Alex Rodriguez, 2016 New York Yankees, .200/.247/.351
It’s hard to know where to place Alex Rodriguez on a list of most disappointing final seasons because of all of the twists and turns of his career. In his early years with the Seattle Mariners, he seemed to have it all. He was young, attractive, well-spoken, and incredibly talented. His 1996 season looks like something out of a video game: .358/.414/.631 with 141 R, 36 HR, 123 RBI, and 15 SB. He did all this while playing shortstop, which makes those numbers even more amazing.
Then he signed a stunning 10-year, $252 million contract with the Texas Rangers and the demonization of A-Rod began. Fans of the Seattle Mariners hated him for signing that contract (irrationally, I would say, because who could pass up that contract?). For years, when he returned to Seattle he was severely booed. Early on, fans would throw dollar bills from the upper levels when A-Rod came to bat. If a Mariner pitcher struck him out, the fans would cheer passionately.
A-Rod played three years in Texas and hit .305/.395/.615 with 156 home runs. He was the AL MVP in 2003 and runner-up in 2002. He was about as good as a free agent can be, but the team wasn’t, as they finished in last place all three years he was with them. Before the 2004 season, he was traded to the Yankees for Alfonso Soriano and Joaquin Arias. Now, two fanbases hated A-Rod.
A-Rod’s time with the Yankees has been a roller-coaster. He infamously slapped Bronson Arroyo’s glove in Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS, which earned him ridicule across the country.
He was demoted to eighth in the batting order in the 2006 playoffs against Detroit. In 2007, he yelled, “Ha, I got it!” as he ran from second to third to distract the Blue Jays infielders.
After being a big part of the Yankees 2009 World Series team, A-Rod was benched twice in the 2012 AL playoffs by Joe Girardi. He was constantly in the gossip pages in New York and dated a string of celebrities. After meeting with MLB officials during hearings on the Biogenesis situation, A-Rod had an angry, bitter appearance on WFAN radio. He would eventually file multiple lawsuits against MLB and Yankees team officials, all of which he would later drop. He ended up being suspended for the entire 2014 season. By this time, he had replaced the retired Barry Bonds as baseball’s biggest villain.
A-Rod came back in 2015 and tried to salvage his reputation. He had a good season at the age of 39, when he hit .250/.356/.485, but there was a stark difference between the first four months of the season—.282/.386/.544—and the final two months of the season: .191/.300/.377. The Yankees made the playoffs but lost the one-game wild card contest.
Heading into this season, there was still hope that A-Rod could be productive over the final two years of his contract. He needed 13 home runs to reach 700 and 27 to reach Babe Ruth’s 714. Those hopes never materialized. A-Rod hit .185/.274/.400 in April, then went on the DL in early May. He came back on May 26, but continued to struggle.
When the Yankees traded away Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller, and Carlos Beltran before the trade deadline, it looked like the handwriting was on the wall. Mark Teixeira announced he would retire at the end of the year. A-Rod was the next domino to fall. It was announced that he would play his last game on Friday, August 12. He was 1-for-4 with an RBI in that game and was then released by the Yankees. He finished his career with the Yankees still four home runs short of 700 and 18 away from the Babe.
Next: Yanks' Sabathia's Legacy
If you’re a fan of A-Rod, this was a very disappointing final season. Of course, there are many baseball fans who are not fans of A-Rod. Those fans are probably delighted that it ended like this. It all depends on your point of view whether A-Rod’s 2016 season was one of the most disappointing final seasons in MLB history or a well-deserved ending for one of baseball’s most despised players.