Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez was born on July 27th, 1975, in New York. Alex was the youngest of three children born to Lourdes and Victor Rodriguez, Joe and Suzy being the other two.
Shortly after his birth, Alex's parents decided to move the family back to their native Dominican Republic. But this return to the West Indies was short-lived, as the Rodriguez family then moved to Miami, Florida. Much to Alex's dismay, his father left the family a brief time after reaching Miami.
the makings of a star
Growing up, Alex Rodriguez loved watching sports. His favorite players were basketball's Michael Jordan and baseball's Cal Ripken Jr. Rodriguez showed his tremendous interest in baseball at an early age. By the time he reached high school, Rodriguez had scouts from all over the country taking notice of him. In 1992, while attending Westminster Christian Academy in Miami, his school team was named National Champion by the National High School Baseball Coaches Association, and by Baseball America.
In 1994, the Seattle Mariners chose the 17-year-old Rodriguez first overall in the baseball draft. At age 18, Alex became one of the youngest players ever to play in the major leagues. In 1995, Alex played in 48 games with the Mariners and batted .264. His play impressed the manager so much that he was awarded the starting shortstop position the following year.
a-rod, a-star
The 1996 season was A-Rod's breakout season. He batted .358, with 36 home runs and 123 runs batted in. Rodriguez finished runner-up in the MVP voting and cemented himself as the best power hitting shortstop in the majors. In 1997, Rodriguez's offensive numbers dropped off, as he only drove in 84 runs and hit 23 round trippers.
But he made up for his lack of production with a .312 batting average in the Mariners' four postseason games. Also, on July 27th, 1996, Rodriguez founded the Grand Slam for Kids, which encourages kids to work harder on reading, physical fitness, math, and good citizenship.
The 1998 and 1999 seasons brought 40 back-to-back home runs and at least 100 runs batted in stats for the Spanish star. He now held the record for most homers by a shortstop in one season, had multiple Silver Slugging awards and was named the players' American League Player of the Year. But the Mariners failed to make the postseason in each of these campaigns.
The 2000 season was marred with distractions for A-Rod, as he became a free agent at the end of the season. The Seattle fans and media wanted him to stay, as did the Mariners. But a contract agreement was never reached. Nevertheless, Rodriguez put up another 40 home run/100 RBI season, which helped propel the Mariners back to the playoffs. Despite hitting .371 against Chicago and New York, Rodriguez and the Mariners failed to reach the World Series one more time. It would be the last season for Rodriguez in Seattle.
show him the money!
The 2000 offseason was of great importance to Rodriguez and the world of baseball. After being courted heavily by several teams, he decided to become a Texas Ranger. He signed a contract reportedly worth $252 million over 10 years, the richest contract ever signed in sports. Rangers owner Tom Hicks and Rodriguez took a lot of heat for the size of the contract, but Hicks believed that Rodriguez would guarantee the team a trip to the postseason.
The 2001 season was very difficult for Alex Rodriguez. Rather than being asked about his personal achievements, A-Rod was constantly pelted with questions about his large contract. Despite all the distractions, A-Rod went out and had his finest season as a pro, hitting an astonishing 52 home runs and collecting a career high 135 RBIs. However, the Texas Rangers had a horrible season and watched as Rodriguez's former team in Seattle posted one of the best records ever by a baseball team in the regular season.
2003 proved to be another frustrating year for the Rangers. Consolation came for A-Rod by virtue of bagging the AL MVP award that year. Regardless, A-Rod's massive salary made his tenure in Texas impossible. Rumors about a potential trade with the Boston Red Sox were squashed, partially due to the complex nature of his $252 million deal. After being named captain of the Rangers in a bizarre ceremony in January 2003, the Rangers continued shopping A-Rod, who in turn solicited commissioner Bud Selig's assistance in facilitating a trade.
the new yankee
In need of a new third baseman after Aaron Boone's injury, the Yankees offered Alfonso Soriano and another player for A-Rod. The Yankees got a bargain in the end, with the Rangers agreeing to include a whopping $67 million in cash to the Bronx team in order to pay for some of A-Rod's outstanding contract.
In the end, Rodriguez became famous for signing the largest baseball deal, but he became equally infamous for being part of a trade that included more cash than any other in baseball history.
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