RealGM Baseball: Classics - A-Rod's First Summer In Texas

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A-Rod's First Summer In Texas

10th February, 2009 - 12:17 am

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Alex Rodriguez did not give exact dates in his interview with ESPN for when he began to use steroids or when he stopped, but gave a clear, albeit vague, window of 2001-2003, his entire tenure with the Rangers.

Rodriguez hit 52 homers in 2001, 57 in 2002 and then dropped to 47 in 2003, which is when he had the apparent epiphany during spring training. He hit 36 homers in his first year in New York, which makes his claimed stoppage believable.

Before arriving in Texas, Rodriguez previously hit 42 in 1998, 42 in 1999 and 41 in 2000 and at the time the increases in home run production and slugging seemed to be a natural combination of physical maturing and the benefit of playing in extremely hitter friendly Texas.

It seems clear that using steroids was triggered for Barry Bonds when he got jealous at Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa in ?98.

In the ESPN interview, Rodriguez mentioned the grueling conditions of playing in the Texas summer and that may very well be when the PED usage began.

Assuming Rodriguez is telling the truth about not beginning his steroid use until arriving in Texas with the pressures of the richest contract in sports, examining Rodriguez's splits for 2001 could prove revealing.

He had seven homers in April, 10 in May and then had just six each in June and July before hitting 11 in August and 11 (in only 86 at bats) in September. He slugged .547 and .544 in those first two summer months before slugging .655 in August and .779 in September.

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