1975-present
Alex Rodriguez News: Alex vs. ARod Documentary Chronicles Baseball Star's Career
MLB great Alex Rodriguez described the “triggering” experience of filming the HBO Max docuseries Alex vs. ARod, which showcases the highest—and lowest—moments of his career.
Rodriguez revealed during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that he’s nervous about the project’s release. The three-part series debuts Friday, November 7, and includes candid commentary from the former MVP about his use of performance-enhancing drugs, which he now admits cost him a spot in National Baseball Hall of Fame.
The 50-year-old said going to therapy has helped him view his past controversy in a different light. “I never thought I would say this Jimmy, because I’ve known you a long time, but looking back, like, it might be the greatest thing that ever happened to me,” Rodriguez told the late night host. “Because while I gave up the Hall of Fame because of my stupidity, on the other side of that I’m a better father. I feel I’m a better person.”
The docuseries also includes interviews with friends and teammates of the slugger, including Katie Couric and Derek Jeter.
Who Is Alex Rodriguez?
Baseball star Alex Rodriguez won three MVP awards and is one of the best statistical hitters in MLB history, ranking in the top five with 696 career home runs and 2,086 RBIs. However, his admitted use of performance-enhancing drugs made him one of the sport’s most controversial figures and clouded his overall legacy. Blessed with tremendous all-around ability, Rodriguez made his MLB debut with the Seattle Mariners at age 18 and later became a home run champ and MVP during his years with the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees. He also drew criticism for his postseason struggles and was suspended for the entire 2014 season for using PEDs. Rodriguez played his final game in August 2016 before embarking on a broadcasting career.
Quick Facts
FULL NAME: Alexander Enmanuel Rodriguez
BORN: July 27, 1975
BIRTHPLACE: New York City
SPOUSE: Cynthia Scurtis (2002-2008)
CHILDREN: Natasha and Ella
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Leo
HEIGHT: 6 ft., 3 in.
Young Alex Rodriguez
Alexander Enmanuel Rodriguez was born on July 27, 1975, in New York City, the youngest of Victor Rodriguez and Lourdes Navarro’s three children. At an early age, baseball was a central part of Rodriguez’s life. His father was a former pro catcher in his native Dominican Republic and a passionate New York Mets fan.
“I saw how passionate he was about the game,” Rodriguez once recalled. “How closely he paid attention to it. That rubbed off on me.”
At age 4, Rodriguez moved with his family to the Dominican Republic, where he first started playing baseball. When he reached fifth grade, however, the Rodriguez family was on the move again, this time relocating to Miami. Not long afterward, Victor and Lourdes separated, leaving Rodriguez’s mother to raise the family on her own.
In high school, Rodriguez was a gifted football player, playing quarterback at Westminster Christian School, a small private school in Miami. On the baseball field, Rodriguez was an even bigger star. In his junior year, he hit .477 and stole 42 bases in just 35 games while leading the school to the 1992 state championship. By his senior year, Rodriguez had made the decision to concentrate fully on baseball, and scouts jammed the school’s ball field to watch the 6-foot-3, 195-pound shortstop play.
Rodriguez had already committed to attend the University of Miami, but when he was selected No. 1 overall in Major League Baseball’s 1993 amateur draft by the Seattle Mariners, he went pro by signing a three-year, $1.3 million contract.
MLB Career
Rodriguez’s rise through the Seattle system was meteoric, and he made his Major League debut in 1994, a few weeks before his 19th birthday. He logged only 54 at-bats that year and 142 the following season, but by 1996 Rodriguez was a bona fide star. That year he batted .358, clubbed 36 home runs, and knocked in 123 runners to finish second in the MVP race. Over the next decade, Rodriguez proved to be one of baseball’s best all-around players, putting up gaudy numbers that put him on track to be one of the game’s all-time greats.
In 2001, Rodriguez signed the most lucrative contract in baseball history when he inked a 10-year, $252 million deal with the Texas Rangers. He arguably proved he was worth every penny, leading the American League in home runs for three consecutive years and winning the MVP award in 2003, but the team around him never took off like he’d hoped. Following the 2003 season, he was traded to the New York Yankees, even agreeing to move to third base so the club’s popular shortstop, Derek Jeter, could stay at his primary position.
In New York, Rodriguez continued to post big numbers. He won another MVP award in 2005 after hitting .321 with 48 home runs, and delivered a monster season for the ages in 2007, topping the Majors with 54 homers, 156 RBIs and 143 runs to snag a third MVP trophy. That same year, on August 4, at age 32, he became the youngest player to hit 500 career home runs.
For all his talent, Rodriguez struggled to win over the tough New York fans, and even drew criticism from teammates. For years he was dogged by an inability to come up clutch in the postseason. On that front, Rodriguez silenced some of his critics when his bat caught fire and he slugged the Yankees to a World Series championship in 2009.
Rodriguez appeared destined to go down in baseball history as one of the game’s most prolific offensive players. In 2010, he became the seventh player in Major League history to hit 600 career home runs. Two years later, in June 2012, he tied Yankee legend Lou Gehrig’s record of 23rd grand slams. His 25 career slams still rank first all-time.
However, the talk soon shifted to his activity behind the scenes.
PED Controversy and Suspension
Although Rodriguez previously denied rumors—including during a now infamous 2007 interview with journalist Katie Couric—his reputation took a hit before the start of the 2009 season when he admitted to taking steroids earlier in his career, raising questions about the validity of his numbers.
The star slugger found himself under fire again in early 2013. Already on the disabled list after hip surgery, he faced new allegations of using performance-enhancing drugs. These claims surfaced in a New Miami Times article published in late January. The news report linked Rodriguez to a Florida clinic run by Dr. Anthony “Tony” Bosch, who reportedly supplied banned substances to Rodriguez and several other athletes.
After the story ran, it appeared that Rodriguez’s days with the New York Yankees were numbered. ESPN and the New York Daily News printed articles stating the Yankees were seeking a way to end their contract with Rodriguez.
Rodriguez initially denied any connection to Bosch or his Biogenesis clinic. However, continued investigations painted a bleak outlook, with reports surfacing that MLB had proof of his transactions with Bosch. In anticipation of an announcement, Rodriguez’s representatives attempted to negotiate a settlement with MLB that would spare him a lifetime ban.
On August 5, 2013, Rodriguez got the news he had been dreading: The league’s commissioner, Bud Selig, announced in a statement that Rodriguez was suspended for 211 games without pay, a period that would cover the remainder of the 2013 season and the entire 2014 season. Rodriguez appealed his suspension on August 7—he was allowed to play while the suspension was being appealed—with the arbitration hearing scheduled for September 30.
Rodriguez filed two lawsuits in relation to his athletic career soon after beginning his appeal. On October 3, 2013, he filed a lawsuit against MLB and Selig, alleging that they “engaged in tortious and egregious conduct with one and only one goal ... to destroy the reputation and career of Alex Rodriguez.” The following day, Rodriguez also filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against Dr. Christopher Ahmad—a Yankees team physician—and the New York Presbyterian Hospital.
On January 11, 2014, MLB arbitrator Fredric Horowitz ruled that Rodriguez was to remain suspended for the 2014 regular season, amounting to a reduced suspension of 162 games in total. In response, Rodriguez filed yet another lawsuit against Horowitz and the players union to overturn his suspension. Rodriguez claimed that Horowitz “refused to entertain evidence that was pertinent and material to the outcome of the arbitration,” and that the union failed in its “duty of fair representation.”
In yet another twist to the case, in early November of 2014, The Miami Herald reported that Rodriguez had actually admitted to federal agents that he used performance-enhancing drugs from 2010-12, after being granted immunity from prosecutors during a drug investigation.
Final Seasons and Retirement
With the beleaguered star’s suspension complete, Rodriguez began seeking to mend fences with both the new MLB commissioner, Rob Manfred, and his employers in the Yankees organization.
Rodriguez’s return to the Yankees dominated media coverage during 2015 spring training, but eventually the focus turned to his rejuvenated form. On May 7, Rodriguez slugged career home run No. 661 to pass the great Willie Mays for fourth all-time. Albert Pujols eventually passed Rodriguez in 2022, moving him down to fifth.
More milestone moments followed, as Rodriguez became just the second player at the time to compile 2,000 career RBIs and the 29th to collect 3,000 hits. Although he slowed down over the final two months of the season, he finished with 33 homers and 86 RBIs, his highest totals in years.
However, the stumble to the finish line turned out to be an omen for things to come, as Rodriguez never got on track during the 2016 season. With his numbers sagging and the Yankees giving preference to younger players, many wondered whether the team would simply release him. The answer came in press conference on August 7, in which Rodriguez announced that he would play his last game on August 12, after which he would be released as a player and slide into his new role as a special adviser to the team.
Following a brief pregame ceremony on August 12, Rodriguez donned the Yankee pinstripes for one final time as a player, contributing an RBI double in the first inning to help his team win. While he never reached the record-shattering heights that once seemed attainable, the slugger still finished with numbers that rank among the best ever in several categories, including home runs (696), RBIs (2,086), hits (3,115) and runs (2,021). Along with his three MVP awards, he won two Gold Gloves for his fielding prowess and was selected for 14 all-star games.
Hall of Fame Candidacy and Voting
Despite his eye-popping career totals, Rodriguez is yet to be voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame as of November 2025. Rodriguez’s omission is believed to be a result of his admitted PED use, with voters unsure how to measure his accomplishments against those of other players.
In four years of eligibility, Rodriguez has only managed to eclipse 37 percent of total votes for induction. The minimum threshold is 75 percent, and Rodriguez has another six years on the ballot.
Career Stats
At the height of his career, Rodriguez was one of baseball’s best five-tool players—combining contact hitting, speed, and defensive ability with his power at the plate. The infielder stole 20 or more bases six times and regularly hit at or around the .300 mark.
Here is a summary of Rodriguez’s stats, according to Baseball Reference, along with notable career MLB ranking:
- Games played: 2,784
- Plate appearances: 12,207
- Batting average: .295
- Hits: 3,115
- Home runs: 696 (fifth)
- Grand slams: 25 (MLB record)
- RBIs: 2,086 (fourth)
- Walks: 1,338
- Runs scored: 2,021 (eighth)
- Stolen bases: 329
- Strikeouts: 2,287 (fifth)
- Fielding errors: 235
Broadcasting Career and TV Appearances
After hanging up his spikes, Rodriguez moved to the broadcasting booth to become an analyst, drawing praise for his insight and ability to relate his extensive baseball knowledge to viewers.
As of 2025, Rodriguez works as a studio analyst for Fox Sports. Working alongside his former teammate Jeter, ex-Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz, and host Kevin Burkhardt, Rodriguez helped the network’s postseason coverage win back-to-back Emmy Awards.
Rodriguez has also appeared as a panelist and investor on the reality show Shark Tank and a financial adviser to struggling athletes for the short-lived CNBC series Back in the Game.
Debuting on HBO Max in November 2025, Rodriguez offers new commentary about his life and career in the three-part docuseries Alex vs. ARod.
Girlfriends and Ex-Wife
Rodriguez is currently dating fitness instructor Jaclyn Cordeiro. The pair confirmed their relationship through an Instagram post in December 2022.
Cordeiro, 45, helped the slugger overhaul his health routine, including intermittent fasting and exercise changes. Rodriguez previously revealed he lost more than 30 pounds because of the changes. “She’s been a good influence with me. I’ve been working hard and trying to stay in shape, and continuing to try to copy some of her great work ethic and health and wellness practices,” he told the New York Post in 2024.
Rodriguez was married to Cynthia Scurtis from 2002 through 2008. The pair share two children: daughters Natasha (born in 2004) and Ella (2008).
Following their split, Rodriguez became known for a series of high-profile girlfriends, reportedly including reality star Bethenny Frankel and actors Kate Hudson and Cameron Diaz. In 2019, the baseball star became engaged to Jennifer Lopez. However, they announced their breakup in April 2021.
Net Worth
Celebrity Net Worth estimates Rodriguez’s total fortune at around $350 million as of November 2025. He built this total largely through his baseball salary, which reached almost $475 million by the time of his retirement.
Rodriguez is also a co-owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves NBA franchise.
Quotes
- I saw how passionate he was about the game, how closely he paid attention to it. That rubbed off on me.[On being inspired at a young age by his father, a former pro baseball catcher.]
- Winners live in the present tense. People who come up short are consumed with future or past. I want to be living in the now.
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