Alex Rodriguez #3 SS
Position: Shortstop
Age: 23
Born: 7-27-75 in New York, NY
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Height: 6' 3"
Weight: 205 lbs.
Contract Status: Signed through 2000
ACQUIRED:Mariners’ first round selection (first player overall) in the 1993 June draft; signed by Mariners scout Fernando Arguelles.
PERSONAL:Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez . . . resides in Miami, FL . . . graduated from Westminster Christian H.S. in Miami, FL in 1993 . . . was a first team prep All-America selection as a senior, after batting .505 (47x93) with nine home runs and 36 RBI in 33 games; also swiped 35 bases in 35 attempts . . . was only high school finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the top amateur player in the country . . . also received honors as the USA Baseball Junior Player of the Year and Gatorade’s National Student Athlete of the Year in baseball . . . in his three-year career at Westminster, posted a .419 (124x296) average with 17 home runs, 70 RBI and 90 stolen bases in 100 games while leading his team to a 86-13-1 record; the 1992 club was named national champions by the National High School Baseball Coaches Association and Baseball America . . . on July 27, 1996 announced his Grand Slam for Kids educational program to encourage grade school children to work hard on reading, math, physical fitness and good citizenship . . . visits grade schools and holds assemblies to promote the program . . . named Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sports Star of the Year in 1996.
1997: Began the season where he left off in 1996, batting .333 in April and .358 in June . . . tied Joey Cora for the team lead with 40 doubles, the ninth most in the A.L . . . became only the third Mariner ever to post a 20 homer, 20 stolen base season; joining Ruppert Jones (1979) and Phil Bradley (1985) . . . went hitless in three straight games just once (August 5-7) and in back-to-back games just four other times . . . his 29 stolen bases, which ranked 7th in the A.L., was the most by a Mariner since Harold Reynolds’ 31 in 1990 . . . went 4-for-5 with HR on April 6 vs. Boston . . . had three hitting streaks of at least ten games, including a 16-gamer from June 1-July 3; hit .343 during the streak . . . on June 5 at Detroit, he became just the second Mariner to hit for the cycle (also Jay Buhner); he homered in the 1st, singled in the 4th, tripled in the 8th and doubled in the 9th . . . became the fifth youngest player in history to cycle (see box) . . . the cycle won $1 million for Pamela Altazan of Cashmere, WA as part of a Mariners radio/TV promotion . . . on June 11, suffered a deep bruise of his chest wall in a collision at home plate with Roger Clemens at Toronto; was placed on the disabled list and missed 14 games . . . homered vs. Anaheim’s Chuck Finley in his first at-bat off the DL on June 27 . . . became the first A.L. shortstop other than Cal Ripken to start an All-Star Game since 1983 (Milwaukee’s Robin Yount) when he was voted to the starting lineup; went 1-for-3 in his second career ASG with a single off Greg Maddux . . . had his third, 4-hit game of the year on July 10 vs. Texas . . . was ejected for the first time in his career August 9 at Chicago . . . on August 18, his average dipped below .300 for the first time since the fourth game of the season . . . strung together an 11-game hit streak from August 21-31; also drove in at least one run in seven straight games from August 21-27 . . . on Sept. 10, he hit a HR into the Kingdome’s 2nd deck in LF off Detroit’s Justin Thompson; only the 9th player to do it . . . finished the season with a 6-for-12 flurry in his final three games to get his average back to .300 . . . batted .300 against right-handers and .299 vs. lefties . . . his 64 career home runs is already tied for 10th on the Mariners all-time HR list with Danny Meyer . . . hit .313 with HR in playoffs vs. Baltimore.
CAREER: Began the season where he left off in 1996, batting .333 in April and .358 in June . . . tied Joey Cora for the team lead with 40 doubles, the ninth most in the A.L . . . became only the third Mariner ever to post a 20 homer, 20 stolen base season; joining Ruppert Jones (1979) and Phil Bradley (1985) . . . went hitless in three straight games just once (August 5-7) and in back-to-back games just four other times . . . his 29 stolen bases, which ranked 7th in the A.L., was the most by a Mariner since Harold Reynolds’ 31 in 1990 . . . went 4-for-5 with HR on April 6 vs. Boston . . . had three hitting streaks of at least ten games, including a 16-gamer from June 1-July 3; hit .343 during the streak . . . on June 5 at Detroit, he became just the second Mariner to hit for the cycle (also Jay Buhner); he homered in the 1st, singled in the 4th, tripled in the 8th and doubled in the 9th . . . became the fifth youngest player in history to cycle (see box) . . . the cycle won $1 million for Pamela Altazan of Cashmere, WA as part of a Mariners radio/TV promotion . . . on June 11, suffered a deep bruise of his chest wall in a collision at home plate with Roger Clemens at Toronto; was placed on the disabled list and missed 14 games . . . homered vs. Anaheim’s Chuck Finley in his first at-bat off the DL on June 27 . . . became the first A.L. shortstop other than Cal Ripken to start an All-Star Game since 1983 (Milwaukee’s Robin Yount) when he was voted to the starting lineup; went 1-for-3 in his second career ASG with a single off Greg Maddux . . . had his third, 4-hit game of the year on July 10 vs. Texas . . . was ejected for the first time in his career August 9 at Chicago . . . on August 18, his average dipped below .300 for the first time since the fourth game of the season . . . strung together an 11-game hit streak from August 21-31; also drove in at least one run in seven straight games from August 21-27 . . . on Sept. 10, he hit a HR into the Kingdome’s 2nd deck in LF off Detroit’s Justin Thompson; only the 9th player to do it . . . finished the season with a 6-for-12 flurry in his final three games to get his average back to .300 . . . batted .300 against right-handers and .299 vs. lefties . . . his 64 career home runs is already tied for 10th on the Mariners all-time HR list with Danny Meyer . . . hit .313 with HR in playoffs vs. Baltimore..
Has his haircut every 10 days
has a teddy bear wearing a green sweater on the dashboard of his Range Rover
Bad Habits: Being late
first kiss: "A girl named Miriam in the seventh grade. We dated for three days before we kissed after classes one day"
Doesn't kiss on the first date
Flosses 4 times a day
Voted one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People (5-98)
Golf Handicap: 16
Shoe size: 12 (was supposed to be getting his own shoe this year - anyone know if that's happened yet? - when asked what they would look like he replied: "I don't know for sure, only that it will be subtle and sleek and made of suede material, like nubuck leather. I'm going to meet with the designer when we get to San Francisco.")
Education: wants to attend the University of Miami and get a degree in broadcasting
Schools: Westminster Christian Academy (High School)
Hobbies: Basketball, golf, fishing, reading, traveling, and computer games
Pets: a female German shepard named Ripper (given to him by Jose Canseco)that lives in Miami and an all black German shepard named Gypsy that lives in Seattle
Home: During baseball season: in a Seattle condo. The rest of the year, Kendall (a suburb of Miami), Florida (in a 3,330-square-foot, four-bedroom home - though because of recent break-ins, he's considering moving to Tampa or Orlando, but definitely in Florida)
Car/Vehicle: Red Range Rover and a black Mercedes Benz SC 500
First/Infamous Vehicle: (they all seem to have an early car that they talk about) Blue 1988 Mazda 323
First/Interesting Jobs: well he is a major league baseball player but he was also a judge for People Magazine's Worst Dressed List last year and he was a summer baseball camp counselor when he was 15
During the off season, to keep in shape he says: "I work out six days a week, sometimes twice a day."
