Alex Rodriguez has maybe the most complicated legacy in not just New York Yankees history, but maybe throughout the entirety of Major League Baseball.
The No. 1 overall pick in 1993 heard the loudest of both cheers and boos during his 22-year career, when he hit 696 home runs, won three MVPs, a World Series and 10 Silver Sluggers.
In 12 seasons with the Yankees, he hit .283 with a .900 OPS – a Hall of Fame worthy performance. The up-and-down nature of his tenure, though, seems to be the reason why the organization has not yet retired his No. 13.
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New York Yankees designated hitter Alex Rodriguez, #13, waves to the fans after playing his final game as a Yankee against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won 6-3. (Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports)
Rodriguez admitted back in October that the fact that his number is not in Monument Park “bothers” him. However, speaking with Fox News Digital in a recent interview, he knows it is “not my place to say” whether he deserves the honor.
“I would love that – that would be a dream come true,” Rodriguez said. “But that’s Hal Steinbrenner’s and Randy Levine’s decision. If they say it’s a good thing, I’ll be the first one there. If not, I’ll still love the Yankees and support the Yankees and hope they win a championship this year.”
No one rose, fell and rose again quite like Rodriguez. Outside certainly being able to make a headline during his prime, his fandom fell off a cliff when he was suspended for 211 games for performance-enhancing drugs in 2013. It was the second time he had been busted, also coming clean in 2009. It was eventually reduced to “just” for the entirety of the 2014 season.
During that time, he was extremely critical of, and threatened to sue, the Yankees, whom he had spent the last 10 years with at that point. Even when fighting his suspension, and soon after he returned from it, he heard rousing boos from not only opposing ballparks, but also, the Bronx faithful against faint cheers.
A fan holds a banner in reference to Alex Rodriguez, #13 of the New York Yankees, during a game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 13, 2013 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
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However, as he hit 33 home runs in 2015, most had been forgiven (of course, “FORG1V3” shirts were sold on Opening Day that year), and at his last game in 2016, he left the field to a standing ovation. It was not quite Derek Jeter-like, but the mere thought was unimaginable less than two years prior. In somewhat of a comedic twist, Aaron Judge was called up the following day.
Of course, since retiring, he has become one of the most prevalent baseball voices, joining Fox as an analyst and also doing “Sunday Night Baseball” broadcasts on ESPN prior, becoming a fan favorite and teaming up with old frenemy Jeter.
From left to right, Kevin Burkhardt, Alex Rodriguez, Jose Altuve, David Ortiz and Derek Jeter talk during a broadcast before Game 2 of the ALCS between the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on Monday, Oct. 16, 2023 in Houston. (Alex Bierens de Haan/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
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No Yankee wore the number post-Rodriguez’s retirement until Joey Gallo was acquired in 2021. They sent him away in 2022 after a tenure that might have brought more boos than Rodriguez at Fenway Park.
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