1994–2016 · SS

Alex Rodriguez

6' 3", 230 lbs·Lived to 51·Bats R / Throws R

10×Silver Slugger3×MVP2×Gold GloveAll-Star

Hitter archetype· DERIVED

TTO SluggerBig raw power with high swing-and-miss — homers, walks, and strikeouts.2015–2016 · 546 batted balls

The Almanac's Take

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 Highs

1.067

Best OPS · 2007

Most HR · 2002

156

Most RBI · 2007

.358

Best AVG · 1996

Career Arc · OPS

22 seasons

Statistical Comps

Ketel Marte

100%

2025 season

ISO .233 · K% 14.9 · BB% 11.5 · HR% 5.0

Shohei Ohtani

99%

2024 season

ISO .336 · K% 22.3 · BB% 11.1 · HR% 7.4

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	—	—

Barrel Surface

Every ball this hitter has put in play — how hard it left the bat, and at what angle. The red field behind the dots shows how much damage that kind of contact does, league-wide: the darker the red, the better things go for the hitter.

542 BBE · 2015–2016 · 90.9 mph avg EV · 10.0% barrels

LEAGUE xwOBA0.02.0

BATTED BALLS11025+

The field — league-average xwOBA (what a batted ball is typically worth: 0.0 is a sure out, ~2.0 a sure home run) for every exit-velocity × launch-angle combination, measured from 1.3 million regular-season balls in play since 2015. The dark ridge — balls hit 105+ mph at 25–30° — is the barrel zone, where contact becomes near-automatic extra bases.

The dots — this hitter’s career regular-season balls in play, grouped to a fine grid; a bigger dot means more batted balls at that exact combination. Dots piled onto the red ridge are damage; dots low on the pale field are weak or mishit contact. Spring training and the postseason are excluded.

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