Alex Rodriguez says baseball Hall of Fame recognition would feel hollow despite 696 home runs for surprising reason

Alex Rodriguez is one of those names that still makes baseball fans pause. Not because of what he did on the field, but because of how complicated his legacy became. On paper, his resume screams Hall of Fame. The numbers, the awards, the championships, they all line up perfectly. Yet when Rodriguez talks about Cooperstown now, something surprising comes out. He does not sound bitter. He sounds relieved.

In a candid conversation with The Athletic, Rodriguez admitted that a Hall of Fame plaque might actually leave him feeling empty. That is not something you expect from a player who spent decades chasing greatness. Therapy changed the way he looks at success, validation, and his own past decisions. Instead of viewing the Hall as closure, Rodriguez sees it as something that would not fix the emotional weight he carried for years. This story is not really about baseball anymore. It is about what happens when achievement stops being enough.

Why would Hall of Fame recognition feel hollow to Alex Rodriguez?

Rodriguez's thoughts come from some serious self-reflection, thanks to therapy that changed how he sees things. He mentioned feeling like he got "divorced" from his Hall of Fame aspirations, saying that the sessions helped him understand his past actions better.

In the same interview, Rodriguez elaborated on his therapy experience to Jones, “I’m like, ‘Whoa, what the hell am I doing here? This doesn’t make any sense,’” he recalled initially. But persistence paid off. “But the more I stayed with it, the more it started to really affect me in a positive way. Seeing things in a different way and then looking at my past, definitely not as a victim but understanding some of my behavior and making sure that I’m learning from those behaviors and it never happens again,” Rodriguez added.


This growth sheds light on the "hollow" feeling he expects from induction. For Rodriguez, getting a plaque in Cooperstown won't wipe away the unresolved inner struggles from his past, including the pressures and decisions that shaped his career. Therapy has helped him focus on emotional healing rather than seeking outside approval, making the Hall seem inadequate in comparison.

Alex Rodriguez reflects on life changes at age 50 after retiring

Rodriguez opened up during a chat with Jason Jones from The Athletic, which came out on December 28, 2025. Now at 50, he looked back on how much his life has changed since he hung up his boots in 2016.

"I have a life today that I didn't have for the first 40 years," Rodriguez told Jones. He continued, explaining his stance on a potential Hall of Fame plaque: "If I went to the Hall of Fame, in a weird way, I would be hollow inside. I would still be in a lot of pain."

Rodriguez pointed out his preference for his current state of being. "I would rather have what I have today, because it really helped me unlock a lot of the work that I needed to do," he told Jones. This chat happened during the ongoing talks about his Hall of Fame eligibility, which started back in 2022.

Alex Rodriguez built a Hall of Fame level resume with the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, and New York Yankees

Before the scandals, Rodriguez's on-field prowess was unmistakable. He started his career with the Seattle Mariners in 1994 and played through 2016, also donning the jerseys of the Texas Rangers and Yankees.

He has a bunch of achievements, like winning the World Series with New York in 2009, snagging three American League MVP awards in 2003, 2005, and 2007, and earning a batting title in 1996 with a .358 average.

He also picked up two Gold Glove Awards for shortstop in 2002 and 2003, 10 Silver Slugger Awards, and made it to the All-Star game 14 times. Statistically, he sits at fifth place all-time with 696 home runs and fourth with 2,086 RBIs, plus he has a .295 career batting average.

These stats put Rodriguez in a solid spot for first-ballot induction in a PED-free environment, showing his power, defense, and reliability with three different teams.

Rodriguez was first considered for the Hall of Fame on the BBWAA ballot in 2022. While his backing has increased a bit, it still falls short of the 75% needed for induction.

The 2025 results were revealed on January 21, 2025, showing that he earned 146 votes, or 37.1%, a 2.3 percentage point bump from the previous year, landing him fourth among the returnees. His ballot eligibility will end after 2030. Voters mention PED associations as the key hurdle, based on analyses from Baseball-Reference and MLB.com.

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