When Alex Rodriquez left his original team, the Mariners, and signed on as a free agent with the Texas Rangers for the 2001 season, he became not only the highest-paid baseball player ever, but the highest-paid athlete in any sport! If you believe in the saying, "You get what you pay for,"he must be a phenomenal player. Alex sat down with us during his first season with the Rangers to discuss his involvement in baseball to this point.

Good news! Junior Baseball still has print versions of the May/June 2001 issue. Grab this hot collector's item in the back issue section of our online store.

JrBB: How old were you when you started playing baseball?

AR: I started when I was 4 years old. When I was 6, I started playing Khoury League baseball, sponsored by the Boys Club in Coconut Grove (Miami). I’ve always been close with the league, and I donated $25,000 to it. I have fond memories, and I think back about those days all the time.

JB: Were you always a shortstop?

AR: I was a shortstop all my life. Sometimes I caught because my best friend, who played for the University of Miami, threw too fast and no one else could catch him. I was the only guy willing to go back there and try to stop the ball. As a player, from Khoury League on, fielding was my strength. Hitting came as a bonus to me. I’ve always been a good fielder.

JB: What are your best memories of playing youth baseball?

AR: I was 11. We went on a national tour in PONY League. We went to Tampa, Orlando, New Orleans, and San Francisco for the World Series. We lost the first game, but we won 25-1 in the second game..

JrBB: You made headlines with your hitting. At what age did that develop?

AR: I was very weak at first. My birthday’s in the summer, so I always had to play with kids older than I was. I always missed the cut. That (age difference) is huge. So my strength wasn’t really developed. I was very lanky and skinny, and I didn’t have the bat speed to compete at that level. But because I was good at defense, I always started. I either hit No. 1 or No. 9. Finally, when I was a sophomore in high school (Westminster Christian, Miami), I went to the U.S. Junior Olympic team. That was a huge boost of confidence for me. To be able to compete at the international level was a significant factor in my life. I knew I had a chance to play in the majors someday. I began to lift weights and started to develop, and finally I had a chance to play with kids my own age. Then I started dominating. I was a .450 high school hitter.

JB: Would you advise youth league players to work on their fielding or hitting first?

AR: To play in the big leagues, you’ve got to field. Everybody talks about hitting. But if you can’t field, you can’t play Major League Baseball. For the most part, fielding is overlooked.

JB: What’s the best way to learn the strike zone as a young hitter?

AR: So many kids don’t know what bat to use, don’t know the strike zone and are over aggressive. It’s hard when you play just once or twice a week. In a nutshell, once you step into the batting cage, your first 15 or 20 swings should go the other way. You should really try to stay inside the ball and hit it hard the other way. And when you have two strikes, you should try to make an adjustment. I choke up two inches on the bat in that situation. People think it’s funny, but I’m confident I can make contact on every pitch. I have a little more bat control and I cut down on my swing. Two strikes, you just try to stroke the ball. It’s better than striking out!

JB: JrBB: Should kids concentrate on baseball or play all sports?

AR: I would encourage kids to play every sport. Football has helped my baseball skills and so has basketball. You have to keep your mind out there. You don’t want to focus on baseball too much, too early. Play every sport, enjoy them, and get the most out of your athletic abilities. Football, for instance, gives you mental toughness. Too many parents over-push kids (in one sport), so the kids rebel.

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