Best Known As: Sports Figure

Gist:  Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez (born July 27, 1975) is an American professional baseball player. Nicknamed "A-Rod", he currently plays third base for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. He previously played shortstop for the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers.



Rodriguez is considered one of the best all?around baseball players of all time. He is the youngest player ever to hit 500 home runs, breaking the record Jimmie Foxx set in 1939.

In December 2007, Rodriguez and the Yankees agreed to a 10 year, $275 million contract. This contract was the richest contract in baseball history (breaking his previous record of $252 million).

In February 2009, Rodriguez admitted to using banned substances from 2001 to 2003, citing "an enormous amount of pressure" to perform.

Life Facts:  Rodriguez grew up with two half-siblings, Joe and Suzy, who were born in the Dominican Republic and are children from his mother's first marriage. Rodriguez also has a half-brother, Victor M. Rodriguez, who was born to Alex's father Victor Sr. and his then-wife Pouppe Martinez in 1960. The couple divorced a year later, and Victor Jr. was raised by his mother. Victor Jr., who is an officer in the United States Air Force, fell out of touch with Alex for a period of 23 years, until they met at a Texas Rangers game in 2003.

Alex currently resides in Miami, Florida during the baseball offseason.

He married Cynthia Scurtis, a psychology graduate, on November 2, 2002. The couple's first child, Natasha Alexander, was born on November 18, 2004. On April 21, 2008, Cynthia gave birth to their second child, Ella Alexander, in Miami, Florida.

On May 27, 2007, Rodriguez was spotted at a Toronto strip club with a blonde woman, later identified as Joslyn Noel Morse, an exotic dancer with Scores Las Vegas who was featured in Playboy's 2001 magazine "Playboy's Casting Calls." The New York Post ran a picture on May 30, 2007.

On July 2, 2008, the New York Daily News reported that Rodriguez and his wife had separated, after having "problems" for the past three months, since the birth of their second daughter. This comes together with rumors published in Us Weekly magazine, about a possible affair between Rodriguez and pop singer Madonna, claims Madonna later denied.

ESPN reported that Cynthia Rodriguez filed for divorce on July 7, 2008, citing "emotional abandonment" and marital infidelity by her husband. Even though Mrs. Rodriguez signed a prenuptial agreement, the validity of any such agreement is subject to the normal challenges of a contract action, in addition to any limitation to private contracting imposed by New York State family law. She sought alimony, distribution of assets, child support including private school tuition, life and health insurance, and retention of the couple's $12-million marital home in Coral Gables, Florida.

Rodriguez has been dating actress Kate Hudson, first reported in May 2009.

Career Facts:  Rodriguez entered as the cornerstone player of the Mariners franchise, which had recently dealt superstars Randy Johnson and Ken Griffey, Jr. Rodriguez put up great numbers as the team's remaining superstar; he hit 41 HR with 132 RBI and had a .316 batting average. He set a career high for walks (100) and became the only shortstop to have 100 runs, RBI, and walks in the same season. He hit well in the playoffs as well (.409 batting average and .773 slugging percentage), but Seattle lost to the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series.

He was selected as the Major League Player of the Year by Baseball America and finished 3rd in the BBWAA AL MVP voting.

In , his last season with Texas, Rodriguez led the American League in home runs, runs scored, and slugging percentage, and won his second consecutive Gold Glove Award. He also led the league in fewest at bats per home run (12.9) and became the youngest player to hit 300 homers.

Following five top-10 finishes in the AL Most Valuable Player voting between 1996 and 2002, Rodriguez won his first MVP trophy. A-Rod, a two-time runner up in the balloting by the Baseball Writers Association of America, joined outfielder Andre Dawson from the Chicago Cubs as the only players to play on last-place teams and win the award.

Following the 2003 season, Texas set out to move Rodriguez and his expensive contract. The Rangers initially agreed to a trade with the Boston Red Sox, but the MLBPA (Major League Baseball Players Association) vetoed the deal because it called for a voluntary reduction in salary by Rodriguez. Despite the failed deal with the Red Sox, the Rangers named him team captain during that off-season. This designation did not last long, however, as the New York Yankees had taken notice of the sudden trade availability of Rodriguez.

On February 7, 2009, Sports Illustrated reported that Alex Rodriguez tested positive for anabolic steroids, testosterone and Primobolan, in (see 'Criticism: Steroid use', below). Rodriguez's name appears on a government-sealed list of 104 major-league players (out of 1200 tested) who came up positive for performance-enhancing drugs. The report was compiled as part of Major League Baseball's 2003 survey to see whether mandatory random drug testing program might be necessary. At the time, there was no penalty or punishment for a positive steroid test. Rodriguez did not immediately confirm the allegations, deferring at first to the players' union. Two days after the allegations, Rodriguez admitted to steroid use from 2001 until 2003, claiming that he ceased using such substances after spring training that year.

In , Rodriguez hit .321, leading the American League with 124 runs and 48 HR while driving in 130 runs. He became the first Yankee to win the American League home run title since Reggie Jackson (41) in . He also became one of only two players in Major League history to compile at least 35 home runs, 100 runs and 100 RBIs in eight consecutive seasons (Jimmie Foxx accomplished the feat in nine straight seasons from 1932-). Rodriguez established the franchise record for most home runs in a single season by a right-handed batter (broke Joe DiMaggio's mark of 46 in ). His 47 HR from the third base position are a single-season American League record. Alex hit 26 home runs at Yankee Stadium in 2005, establishing the single-season club record for right-handed batters (previously held by DiMaggio in 1937 and Gary Sheffield in 2004). On June 8, at 29 years, 316 days old, he became the youngest player in MLB history to reach the 400 HR mark. 2005 also marked the tenth straight season that Rodriguez scored at least 100 runs. On defense, however, he had the lowest range factor in the league at third for the second straight season (2.62).

An offensive highlight of his season came on April 26, when Rodriguez hit 3 HR off Angels' pitcher Bartolo Colón and drove in 10 runs. The 10 RBIs were the most by a Yankee since Tony Lazzeri established the franchise and American League record with 11 on 5/24/36. Rodriguez won his second AL MVP Award in three seasons.

He became the fifth player to win an MVP award (or its precursor 'League Award') with two different teams, joining Mickey Cochrane, Jimmie Foxx, Frank Robinson and Barry Bonds. Rodriguez was also named the shortstop on the Major League Baseball Latino Legends Team in 2005.

The 2007 season marked the last year of Rodriguez's 10-year, $252 million contract before he opted out, effectively making him a free agent again. Rodriguez had repeatedly stated during the 2007 season that he would like to remain a Yankee for the rest of his career. On October 28, , Rodriguez's agent, Scott Boras, announced that he would not renew his contract with the Yankees citing that he "was unsure of the future composition" of the team. He received a slew of criticism from fans and writers alike not only for opting out, but also for not meeting with Yankee management before he did. He was further criticized for the timing of his announcement, during the eighth inning of Game Four of the World Series, as the Boston Red Sox were wrapping up their victory over the Colorado Rockies. After realizing that the situation was not handled very well, Rodriguez contacted the New York Yankees ownership directly, bypassing Boras. Subsequently, Rodriguez issued a statement on his website, saying that he wished to stay with the Yankees. On November 15, 2007, the New York Yankees and Rodriguez agreed on the "basic framework" of a 10-year, $275 million contract. Rodriguez stands to make millions more if he breaks the all-time home run record as a Yankee. The contract was finalized on December 13.

talking with Rodriguez during batting practice. Many unflattering comparisons have been drawn between Jackson's postseason career and Rodriguez's.]]

Rodriguez has received the nickname 'The Cooler' among players because of the perceived tendency for teams to turn cold when he joins them and hot when he leaves and because of his negative influence on team chemistry.

Due to the unsuccessful nature of the Yankees 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 postseasons, along with Rodriguez's sub .200 batting average in the postseasons of 2005 and 2006, Rodriguez has drawn much criticism in the New York area. Because of the Yankees' successful history, he is often compared unfavorably to other Yankees greats who have performed exceptionally well in the postseason, such as Reggie Jackson.

While Rodriguez won the AL MVP award in 2005 and played a pivotal role in the Yankees defeat of the Minnesota Twins in the 2004 ALDS, his recent postseason struggles have left fans frustrated. Rodriguez performed well in the earlier half of the 2004 postseason, hitting .320 with 3 home runs and 5 doubles in 50 at bats, but as was the case with the team in general, he ceased to pose an offensive threat during the final four games of the ALCS against the Boston Red Sox. The following postseason, Rodriguez went 2-for-15 in five games, went 1-for-14 against the Detroit Tigers in the 2006 postseason, and most recently, 4-for-15 against the Cleveland Indians in the 2007 postseason with six strikeouts. Through 2006, Rodriguez was a paltry 4-for-41 (.098 batting average) with no RBI in his last 12 postseason games.

Much of the criticism regarding Rodriguez is focused upon his alleged inability to produce hits in clutch situations. However, during the 2003-05 regular seasons, Rodriguez posted a .371 batting average with the bases loaded and maintained an on base percentage of .422. In 2006, his numbers improved to .474 and .500 respectively. In 2007, through July 14 he hit .444 and .455, respectively. Additionally, Rodriguez's other batting lines during this period included a .432 average with a runner on third (.333 in 2006), .381 with a runner in scoring position (.302 in 2006), and .392 with a runner in scoring position and 2 outs (.313 in 2006; .333 in 2007 through July 14). In 2008, Rodriguez hit only .264 with runners in scoring position and two outs. In 95 plate appearances, he walked 20 times and was hit by three pitches, and he had only 19 hits. Of the 41 times A-Rod struck out with two outs, 20 came with runners in scoring position.

In May 2006, Rodriguez responded to the criticism directed at him, saying:



In an issue of Sports Illustrated, Rodriguez surmised further reasons why he has become an apparent magnet for criticism, saying:

In that same issue of Sports Illustrated, Rodriguez took criticism for suggesting that the Boston Red Sox were his first choice:

Nonetheless, sportswriters, fans, and teammates have continued to debate Alex Rodriguez's performance in the clutch. Some writers such as the New York Post's Joel Sherman have asked, "How do you disregard your eyes completely? How do you ignore that at the most intense moments Rodriguez seems to be carrying his 32-ounce bat and the weight of the world into each at-bat?" In the same issue of Sports Illustrated cited earlier, teammate Jason Giambi also criticized Rodriguez, remarking:"...you've got to get the big hit." Rodriguez agreed, "This is the most support I've ever gotten from any team. I couldn't be more proud."

According to Yankee manager Joe Torre's 2009 book, The Yankee Years, Rodriguez earned the nickname "A-Fraud" from teammates and particularly from clubhouse attendants who were said to resent his demands. "It was [said] in front of him," Torre later said of the nickname. ?A lot of that stuff that went on in the clubhouse was more tongue-in-cheek, fun type stuff,? he explained.