Alex Rodriguez
A-Rod became the youngest player to reach 500 home runs, getting there at age 32 in 2007 — the same season he delivered his best offensive performance with 54 homers and 156 RBIs while posting a career-high 1.067 OPS. That peak came during his transition from shortstop to third base, where he won two Gold Gloves after moving to accommodate Derek Jeter.
The three MVP awards tell only part of the story. Rodriguez combined elite power with surprising plate discipline, walking 100+ times in seven seasons while maintaining a .295 career average across 22 seasons. His 696 home runs rank fourth all-time, with 351 coming as a shortstop — more than any other player at the position.
What separated Rodriguez was his ability to produce at premium defensive positions. His 117 career OPS+ as a middle infielder represents sustained excellence few have matched, making him one of the most complete players of the expansion era.
Career · Batting
22 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | SEA | 17 | 54 | 0 | 2 | .204 | .445 | 58 |
| 1995 | SEA | 48 | 142 | 5 | 19 | .232 | .672 | 89 |
| 1996 | SEA | 146 | 601 | 36 | 123 | .358 | 1.045 | 136 |
| 1997 | SEA | 141 | 587 | 23 | 84 | .300 | .846 | 112 |
| 1998 | SEA | 161 | 686 | 42 | 124 | .310 | .919 | 122 |
| 1999 | SEA | 129 | 502 | 42 | 111 | .285 | .943 | 121 |
| 2000 | SEA | 148 | 554 | 41 | 132 | .316 | 1.026 | 131 |
| 2001 | TEX | 162 | 632 | 52 | 135 | .318 | 1.021 | 135 |
| 2002 | TEX | 162 | 624 | 57 | 142 | .300 | 1.015 | 136 |
| 2003 | TEX | 161 | 607 | 47 | 118 | .298 | .995 | 132 |
| 2004 | NYY | 155 | 601 | 36 | 106 | .286 | .888 | 116 |
| 2005 | NYY | 162 | 605 | 48 | 130 | .321 | 1.031 | 138 |
| 2006 | NYY | 154 | 572 | 35 | 121 | .290 | .914 | 119 |
| 2007 | NYY | 158 | 583 | 54 | 156 | .314 | 1.067 | 141 |
| 2008 | NYY | 138 | 510 | 35 | 103 | .302 | .965 | 129 |
| 2009 | NYY | 124 | 444 | 30 | 100 | .286 | .933 | 124 |
| 2010 | NYY | 137 | 522 | 30 | 125 | .270 | .847 | 116 |
| 2011 | NYY | 99 | 373 | 16 | 62 | .276 | .823 | 114 |
| 2012 | NYY | 122 | 463 | 18 | 57 | .272 | .783 | 108 |
| 2013 | NYY | 44 | 156 | 7 | 19 | .244 | .771 | 108 |
| 2015 | NYY | 151 | 523 | 33 | 86 | .250 | .842 | 117 |
| 2016 | NYY | 65 | 225 | 9 | 31 | .200 | .598 | 81 |
| Career | 2784 | 10566 | 696 | 2086 | .295 | — | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.