New York Yankees: Does Alex Rodriguez have a place in Monument Park?

New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner left open the possibility of Alex Rodriguez one day being enshrined in Yankee Stadium’s Monument Park. Does the controversial star belong there?

Alex Rodriguez‘s major league career has featured an endless series of twists and turns. The latest wrinkle is the end to his playing days with the New York Yankees, which will reach their conclusion after their game on Friday, May 12. At that point, he will transition into a special instructor and advisory role with the club.

What lies further down the road is anyone’s guess. Could A-Rod one day be immortalized in Yankee Stadium’s Monument Park? Not long ago the idea would have seemed absolutely ludicrous, but according to team owner Hal Steinbrenner, it could happen.

Appearing on ESPN Radio’s The Michael Kay Show on Monday, Steinbrenner was asked if Rodriguez might ever receive that most hallowed of pinstriped honors. He replied,

"“That is a bridge to cross when I come to it. But he has done a lot for this organization and it hasn’t just been on the field. I’m talking about players way back, like [Robinson] Cano. He was a mentor, too. He has done a lot for this organization on the field, but also off the field that a lot of people don’t know about. He has been a great leader and he’s been a great mentor.”"

Is the idea that far-fetched? From a numbers and achievements standpoint, A-Rod has a highly compelling case. He earned his third MVP award in 2007 while with the Yanks after posting some truly eye-popping numbers: a .314/.422/.645 slash line, 54 home runs, 156 RBI, 143 runs scored, a 176 OPS+ and a 9.4 WAR. He hit .365 with six homers and 18 RBI during the 2009 postseason to help steer the Bronx Bombers to a World Series title.

His 351 homers as a Yankee rank sixth all-time for the franchise. His 1,094 RBI are good for 11th, and a .925 OPS places him seventh. The names he finds himself among in every offensive category are virtually all baseball legends.

But with A-Rod, nothing is ever so simple. As every fan knows, his tenure with the Yankees has been a rocky one, to put it mildly. In February 2009 it was reported that he had tested positive for performance-enhancing substances in 2003 while a member of the Texas Rangers. Rodriguez admitted that he had used PEDs during his time in Texas but had since stopped.

A-Rod sparked controversy again in 2013 when he was implicated in the Biogenesis steroid scandal. He received a season-long ban for his involvement, which he served out in the 2014 campaign, but only after threatening legal action against the league, players union and the Yankees organization. When he arrived at Spring Training the following year, no one knew what to expect, but he exceeded even the most optimistic of projections in belting 33 home runs. To his credit, he was also a model citizen on and off the field.

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The beginnings of Monument Park date back to 1929, when the Yankees erected a monument to commemorate former manager Miller Huggins. Since then, more than 30 additional players, managers, executives, broadcasters and other figures important to the history of the team have been honored with plaques, retired numbers, or (for those who have passed on) monuments. The next player to receive a plaque will be Mariano Rivera, on this Sunday, August 14.

So does Alex Rodriguez belong in the company of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and countless other Yankee greats? If you look through a purely statistical lens, then yes. But in light of his past, we can’t ever truly do that. It’s the same issue that will dog him when he appears on the ballot for election to the Hall of Fame.

Fortunately, when it comes to Monument Park, the Yankees are allowed to be partisan. Andy Pettitte, for instance, admitted to HGH use. That will hurt him out in the general baseball world, but he remains beloved by the Yankee faithful. Last year he had a plaque dedicated and his number retired. Five world championships and 19 career playoff wins can be very persuasive.

A-Rod did play an instrumental role on a title-winning team, but even his most ardent supporters would hesitate to put him on the same tier as the heroes of the late 90s dynasty teams. That’s not necessarily an indictment of him. It’s a bit unfair to expect any player to live up to the legacy of a Rivera or Derek Jeter. That kind of team might never been seen again in the sport.

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If Rodriguez ever does get his own little piece of Monument Park, it likely won’t be for a while. And if his career has demonstrated anything, it’s that public opinions and whims can change quickly and unexpectedly. Who knows how he will be evaluated several years from now. It’s not even out of the question that he could still resume playing for another club, further complicating matters.

As of right now, an A-Rod plaque is a bit hard to imagine. But his journey has been nothing if not unimaginable.