Alex Rodriguez Exclusive: Making Hall of Fame ‘Incredibly Important’ To Me

New York Yankees great Alex Rodriguez says it would be a “lie” if he said he didn’t care about making it to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The 49-year-old was arguably the best hitter of his generation, winning three MVP’s while leading the league in home runs on five different occasions. In fact, Rodriguez had the most home runs, RBI’s and runs of any player during the decade of the 2000’s.

For those who witnessed Rodriguez’s entire career, they remember that he was one of the most feared hitters who had a prime that lasted from his first full season in 1996 at the age of 21 into the end of the 2000’s.

However, his legacy took a hit when he was suspended for the 2014 season after violating the league’s PED policy in the Biogenesis baseball scandal. He had previously admitted to using steroids as a member of the Texas Rangers between the 2001 and 2003 seasons.

That has undoubtedly affected Rodriguez’s chances of making it to the Baseball Hall of Fame, where voters are well-known for being the strictest gatekeepers when it comes to inductees. Despite his dominance on the baseball diamond for nearly two decades, Rodriguez has never received more than 37.1% of the vote since debuting on the ballot in 2022.

For perspective, you need at least 75% of the vote to be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

“It’s incredibly important (to make the Hall of Fame),” Rodriguez told Sportscasting in an exclusive interview. “If I told you that I didn’t care, that would be a complete lie. Of course, I’m a human being. 

“I played for almost 25 years and did some pretty special things, but also at the same time, I had some special challenges as well. You hope for the best. That’s all I can do. I’ve taken my last swing and thrown my last ball.”

A-Rod: Ichiro An Incredible ‘Ambassador’ For Baseball

While it’s out of Rodriguez’s hands on whether or not he’ll one day make it into the Baseball Hall of Fame, one thing that is for certain is that his former Yankees teammates, Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia are both going into Cooperstown in July.

Suzuki received 393 of 394 votes to get into the Hall of Fame (99.7%), the second-highest percentage in history. There’s only been one unanimous selection in history.

Meanwhile, Sabathia was a key member of the 2009 World Series squad, Rodriguez’s lone championship from his playing career.

 ”Ichiro and CC are two great friends,” says Rodriguez. “Obviously, CC and I were able to collectively win a championship in 2009 for the Yankees and I couldn’t be more proud of both those guys. Not only the Hall of Fame players, but the amount of work that Ichiro is doing for the players with the Mariners today. He is just a complete missionary that loves the game of baseball, an ambassador.

“CC’s working for Rob Manfred, he works for the Yankees,” Rodriguez continues to say. “What a tremendous story and what a family guy. I love those guys like brothers and I couldn’t be more proud of them.” 

Rodriguez acknowledges that if he doesn’t get into the Baseball Hall of Fame, it’s something he’ll have to “deal with.” 

“As far as for me, I think my story’s been told,” says Rodriguez. “Hopefully one day’s an opportunity to get in and if not, I have to move on and deal with it.”

Considering voters’ stigma against players who have admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs — or guys who have been rumored to use it — it’s hard to imagine Rodriguez getting in. Other greats from his era such as Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, two of the greatest players along with Rodriguez in recent decades, also remain out of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Regardless, it doesn’t take away from Rodriguez’s legacy and the fact that he’s one of the greatest hitters in MLB history. Time will tell if voters eventually acknowledge that and vote the three-time MVP into the Hall of Fame.