Tracking A-Rod's chase up the all-time leaderboards
Though a decision is far from official, Alex Rodriguez indicated Wednesday that his career will likely come to a close when his contract with the New York Yankees expires at the end of the 2017 season.
One of the most talented and heavily scrutinized players in Major League Baseball history, Rodriguez became the 29th player all time to reach 3,000 hits last season, and is poised to vault up a number of leaderboards should he finish his career healthy.
Here's a look at where Rodriguez ranks entering this season, and where he's projected to finish should he call it a career in two years. For in-depth analysis of A-Rod's fantasy value, here's our spotlight on his outlook for this season.
Home Runs
| Rank | Player | HR | Back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barry Bonds | 762 | 75 |
| 2 | Hank Aaron | 755 | 68 |
| 3 | Babe Ruth | 714 | 27 |
| 4 | Alex Rodriguez | 687 | -- |
2015: 33
2016*: 22
2017*: 15
Projected finish: 724 HR (third all time)
Following a one-year suspension, a rejuvenated Rodriguez recorded his highest home run tally since 2008 last season. Throughout his career, A-Rod's averaged 40 homers when receiving at least 500 at-bats, while never hitting less than 23. Rodriguez will turn 41 in July. Bonds hit a combined 54 homers in his age 41 and 42 seasons, while Aaron clubbed 22. Ruth retired at age 40. Catching the all-time record won't be easy, and it will be interesting to see how committed Rodriguez is to retiring should he be within striking distance following the 2017 season.
RBIs
| Rank | Player | RBI | Back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hank Aaron | 2237 | 182 |
| 2 | Babe Ruth | 2214 | 159 |
| 3 | Cap Anson | 2075 | 20 |
| 4 | Alex Rodriguez | 2055 | -- |
2015: 86
2016*: 75
2017*: 50
Projected finish: 2180 (third all time)
Manager Joe Girardi batted A-Rod almost exclusively third last season, and he should have plenty of opportunity to drive in runs should speedsters Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner stay healthy. Rodriguez will need to replicate last year's success twice more in order to catch Ruth - a tall order which will likely leave him settling for third.
Runs scored
| Rank | Player | RS | Back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rickey Henderson | 2295 | 293 |
| 4 | Babe Ruth | 2174 | 172 |
| 4 | Hank Aaron | 2174 | 172 |
| 6 | Pete Rose | 2165 | 163 |
| 7 | Willie Mays | 2062 | 60 |
| 8 | Alex Rodriguez | 2002 | -- |
2015: 83
2016*: 71
2017*: 55
Projected finish: 2128 (seventh all time)
Though his batting average sat at .250 last season, Rodriguez still managed a team-leading .356 on-base percentage. Should he continue to get on base - and have Mark Teixiera healthy and hitting behind him - Rodriguez should pass Mays without any issue. Moving up any higher than seventh, however, appears unlikely.
Hits
| Rank | Player | H | Back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pete Rose | 4256 | 1186 |
| 18 | Robin Yount | 3142 | 72 |
| 19 | Tony Gwynn | 3141 | 71 |
| 20 | Dave Winfield | 3110 | 40 |
| 21 | Alex Rodriguez | 3070 | -- |
2015: 131
2016*: 123
2017*: 85
Projected finish: 3278 (13th all-time)
There's still plenty of room to climb the all-time list and pass names like Tony Gwynn, George Brett, and Cal Ripken. Rodriguez will need 249 hits to crack the top 10, joining Hank Aaron as the only two players in history to reach the top 10 in hits and top five in home runs.
*projections courtesy Baseball Prospectus