Is A-Rod a Hall of Famer? - The American Spectator | USA News and Politics
Is A-Rod a Hall of Famer?
by

Alex Rodriguez became the second member of the New York Yankees to retire in the space of 48 hours. But unlike Mark Teixeira who will finish his career at the end of the season, A-Rod will play his final big league game on Friday at Yankee Stadium against the Tampa Bay Rays.

In 2015, A-Rod enjoyed a renaissance season with 33 home runs after missing the entire 2014 season serving a suspension for his involvement in the Biogenesis scandal. But in 2016, A-Rod has been relegated to the bench playing only 62 games this season hitting .204 with 9 HR and 29 RBIs. The 41-year old A-Rod has been healthy, but I suspect this is by design. I don’t think the Yankees wanted him to pass Babe Ruth on the all-time HR list. The Bambino had 714 home runs in his stellar career while it appears A-Rod will finish his career four home runs shy of 700 & fourth on the all-time MLB list.

So I shall pose the same question I did with Teixeira. Is A-Rod a Hall of Famer? A-Rod has credentials other than home runs. His 2,084 RBIs are behind only Ruth and Hank Aaron. There are his 3,114 hits, 14 AL All-Star selections, three AL MVPs, two Gold Gloves and a World Series ring. But all of that is in doubt by virtue of his PED use to which he has twice admitted.

Whether A-Rod gets into Cooperstown depends on what happens with Barry Bonds and his former Yankee teammate Roger Clemens. Earlier this year, Bonds and Clemens earned 44.3% and 45.2% of the vote from Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) in their fourth year on the ballot. While that is well shy of the 75% needed to be inducted into Cooperstown, both players had a jump of nearly 8% in support. Bonds and Clemens have six years left on the ballot. Their last year of eligibility will be in 2022 which would coincidentally be A-Rod’s first year on the Hall of Fame ballot. If Bonds and Clemens get in so will A-Rod. It might take him all 10 years he’s on the ballot, but if Bonds and Clemens get a plaque he’ll get one too.

A-Rod will continue with the Yankees organization as an adviser working with minor league players. However, the club will still owe him the $27 million he was due for the 2017 season. So he will be the highest paid minor league instructor ever.

On Tuesday, the Yankees will come here in Boston to play three games at Fenway. It isn’t clear if he will play during the series. I’m sure the Yankees would prefer not to have the Fenway faithful jeer him. But A-Rod does have a long history in Boston. He made his MLB debut with the Mariners at Fenway Park in 1994. A decade later, A-Rod very nearly became a member of the Red Sox, but the MLB Players Association nixed it. The Texas Rangers instead made a deal with the Yankees. Notwithstanding A-Rod’s achievements, it might be the best deal the Red Sox didn’t make. The Red Sox came back down 3-0 to beat A-Rod and the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS and won their first World Series in 86 years and would win two more.

While the Red Sox might have been better off without A-Rod, he did his fair share of damage at Fenway. At this moment, I am watching the MLB Network and Ryan Dempster is on the desk. It has nearly been three years since Dempster wore a Red Sox uniform and saw fit to plunk A-Rod and A-Rod made him pay big time. Because it’s Boston vs. New York, we will probably see A-Rod at the plate before he makes his big exit on Friday.

Alex Rodriguez can be accused of many things. Being dull isn’t one of them.

Sign up to receive our latest updates! Register


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

Be a Free Market Loving Patriot. Subscribe Today!