A-Rod. What’s there to say? Oh, so much. You should have been a no-brainer, first-ballot Hall of Famer…but then you had to go and cheat. What will become of your legacy? Only time will tell.
If you just look at Alex Rodriguez’s statistics and accomplishments, you’ll find yourself in baseball heaven. In 22 seasons, Rodriguez hit 696 home runs, which is 4th all-time. He banged out 3,115 hits while hitting .295 for his career. A-Rod was a 14 time All-Star and drove in the third most runs in Big League history. As a shortstop, he had six straight seasons with 40+ homers, two of those seasons saw him hit 50 or more. He was the American League MVP three times, won two Gold Gloves, and was a World Series champion. He won a batting title and led the AL in home runs five times. He joined the 40-40 club in 1998 when he hit 42 homers and stole 46 bases. He joined the 50-20 club in 2007 when he hit 54 homers and stole 24 bases. Quite simply, he was amazing. But…
He failed the survey PED test in 2003. Then, he was suspended for the entire 2014 season when he failed another PED test. Impressively, Rodriguez managed a .250-33-86 stat line in 2015 after taking a year off for suspension. However, it was downhill from there. After his dismal 2016 season, A-Rod decided to call it quits at age 40.
| Split | G | GS | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | TB | GDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 Totals | 65 | 57 | 243 | 225 | 19 | 45 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 31 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 67 | .200 | .247 | .351 | .598 | 79 | 4 |
Alex Rodriguez’s final APBA card is disappointing…but spot-on accurate. I project it to hit exactly .200. The only thing this card has going for it is a 66-1, which you’d expect from an Alex Rodriguez card. Less impressively, it’s got a 13-13 and a 51-13…ouch. With his struggles in 2016, A-Rod took accurate stock of his diminished abilities and called it a career. It’s difficult to give Rodriguez credit for anything, but I do give him props for not sticking around another year or two to reach 700+ home run…and possibly make a run at Bond’s all-time record. He knew it was time to go, so he did.
Lately, Rodriguez’s reputation has had a resurgence, thanks to his weekly presence on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball broadcasts. Personally, I think he does a nice job and his commentary is interesting. Will A-Rod’s new image overhaul be enough to sway the BBWAA by 2022? I’m betting it won’t. The main difference between Rodriguez and past PED users like Bonds and Clemens is that A-Rod took PEDs when they were against the rules. Bonds, Clemens, and other past players violated moral rules…A-Rod violated ACTUAL rules. Will this keep him out of the Hall of Fame? Many hope so, but I’m betting he’ll eventually get a plaque in Cooperstown. His statistics are just too impressive for it not to happen. However, I think he’ll spend a long time in Cooperstown purgatory before he gets his call. Instead of being a first ballot inductee in 2022, he might wait until 2032 or longer. He certainly deserves his consequences, having brought much of his misfortune upon himself.
I have trouble with Rodriguez. When he first arrived in Seattle I was an instant fan. I had been saving up to buy an official jersey when he signed with Texas. I still have the jersey, but cannot bring myself to either wear it or toss it. Another sad Bonds like person who would have probably been a HOF candidate without the roids.