A new standard

Sporting News, The, Oct 14, 1996 by Rob Rains

Before the season, Mariners manager Lou Piniella established what he thought were reasonable goals for shortstop Alex Rodriguez's first full season in the majors: hit .275 to .280, with 15 homers and 70 to 75 RBIs. But others thought those goals were unrealistic for a young, developing player. A spring prediction he would hit .250 so upset Rodriguez that he put the article in a folder and saved it as a reminder throughout the season.

What transpired instead was a season even Rodriguez couldn't have expected in his wildest dreams, a season that will go down in history as one of the beast any player. Forget the fact he didn't celebrate his 21st birthday until the year was half over. Forget the fact the 6-3, 195-pound Rodriguez is a shortstop, a position where offensive production sometimes is an afterthought. Forget the fact that in addition to his tremendous talent, this is a young man with respect for the game and an appreciation of the veterans who play with and against him.

Consider the results of what he did on the field, and it's easy to understand why Rodriguez was an overwhelming choice by fellow major leaguers as THE SPORTING NEWS Player of the Year, the youngest player to be selected for that honor. He received 260 1/2 of 391 votes--67 percent of the total--and was followed by Ellis Burks (25), Juan Gonzalez (23), Ken Caminiti (16), Albert Belle (12 1/2) and John Smoltz (10).

Rodriguez also won a Hillerich & Bradsby Silver Slugger award, finished second in Rawlings Gold Glove voting and is one of the favorites to be named American League Most Valuable Player.

The list of Rodriguez's accomplishments is long and impressive, including:

* Hit .358 to win the A.L. batting title, becoming the youngest player to do so since Al Kaline hit .340 as a 20-year-old in 1955.

* Became the first shortstop to lead the American League in hitting since Lou Boudreau in 1944.

* Hit 36 home runs and drove in 123 runs. His 54 doubles were the most in the league and most ever by a shortstop.

* His 379 total bases tied the record for a shortstop, established by Ernie Banks in 1958.

* Led the league in runs scored with 141 and was second in hits with 215. His slugging percentage of .631 was the fourth best in the league.

"I'm excited . . . but I'm not really surprised," Rodriguez says. "I have a lot of confidence in my ability."

In a game in which players, owners, umpires--and everybody else involved--seem to do everything possible to alienate fans, it's refreshing for players such as Rodriguez to come onto the scene, showing there is some hope for the next generation. Among the older players who watched in admiration were two retiring shortstops, Ozzie Smith and Alan Trammell.

"Let's be honest," Trammell says, "the year he had could be the best year a shortstop has ever had."

Smith has earned his share of accolades in a Hall of Fame career with the Cardinals, but he can only marvel at what Rodriguez was able to accomplish offensively. Smith points out that in producing such a spectacular season at 21, Rodriguez will quickly encounter the pressure of high expecations.

"When people do great things, greater things are expected," Smith says. "The only way he can go is down. Where else is there to go?"

Rodriguez thinks he can do better than he did this season, and so do other observers. Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette envisions Rodriguez one day making a run at .400 or 60 home runs. Banks expects the same thing.

"Alex Rodriguez is going to do things I never came close to doing," Banks says. "I don't want to put pressure on him, but he's going to set a new standard for shortstops."

That kind of talk worries Mariners teammate Ken Griffey Jr., who has become trapped in his own success, where people expect him to put up the same monstrous numbers every season.

"I just hope people don't expect him to put up those same numbers every year," Griffey says. "I hope that they're not going to say he's had a bad year if he hits .330 with 25 homers and 90 RBIs. I don't want him feeling he has to do this every year or he's come up short."

Rodriguez is careful not to let his confidence come off as arrogant or cocky. His understanding of the game, gained from years of watching players like Dale Murphy and Cal Ripken Jr., as a youngster growing up in Miami, and his value system keep him from saying he is the best and will be for years to come.

"I really feel like I've been given this gift, that I've been blessed," Rodriguez says. "I thank the Lord for that, but I have to remember that it can be taken away, too. I had a great year, but I realize it would take about 15 of them to do what Paul Molitor did (collect 3,000 hits)."

He already has moved into that 200-hit class, and one of the players who quickly has gained great respect for Rodriguez is Molitor, another of the game's classiest players.

"His numbers are staggering, for any player, at any stage of his career," Molitor says. "Alex has a lot of respect for the game, for the players who have gone before him. Compared to many young players, I look at him as a breath of fresh air. He doesn't take for granted his accomplishments of this season."