Top 10 Interesting Facts about Alex Rodriguez

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Alex Rodriguez

Alex Rodriguez is a professional American baseball player. Known as Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez, or by his nickname A-Rod, Rodriguez is thought to be one of the greatest players in baseball history. His image was however tainted by the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Rodriguez was born in New York on July 27, 1975. When he was four years old, his family moved to the Dominican Republic, his father’s native land. Later, the family relocated to Miami where he began playing baseball at Westminster Christian High School. In 1993, Rodriguez was the initial overall pick for the Seattle Mariners. At 18 years, Rodriguez made his debut with the Mariners.

Read on for ten amazing facts about Alex A-Rod Rodriguez.

1. He is considered one of the greatest baseball players in the world

Alex Rodriguez at a game in May 2008. Photo by Keith Allison / Wikimedia Commons

Rodriguez’s baseball career began as one of the most publicized in history. He is considered one of the most remarkable players in the world.

Over the years, Rodriguez has had a .295 batting average. He has batted more than 2,000 runs, almost 700 home runs and over batted in (RBI). He also had more than 300 stolen bases and more than 3,000 hits. He is the only player in the history of MLB to accomplish the feat.

2. He has received several awards in his career

Alex Rodriguez in the first inning against Daniel Cabrera during a 2007 game in Baltimore. Photo by Keith Allison / Wikimedia Commons

Rodriguez has received several awards during his career. He received the American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award three times and won the All-Star awards 14 times. Rodriguez received two Gold Glove Awards and 10 Silver Slugger Awards. With 25 awards, he holds the record for the grandest slams in history.

3. He made his debut in baseball at 18 years

Alex Rodriguez in a game in April 2008. Photo by Keith Allison / Wikimedia Commons

Rodriguez was first selected in the MLB draft in 1993. Picked by the Mariners, he debuted the following year at the age of 18. He left the team in 2000 to join the Rangers. At the time, the 10-year contract he signed worth USD 252 million, was the richest in baseball history. Although he had an incredible record, the Rangers did not make the playoffs in that period.

4. After retiring from baseball, he worked as a broadcaster

During the 2016 World Series, Rodriquez worked as a commentator. Photo by GabboT – Cubs 029 / Wikimedia Commons

Rodriguez worked as a broadcaster after he retired from baseball. He was a media personality for Fox Sports, ESPN and CNBC. He was a cast member of Shark Tank. In a network show titled Back in the Game, Rodriguez helped athletes make a comeback in their personal lives. The CNBC show first aired in March 2018.

5. He played in the minor league before being promoted to the major league

Image of Alex Rodriguez batting during a 1994 minor league baseball game. Photo by John Traub / Albuquerque Isotopes Baseball Club / Wikimedia Commons

Rodriguez made his debut in the minor league in 1994. While at the Class A Midwest League, he played with the Appleton Foxes. He was later promoted to the Class AA Southern League where he played with the Jacksonville Suns.

After 17 games for Jacksonville, Rodriguez moved to the major league on 8 July 1994. Starting as a shortstop, he was the third 18-year-old shortstop in the major league since 1900.

6. He was traded to the New York Yankees after one of their players suffered an injury

2016 image of Alex Rodriguez. He was with the New York Yankees at the time. Photo by D. Benjamin Miller / Wikimedia Commons

Aaron Boone missed the 2004 season due to a knee injury. He was the third baseman for the New York Yankees. To fill the Yankee’s spot, the Rangers made a trade with the Yankees.

On 15 February 2004, Alfonso Soriano and Joaquín Árias moved to the Rangers and Rodriguez moved to the Yankees. USD 67 million was outstanding on the Rodriguez contract which the Rangers paid.

In the history of MLB, this was the second time an MVP had been traded. The first trade came in 1914. In this trade, Eddie Collins moved from the Philadelphia Athletics to the Chicago White Sox for cash considerations.

7. He was criticized by fans for opting out of the New York Yankees

Rodriguez during a 2009 batting practice. Photo by Keith Allison / Wikimedia Commons

Rodriguez had a ten-year contract amounting to USD 252 million. On October 28 2007, Scott Boras, Rodriguez’s agent announced that Rodriguez would not renew his contract with the Yankees.

2007 was thus the last year Rodriguez was with the Yankees before becoming a free agent. Due to Rodriguez opting out, the Yankees lost USD 21.3 million. This was the remaining amount on the Ranger contract from the 2004 trade.

Writers and fans were not pleased when Rodriguez opted out. Rodriguez had not met with the Yankees’ Management before leaving. It was said that the timing was also a reason for the criticism.

The announcement came at the World Series in the eighth inning of Game 4. The Boston Red Sox were winding up their victory over the Colorado Rockies. Boras was accused by Bob DuPuy, the MLB chief operating officer of selfishness. Boras was accused of putting his selfish interests and that of one individual above the general good of the game.

8. He tested positive for performance-enhancing substances

Rodriguez played for the Trenton Thunder in 2013. This is the Yankees’ AA affiliate. Photo by gbrunett on Flickr / Wikimedia Commons

Sports Illustrated reported some players had tested positive for performance-enhancement substances. The article which was published on 7^th February 2009 included Rodriguez who had tested positive for testosterone and Primobolan, the anabolic steroid.

Out of the 1,200 players who were tested in 2003, RodriguezRodriguez’s name is among the 104 who tested positive for the substances. The government sealed the list of those 104 major league players who tested positive.

The Major League Baseball survey conducted in 2003 was to establish if random drug testing was necessary. At the time, testing positive for steroids was not punishable. Rodriguez initially deferred the allegation to the players’ union. Two days later, he admitted to using the substances between 2001 and 2003. He also claimed that he had stopped using the drugs after the spring of 2003.

9. He was suspended for the entire 2014 season

The Biogenesis Scandal caused Rodriguez to miss the entire 2014 season. His suspension had been announced the previous season but was upheld. Rodriguez was suspended as he was found to have violated the league’s drug policy.

Rodriguez was found to have used and had drug-enhancing substances for several years. The substances included human growth hormone and testosterone. He was also accused of trying to cover up his violations. Additionally, he conducted himself in a manner likely to frustrate the Office of the Commissioner’s investigation.

At the end of the 2014 season, Brian Cashman general manager announced that Rodriguez would not be a third baseman anymore. The team had signed Chase Headley and relegated Rodriguez to a designated hitter.

10. Over the years, he has been engaged several times

Alex Rodriguez during the 2009 World Series parade. Photo by edogisgod – Alex Rodriguez / Wikimedia Commons

In 2002, Rodriguez married Cynthia Scurtis. A psychology graduate, Scurtis and Rodriguez had two daughters named Natasha and Ella. The daughters were born in 2004 and 2008 respectively.

On July 7 2008, Scurtis filed for divorce. Her reasons included marital misconduct, extramarital affairs and emotional abandonment of her and her children. They reached an agreement in September.

Towards the end of 2011 to 2015, Rodriguez dated Torrie Wilson. Wilson was an actress, and a former WWE Diva as well as an actress. He briefly dated the founder of 23andMe, Anne Wojcicki. In February 2017, Rodriguez began dating Jennifer Lopez. They got engaged in March 2019 and announced the end of their engagement in April 2021.