Alex Rodriguez to retire from MLB after 2017 season
It appears we now know when the A-Rod era will be over in Major League Baseball.
Alex Rodriguez, who will enter his 22nd season in the majors this year as he moves into a permanent role at designated hitter for the New York Yankees, has announced that once his contract his up in two seasons, he is done with playing the sport.
"I won't play after next year," Rodriguez told ESPN. "I've really enjoyed my time. For me, it is time for me to go home and be dad."
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Alex Rodriguez was the top overall draft pick of the Seattle Mariners in the 1993 amateur draft, spending just a season and a half in the minors before making his debut with the big club in 1994. He would shine on a Mariners team that fell just short of making it to the World Series with A-Rod, Ken Griffey Jr. and other superstars.
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In 2001, Alex Rodriguez signed what was at the time the biggest contract in sports history when he agreed to a 10-year, $252 million contract with the Texas Rangers. That arrangement would last just three seasons, as he was traded to the New York Yankees before the 2004 season.
A-ROD THROUGH THE YEARS:
With New York, Rodriguez moved from the shortstop position to third base (as the Yankees already had Derek Jeter at shortstop). He won his only World Series championship in 2009 and has a list of accomplishments that includes being named AL MVP three times, an AL All-Star 14 times, 10 Silver Slugger awards and two Gold Gloves. For his career, he has 687 home runs and 3,070 hits.
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Rodriguez has also had his share of controversy during his time in New York. In 2009, A-Rod admitted to using a banned PED during his time with the Rangers, issuing a tearful apology to his fans. In 2013, Rodriguez was found to be involved in a scandal involving athletes receiving banned substances from a Miami area doctor. He would eventually be suspended for the entire 2014 season as a result.
