The physical toll an entire regular season of baseball takes on any given player is astronomical. Fatigue eventually begins to set in, and muscles give out, and that is something former New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez experienced in 2016. After 22 years as a Major League player, Rodriguez finished his final season with a .200 batting average, nine home runs, and just 31 RBIs. This was over 225 at-bats, having posted 523 the year before in 2015.
Rodriguez launch 33 homers and logged 86 RBIs that season at 39 years old, ranking 28th and MVP voting. However, Rodriguez could be considering a come back to baseball, but who knows if it is as a player. He recently posted a video in the batting cage with cryptic wording, stating that baseball was his first love. Maybe it is time to focus in on Jennifer Lopez as his only love at this point.
However, Mike Tyson is training to return to the ring at 60 years old; Rodriguez could be thinking the same thing. Why not give it a try if he’s physically in shape and capable of hitting a 99 mph fastball.
The hashtags in the post are the real identifiers, as he finished his career with 696 home runs, just four shy of being the fourth player in MLB history to reach 700 homers. Now, the PED suspensions and allegations will take a toll on his legacy, but so many players took performance-enhancing drugs throughout their career, notably Barry Bonds and even Roger Clemens.
If A-Rod is actually considering a return, he might be able to cash in on an international deal.
While a return is unlikely, it is something fun and exciting to think about during the quarantine. With baseball on the fringe of return, we can begin to get excited about the idea of sitting on our respective couches and enjoying the beautiful game, with or without A-Rod.