a shortstop in his first season there. He also won his first Gold Glove Award. Rodriguez put up MVP-type numbers on the stat sheet during his years with the Rangers but couldn't translate it to rings.

Rodriguez parted ways with the Rangers after 2003. During that season he won his second consecutive Gold Glove Award and also won his first MVP trophy. Following the 2003 season, Texas decided to part ways with Rodriguez.

On February 15, 2004, the Rangers traded Rodriguez to the Yankees for Alfonso Soriano and Joaquín ?rias. Rodriguez agreed to switch positions from shortstop to third base because Derek Jeter was already set at shortstop. During the 2004 season, he became the youngest player ever to reach 350 home runs and the third youngest to reach 1,000 RBIs. Rodriguez got elected to the 2004 AL All-Star Team. In the 2004 ALDS, Rodriguez was a dominant hitter against the Minnesota Twins and one of the most controversial plays of his career occurred late in Game 6 of the ALCS when Red Sox pitcher Bronson Arroyo fielded the ball and ran toward Rodriguez to apply a tag but as Arroyo reached toward him, Rodriguez swatted at his glove and knocked the ball away, the umpires quickly huddled, then ruled that Rodriguez was out for interference and his run was nullified. The Yankees would then lose the ALCS. He was the first Yankee player to win the coveted AL home run title since Reggie Jackson won it last. In 2005, Rodriguez won his second AL MVP Award in three seasons. He then became the youngest player in baseball history to reach 450 home runs. He has said in interviews that 2006 was his most difficult season as a professional. When Rodriguez reported to camp in 2007, he had reduced his body fat which led to better performance.

On July 12, Rodriguez hit his 150th career home run as a Yankee. This made him the first and the only player in major league history to ever hit 150 home runs for three different teams. In 2007, Rodriguez became the first player in major league history to have at least 35 home runs, 100 RBIs, and 100 runs in 10 consecutive seasons.

Rodriguez won the AL MVP trophy for the third time in his career. The 2007 season marked the last year of Rodriguez's 10-year deal before he opted out and became a free agent again. On November 15, 2007, the Yankees and Rodriguez agreed on a 10-year, $275 million deal.

On February 7, 2009, Sports Illustrated reported that Rodriguez tested positive for the anabolic steroid Primobolan in 2003. Two days later Rodriguez admitted to using it during the 2001 to 2003 period but also said that he had stopped doing that afterward.

Prior to the 2009 season, an MRI revealed a cyst in his right hip and he went to have the cyst drained, it was discovered that he was also suffering from a torn labrum.

Rodriguez underwent an arthroscopic procedure with a recovery period of six to nine weeks. Although the procedure should have allowed him to make it through the season without any complications, he had to go through a second, more extensive surgery. In the 2009 season, The Yankees faced the Phillies in the World Series. In Game 3, Rodriguez hit a home run and The Yankees took a 3-games-to-1 lead in the series. The Yankees lost in game 5 returning to the Bronx for Game 6.

Rodriguez had 2 walks and scored two runs in Game 6, as the Yankees went on to defeat the Phillies for their 27th World Series Championship and Rodriguez's first.

In 2011, Rodriguez opted for arthroscopic surgery on his knee to repair a torn meniscus and was placed on the disabled list. Over that, he was facing serious allegations that he participated in illegal, underground poker games.

On January 16, 2013, Rodriguez underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip.

While rehabilitating, his name came up in a series of negative headlines: he became a main figure in the Biogenesis scandal. Rodriguez played rehab assignment games with the Yankees affiliate teams, the Charleston RiverDogs, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRider, and Trenton Thunder.

On September 20, at Yankee Stadium, Rodriguez hit his 24th career grand slam and broke Lou Gehrig's record. Rodriguez's suspension which was announced the previous season was upheld which meant that he would be suspended for the entirety of the 2014 regular season and postseason after violating the league's Performance Enhancing Drugs policy.

On February 17, 2015, Alex issued a hand-written letter of apology for his violation to "MLB, the Yankees, the Steinbrenner family, the Players Association, and the fans". On May 27, Rodriguez passed Lou Gehrig by setting an AL record for the most career RBI. Rodriguez reached 30+ home runs for the 15th time in his career, tying Aaron for the most 30-home-run seasons in history in the 2015 season. At a press conference, Rodriguez announced that he would play in his final game for the Yankees on August 12, against the Rays. In January 2017, Alex Rodriguez's spokesman announced that he would not play for any team in the coming year, and would stay as a "special advisor" to Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner.

AWARDS