Has the stats, but not when it counts.

Best Looking maybe

yankees? come on..boo!

A-Rod is a great player, no question. I'll go ahead and rate him as "Great" even though I'm sure that Yankees fans are waiting to see him produce in the post-season before bestowing that title upon him.

Just call him, "A-Hole"

will have 800+ homers if he averages just 30 homers a year for the remainder of his contract with the yankees. even if he weren't a sure thing in the field, that is just mind-boggling.

An opera diva disguised as a pro ballplayer- but one cannot deny his talent. . .serious HOF credentials will be there at the end of his career. . .if he looked in the mirror less his legacy would be greater. . .still, you could make the argument that he was the ballplayer of this generation. . .

I know people don't like him...he is arrogant, but he is a good player, or at least was.

MVP numbers every year. He can do no wrong.

He is too expensive. Signing him to a contract would be like getting a hooker - you give him all your money, and he will make you happy, but he leaves your clubhouse diseased.

Future home run champ...

A-Rod is a beast, i personally dont like the yankees though but who does?

Another guy that I reviewed back in December 2003, that I've somewhat rethought. The original review is appended at the end.

While it is clear that he can be a potent offensive force, and is no liability with the leather, it seems to me that there are strong signs this guy is a cancer in the clubhouse. The Rangers and Mariners both got better after he left, and the Yankee's certainly didn't improve dramatically when he came.

As a shortstop he was arguably the best at his position when he played (although I would have put him a close third)

As a third basemen, he's top third of the pack.


ORIGINAL REVIEW

I'm not one to make a fuss about the amount of money any athlete makes, but this guy's behaviour has always irritated me a touch.

Asking to have the fences moved in when he went to Texas seemed a trifle much. Given the fact that he had just stuck his hand about eight inches up the Golden Gooses ass, they should have moved them out.

As one of the three top shortstops of this era, it is impossible to look at Rodriguez without comparing him to Jeter and Garciaparra. Well here is my contribution to that debate. I would take Jeter or Garciaparra on the basepaths, Garciaparra or Jeter with the leather on, Garciaparra or Jeter throwing, Jeter or Garciaparra in the dugout, Garciaparra or Jeter in the clubhouse, and Rodriguez only with the wood in his hand. And Derek and Nomar can hit a little too.

Never the same since moving to 3rd. Looks about as comfortable in New York as a pacifist at an Ollie North hoedown. Bar none is currently the most overpaid, underachieving player in all of sports and as someone else said he is NOT the person you want at the plate with runners on, down by a run in the bottom of the ninth. Has a legion of fans who regularly beat on him, in many cases unfairly so. Regardless, he has the $250,000,000.00 and you don't. Who would you rather be?

Hes a good player but I dont really know if I can trust this guy. Everything he says/does seems scripted. And he just aint a clutch player. Great regular season stats but can he give ya that clutch hit in a tight playoff game??

Good player but is he worth $25 million per year?

One word to describe arod......amazing. This guy switched from shortstop to third and did it without any trouble. Should win the mvp this year and possibly a gold glove. I can only think of one other guy who moved from short to third and his name was ripken. That's pretty good company if you ask me. The guy plays hard everyday and can change a game with one swing of the bat.

Good hitter, but is he light in the loafers or ???

Alex Rodriguez will finish his career as one of the best players to ever step onto a ball diamond. He can do it all. He's got amazing power and can also hit for average. He can steal a base when his team needs it and his defense is actually underrated. Perennial MVP candidate.

A great shortstop who was forced to 3rd base by the no talent hack Derek Jeter. Luckily for the Yankees that A-Rod transferred his skills over to third with him. And thanks to him, the Yankees are now a dominating, Red Sox destroying team!

A-Rod is a great 3B.

A Rod has not been able to handle the pressure of playing in NY. He has been struggling and has yet to truly earn his fat bucks!

I think that you are a very good Baseball player..actually one of the best ones...well you and Derek Jeter!...So you had a shaky season in 2004...so what? You know I've read a lot of books on you, and know a lot, and know that you can do well on the Yankees and that you derserve to be on the Yankees no matter what people say. You just got to belive and you got me to belive in you, too!

Alex Rodriguez is one of the best players that are/ever played standing next to Mickey Mantle,Babe Ruth,Roger Maris, and Derek Jeter. I think that everybody who says he just wants a ring and he's only playing for the money....are wrong!Of course he wants a ring (wouldn't you?)And he is like the best baseball player(right now), wouldnt you pay him a lot?!

A very good shortstop, offensivly. Defense is another story, he's average defensivly , but definetly not as good as Omar Vizquel in the field.

Stellar, but Enigmatic. The most productive shortstop in baseball history in terms of batting. 57 homers in a season by a freakin' shortstop -- give me a break. A legitimate shot at 700 homers. Now the enigmatic part, A-ROD leaves Seattle and the Mariners win 116 games. A-ROD leaves Texas and the Rangers go from doormat to contender. A-ROD goes to the Yankees and they commit the BIGGEST CHOKE IN SPORTS HISTORY. It defies logic that a team would improve with the departure of his potent bat, but the acquiring ballclub regresses.

Is it time for Yankee fans to turn ugly on this guy yet? No, I mean really ugly. When you buy the best all around player in the game, you buy a guy who ought to be able to hit his weight. When you plug a guy into a stronger hitting line-up, his average (and power ratings) should go up, not down, not into the toilet. No more excuses, no more allowances about how tough it is to learn a new defensive position, to go to New York and play, blah, blah, blah. Bring a friggin' bat to work with you and start producing. This guy should be competing for the Triple Crown, not struggling to stay above .265 with the manager thinking: hmm, down one run, runner at first, nobody out. Do you bunt Rodriguez? Start producing or go back to Texas. Or Seattle.

How do you like a guy that needs to have more than 25 million a year( he went to the Yanks for a ring)?

Ok, so he had a shakey season in 2004, but who wouldn't after moving from Texas to New York. Everybody was watching him like hawks. And plus, he had to adjust from shortstop to third base. I think he's gonna start focusing on his hitting this year and prove to us Yankee fans why he deserves all this cash George is giving him.

Alex is a wonderful baseball player and he is good with the yankees.

Probably the best all-around player in the game today. a superb Shortstop(i dont care what he plays now), and a batter who hits for average and power. forget Bonds, A-Rod has a good shot at crossing the 800 homer run marker before he retires. that's Oh territory for you followers of the International game.

Sorry. . . he's WAY too overrated.

Nice girlie slap, you overrated homo.

The most overrated and over paid player of all time. Well maybe not MOST overrated but definately the most over paid.

Good player. Hits home runs. Perfect guy for a winning team like the Yankees. But his salary honestly is ridiculous in my opinion.

Over-rated! Over Paid!!!

Some rich people use their money wisely, and become better people for it. Not this guy, it seems. After taking all the money the Rangers could offer so he could stay close to home in Texas, he jumped at the Yankers' best offer. Once I saw him punch the ball out of the Red Sox first baseman during this year's playoffs, I decided on a much better nickname for him, A-Hole.

Excellent hitter!

why u think he makes so much money? cause hes the best player out there today

Of course a good player but his money issues have hurt baseball.

4 Stars only because I'm tired of hearing how fantastic he is. He left the Mariners, they got better. He left the Rangers, they got better. He has not won anything but individual awards and not had ONE significant at bat in the last 4 years, but people crown him the second coming. He's just a baseball version of T-Mac, or Vince Carter except he's on a winning team.

Great Player! And is now playing 3rd base like the Gold Glove winner that he is. He's just a great all around talent and is the 2nd best player in baseball after Barry Bonds. Makes a lot of $$$$, which I think no athlete in the world should make that much. He is also a nice guy and plays hard everyday.

I hope he's happy with his new team. In fact, I wish him the same ammount of success that I would any Yankee. Which is NONE.

Granted he does make a ridiculous amount of money, but he puts up ridiculous numbers too. His stats are just flat out sick! And if all goes well for him, baseball's all-time HR king might end up being a shortstop?!? Presently, the only down-side to him is playing for the Rangers, but if I was offered a quarter of a billion dollars to play a game I love, you would be stupid not to take it.

Alex Rodriguez is a class act. He deserves a better team, but not that exorbitant salary.

Alex is way overpaid for someone who swings a piece of wood at a ball for a living. Teachers, Police Officers and Firemen should be making more than Alex Rodriguez. Most of these professional athletes are paid to much anyway.

Great player ,Great numbers but bot did he make the wrong decision.He will be remember more for what he was payed then what he did.In winless Texas.

He's great; plain and simple.

A-Rod is the best shortstop in the majors.

Best player in the AL, probably in all of baseball. He can field, hit for power, and hit for average. Too bad the Rangers stink, he would have won the MVP last season.

Please, this isn't even close. Argue that he is overpaid (who isn't on this list), but this guy will be remembered as one of the 3 greatest players of all time when he hangs 'em up. Nomar? Please!

Lets do some math. Moneysucker + bigshot + some talent = Arod. Fine he got the money, but at least let him show he's worth it.

Great all-around player. He combines speed, average and power so well it's almost a crime. Not worth his contract, but who can honestly say that they wouldn't want his paycheck?

Alex is the best hitting shortstop in the game, but in 2000 and 2001 he has more errors then omar vizquel has made in the last 5 seasons, just like manny it takes more then just hitting to be one of top all around players in the game

I have been a HUGE fan of A-ROD'S for years. I think he is the best shortstop in the league today{as well as derek jeter}. I think its great that he is getting paid that much money for something he loves doing. He's sexy and young - give him a break and stop hatin'. I will never stop liking A-ROD regardless of how much he gets paid-and he is DEFINATLY worth going to watch. Rock on Alex!!!! I am A-ROD'S number 1 fan - forever and always

Great player and all but still, is anybody really worth that much money??? He should give at least some of it to charity.

Alex is the best player in the game. The stuff he said about Jeter was taken out of context. Alex is one of the few good guys in sports and now that he's making all this money people are looking for a reason to criticize him.

I THINK AROD IS THE BEST SHORTSTOP IN THE MLB. OF, COARSE I DON'T HAVE TO TELL YOU THIS. PEOPLE THINK CUZ OF THE MONEY HE'S MAKING NOW THAT HE SHOULD IMPROVE. HE'S ONLY HUMAN FOR GOD SAKES. BUT I'M SURE HE'LL DO WHAT HE HAS ALWAYS HAVE. GO OUT AND GIVE 110% i think he's got a better chance of going to a world series with a texas uniform on. people talk about how good derek jeter is and about all his world series rings and I'm not saying he isn't, but if it wasan't for the team he's got behind him he wouldn't have any of them.That's my opinion.

Alex is a great baseball player. He must be worth all that money considering that Texas accually gave him the offer. If he wasnt worth it then why would they give it to him? Yeah i do love seeing him in my home town (Seattle) but its good that hes going to another team. He can just see how much hes gonna miss it here. Besides, not like I cant see him when he plays here(Apr. 16,17,&18) and when hes on ESPN! Over all hes still all that!!

VERY TALENTED JUST HOPE HE DOESNT GET BETTER THEN NOMAR!! Even though he is very talented i do believe he is a little over payed!

Alex is a great shortstop and a great person. He may not be worth that much money but nobody is and there is not a single person on this planet who would turn down an offer like that. I wouldn't and I know you wouldn't. Cut the guy some slack he is only human after all. I am actully looking forward to seeing A-Rod in a Ranger uniform and he knows that signing such a big contract that the pressure is on him to do even better than he has been. I think he will have an awsome year. Go A-Rod!

He's good. I'm not going to say he's not, but he seems a little too snobby. But people aren't reading this to know about what I think about his personality, they want to know how he plays the game. His bat is nothing short of spectacular! His glove is up there too. He is 25 and among the 3 best shortstops in MLB today. (Derek Jeter and Nomar Garciaparra being the other 2)It just shows how much talent young athletes have. Rodriguez at 25 has set the stage for a very strong baseball career. Jeter at 26 has won 4 World Series, All Star MVP, Rookie of the Year, and World Series MVP. Garciaparra at 27, has won Rookie of the Year and been an all star. Rodriguez has the best bat, and probably always will.

No man is worth $47.95 a second for the next ten years. This takes away from sports. The fan must pay at the box office for these jocks to spit and scratch the crouch.

he is really fine and i hope that he doesnt leave the marinerns

The best position player in the game. He hits for power, hits for average, and fields his position flawlessly. Besides his physical gifts, he is by all accounts a pretty down to earth guy who would be a good influence on any clubhouse. All this, and he's 25 - could there be any better player to build a franchise around?

The only reason that i think Alex is terrible is because, when he went to my school as a guest appearence he seemed like