Alexander Rodriguez – Yankees Third Baseman

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Alex Rodriguez or A-Rod as his fans know him, has had a long and lively career in the MLB. Now playing third base for the Yankees, Rodriguez began his career in high school. He was shortstop for Westminster Christian High School in Miami, Florida and batted .419 in 100 games during his high school career. He won the prestigious award of USA Baseball Junior Player of the Year his senior year and was selected as Gatorade’s national Baseball Student Athlete of the Year as well. In 1993, he was considered to be one of the most prospective players in the nation.

Early Career

He was recruited by the University of Miami to play football and had signed a letter of intent for baseball, although he never played in college. Instead, he decided to sign on with the Seattle Mariners directly after high school. His professional career began when he was only 17 years old.

Today, Rodriguez holds a number of honors and awards. The youngest ever MLB player to hit 500 home runs, he broke the record set by Jimmie Foxx in 1939. He also won the honor of being the youngest player to ever hit 600 home runs and beat Babe Ruth out by just on year. He passed Sammy Sosa’s record as well, hitting his 609th home run in 2010 which made him the MLB’s all-time leader in runs by a Hispanic player.

Major League

A-Rod has played for both the Mariners and the Texas Rangers but has finally settled in with the New York Yankees. Signing his $275 million contract in 2007, Rodriguez broke another record for the highest salary in baseball history. His playing history has been riddled with rumors of infidelity, a broken marriage and a history of steroid abuse. He admitted to using steroids on a talk show with Katie Couric in 2007, stating that he did in fact use steroids when he played for the Rangers between 2001 and 2003.

His stats today keep him popular with his fans and with Yankees management. At 6 foot 3 and weighing 225 pounds, this right-handed third baseman has also played shortstop although he has been solely a third baseman since signing on with the Yankees. At just 37 years old (he was born on July 27, 1975), this New York native still has a lot of game left in him and a few more records to break before he is finished. He also still has a few years left on that nearly $300 million contract so the Yankees are sure to have third base covered for a few more years with A-Rod on duty.

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