Third Baseman, New
York Yankees
Age: 30 (July 27)
2nd season
with Yankees
Bats – Right,
Throws – Right
Height: 6’3” Weight: 230
Prior to 2005:
Rodriguez was
born in New York City to Dominican parents who returned to Santo Domingo when
he was four. The family returned to the US a few years later, this time in
Miami where Rodriguez played youth league baseball. At Westminster Christian
High School, he excelled in football and basketball, as well as baseball. The
Seattle Mariners made him the first overall pick in the 1993 amateur draft and
he signed for a $1.3 million bonus. The 18-year-old Rodriguez was first
assigned to Appleton of the Class A Midwest League in 1994 where he batted .319
in 65 games and was promoted to the Jacksonville Suns of the Class AA Southern
League. He played in 17 games at Class AA and was promoted to the Mariners in
July. Overmatched in his first exposure to the big leagues, Rodriguez was sent
to the Calgary Cannons of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League where he hit .311
in 32 games with 6 home runs and 21 RBIs. Following a winter of play in the
Dominican Republic, Rodriguez was assigned to Tacoma of the PCL in 1995. He moved
back-and-forth between Tacoma and the Mariners during the season and by August
he was back with Seattle full-time. In Class AAA he batted .360 in 54 games
with 15 home runs and 45 RBIs and in 48 appearances with the Mariners he hit
.232 with 5 home runs and 19 RBIs. Rodriguez became the starting shortstop in
1996 and led the AL in runs scored (141), doubles (54), batting (.358), and
total bases (379) in addition to compiling 36 home runs and 123 RBIs. The
player known as “A-Rod” also was an All-Star for the first time, was awarded a
Silver Slugger, finished second in league MVP voting by a narrow margin, and
was named MLB Player of the Year by The Sporting News. Rodriguez started strong
in 1997 but, bothered by a chest injury, overall his numbers dropped to a .300
average with 23 home runs and 84 RBIs. In the field he led all AL shortstops by
committing 24 errors. He started at shortstop for the AL in the All-Star Game.
In 1998 “A-Rod” batted .310 with a league-leading 213 hits as well as 42 home
runs, 124 RBIs, and 46 stolen bases. He also topped all AL shortstops with 731
total chances and ranked second with 268 put outs and 445 assists. In 1999,
Rodriguez suffered a knee injury that required surgery early in the season and
ended up hitting .285 in 129 games with 42 home runs and 111 RBIs. With center
fielder Ken Griffey, Jr. gone in 2000, “A-Rod” became the key player in
Seattle’s lineup and batted .316 with 41 home runs and 132 RBIs. He finished
third in AL MVP balloting. A free agent in the offseason, Rodriguez signed a
10-year, $252 million contract with the Texas Rangers. He had an outstanding
season with a losing team in 2001, hitting .318 with a league-leading 133 runs
scored and 52 home runs, plus 135 RBIs. He also led all AL shortstops with 279
put outs and finished sixth in league MVP voting. “A-Rod” placed second for AL
MVP in 2002 after batting .300 with 57 home runs and 142 RBIs. He also received
a Gold Glove for outstanding play in the field. In 2003 he hit .298 and led the
league in runs scored (124), home runs (47), and slugging (.600), while also
compiling 181 hits, 118 RBIs, and a .396 OBP. In the offseason, “A-Rod” was
traded to the Yankees for power-hitting second baseman Alfonso Soriano. Shifted
to third base due to the presence of Derek Jeter at shortstop, Rodriguez
adjusted well in the field and at the plate batted .286 in 2004 with 36 home
runs and 106 RBIs. New York won the AL East and “A-Rod” hit well in the ALDS
triumph over the Twins. The Yanks lost the ALCS to the Boston Red Sox despite
breaking out to a 3 games-to-0 lead and Rodriguez was part of the collapse,
managing only two hits in his last 17 at bats.
2005 Season Summary
Appeared in 162
games
3B – 161, SS – 3,
DH – 1
[Bracketed
numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]
Batting
Plate
Appearances – 715 [6]
At Bats – 605
Runs – 124 [1]
Hits – 194 [6,
tied with Mark Teixeira & Carl Crawford]
Doubles – 29
Triples – 1
Home Runs – 48
[1]
RBI – 130 [4]
Bases on Balls
– 91 [3]
Int. BB – 8 [11,
tied with Justin Morneau & Garret Anderson]
Strikeouts – 139
[3]
Stolen Bases – 21
[12, tied with Orlando Cabrera]
Caught Stealing
– 6 [16, tied with eight others]
Average - .321
[2]
OBP - .421 [2]
Slugging Pct. -
.610 [1]
Total Bases – 369
[2]
GDP – 8
Hit by Pitches
– 16 [5, tied with Lew Ford & Reed Johnson]
Sac Hits – 0
Sac Flies – 3
League-leading runs
scored were +2 ahead of runner-up Derek Jeter
League-leading
home runs were +1 ahead of runner-up David Ortiz
League-leading slugging
percentage was +.006 ahead of runner-up David Ortiz
Midseason
snapshot: HR – 23, RBI – 72, AVG - .317, SLG - .582, OBP - .416
---
Most hits, game
– 5 (in 6 AB) vs. Tampa Bay 4/18
Longest hitting
streak – 11 games
HR at home – 26
HR on road – 22
Most home runs,
game – 3 (in 5 AB) vs. LA Angels 4/26
Multi-HR games
– 4
Most RBIs, game
– 10 vs. LA Angels 4/26
Pinch-hitting – 0 of 2 (.000)
Fielding
Chances – 415
Put Outs – 115
Assists – 288
Errors – 12
DP – 26
Pct. - .971
Postseason
Batting: 5 G (ALDS vs. LA Angels)
PA – 23, AB –
15, R – 2, H – 2, 2B – 1,3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 0, BB – 6, IBB – 0, SO – 5, SB –
1, CS – 1, AVG - .133, OBP - .435, SLG -.200, TB – 3, GDP – 2, HBP – 2, SH – 0,
SF – 0
Awards & Honors:
AL MVP: BBWAA
Silver Slugger
All-Star (started
for AL at 3B)
Top 5 in AL MVP
Voting:
Alex Rodriguez,
NYY.: 331 points - 16 of 28 first place votes, 84% share
David Ortiz,
Bos.: 307 points – 11 first place votes, 78% share
Vladimir
Guerrero, LAA: 196 points – 1 first place vote, 50% share
Manny Ramirez,
Bos.: 156 points – 40% share
Travis Hafner,
Clev.: 151 points – 39% share
---
Yankees went 95-67 to finish tied for first in the AL Eastern Division with the Boston Red Sox, with the Yankees winning the division title due to a 10-9 record against Boston in head-to-head meetings. The Yankees lagged behind for most of the season, finally moving into first place in the AL East on Sept. 21. They nailed down their eighth straight division title by defeating the Red Sox in the season’s next to last game, assuring themselves of the tiebreaker advantage. Lost ALDS to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 3 games to 2.
Aftermath of 2005:
Rodriguez had another strong performance in 2006, batting .290 with 35 home runs and 121 RBIs. He and the Yankees again came up short in the postseason. “A-Rod” got off to a fast start with the slow-starting Yanks in 2007 and rode that to his third MVP season, batting .314 and topping the AL in runs scored (143), home runs (54), RBIs (156), slugging (.645), and total bases (376). Following the season, he chose to exercise an opt-out clause in his contract but then re-signed with the Yankees for $270 million over 10 years. Rodriguez encountered injury problems in 2008, as well as off-field controversy. He ended up producing solidly (35 home runs, 103 RBIs, .302 average) while leading the AL in slugging (.573). Surgery for a hip condition limited Rodriguez to 124 games in 2009, with his production dropping to 30 home runs, 100 RBIs, and a .286 batting average. He played well in the postseason as the Yankees reached the World Series and defeated the Phillies. In 2010 “A-Rod” reached the 600-home run milestone during a season in which he batted .270 with 30 home runs and 125 RBIs. A knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery limited him to 99 games in 2011 as well as 16 home runs and 62 RBIs. Following another injury-plagued season in 2012, Rodriguez underwent further hip surgery in 2013. After a minor league rehabilitation assignment, he joined the Yankees in August facing a suspension by major league baseball for his use of performance-enhancing drugs and his related involvement with the Biogenesis scandal. He ended up appearing in just 44 major league games with 7 home runs and 19 RBIs. He was suspended for the entire 2014 season. Reinstated in 2015, Rodriguez played in 151 games, primarily as a Designated Hitter, and hit .250 with 33 home runs and 86 RBIs. He played one last season in 2016. Overall, for his career, “A-Rod” batted .295 with 3115 hits that included 548 doubles, 31 triples, and 696 home runs. He also struck out 2287 times and compiled 2086 RBIs and 329 stolen bases. Often criticized for a lack of postseason production, he appeared in 76 postseason games and hit .259 with 13 home runs and 41 RBIs. In addition to being a three-time AL MVP, Rodriguez was a 14-time All-Star (five with the Yankees) and won two Gold Gloves and 10 Silver Slugger Awards.
---
MVP Profiles feature players in the National or
American leagues who were winners of the Chalmers Award (1911-14), League Award
(1922-29), or Baseball Writers’ Association of America Award (1931 to present)
as Most Valuable Player.
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