Editing Alex Rodriguez (section)

==Early life==
Rodriguez was born in 1975 in the [[Washington Heights, Manhattan|Washington Heights]] section of Manhattan to [[List of Dominican Republic people|Dominican]] immigrants Víctor Manuel Rodríguez Marcano and Lourdes Nelly Navarro Melo from [[San Juan de la Maguana]], Dominican Republic.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://momentodeportivord.com/alex-rodriguez-y-sus-familiares-de-santiago-rd/ | title=Alex Rodríguez y sus familiares de Santiago RD | date=September 10, 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Finnigan|first=Bob|date=March 22, 1998|title=Missing Dad – In The 13 Years Since His Father Left, Alex Rodriguez Has Found Fortune And Fame In Seattle, But Has Been Unable To Reconcile With The Man Who Vanished|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19980322/2741045/missing-dad----in-the-13-years-since-his-father-left-alex-rodriguez-has-found-fortune-and-fame-in-seattle-but-has-been-unable-to-reconcile-with-the-man-who-vanished|access-date=February 11, 2018|work=[[The Seattle Times]]|location=Seattle, Washington}}</ref> He was raised alongside his two half-siblings, Joe and Suzy, from his mother's first marriage.<ref>{{cite news|author=Curry|first=Jack|date=September 4, 2007|title=Alex and Victor Rodriguez Are Worlds Apart|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/04/sports/baseball/04rodriguez.html|access-date=February 11, 2018|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> In 1979, when he was four years old, the family moved to the Dominican Republic, then to [[Miami]], Florida, when he was in the [[Fourth grade#United States' equivalent|fourth grade]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Alex Rodriguez Fast Facts |url=https://www.cnn.com/2013/08/16/us/alex-rodriguez-fast-facts/index.html |access-date=25 July 2022 |publisher=CNN |date=16 August 2013 |language=en}}</ref> His father played baseball for a team in the Dominican Republic and introduced him to the sport as a child. Growing up, Rodriguez's favorite baseball players were [[Keith Hernandez]], [[Dale Murphy]], and [[Cal Ripken Jr.]], and his favorite team was the [[New York Mets]].<ref name="Jockbio">{{cite web|date=July 27, 1975|title=Alex Rodriguez|url=http://jockbio.com/Bios/ARod/ARod_bio.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100820044819/http://www.jockbio.com/Bios/ARod/ARod_bio.html|archive-date=August 20, 2010|access-date=August 4, 2010|website=Jockbio|publisher=}}</ref>

At the end of his freshman year at [[Christopher Columbus High School (Miami-Dade County, Florida)|Christopher Columbus High School]] in Miami, Rodriguez transferred to [[Westminster Christian School (Florida)|Westminster Christian School]] in [[Palmetto Bay, Florida]], where he was a star shortstop on the baseball team and played quarterback on the football team.<ref name="Jockbio" /> In 100 games he batted .419 with 90 stolen bases. Westminster won the high school national championship in his junior year. He was first team prep All-American as a senior, [[batting average (baseball)|hitting]] .505 with nine [[home run]]s, 36 [[runs batted in]] (RBIs), and 35 [[stolen base]]s in 35 attempts in 33 games. He was selected as the [[USA Baseball]] Junior Player of the Year and as [[Gatorade]]'s national baseball student-athlete of the year. In 1993, Rodriguez became the first high school player to try out for the [[United States national baseball team]]. He was regarded as the top prospect in the country.<ref>{{cite web |last=Berg |first=Ted |url=https://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/08/alex-rodriguez-high-school-photo-tbt-mlb-new-york-yankees-retirement |title=A-Rod celebrates final Throwback Thursday of his MLB career |magazine=[[USA Today Sports Weekly]] |date=August 11, 2016 |access-date=December 12, 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=McGuire |first=Justin |url=http://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/mlb-draft-alex-rodriguez-derek-jeter-scouting-report/10v1mr134001r11f4wx3y0eaxk |title=1993 scouting report: A-Rod 'similar to Jeter only bigger and better' |newspaper=[[Sporting News]] |date=June 3, 2014 |access-date=December 12, 2018 |archive-date=December 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181212215858/http://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/mlb-draft-alex-rodriguez-derek-jeter-scouting-report/10v1mr134001r11f4wx3y0eaxk |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Rodriguez signed a letter of intent to play baseball for [[University of Miami]] and was also recruited by Miami to play quarterback for [[Miami Hurricanes football|its football team]]. Rodriguez turned down the [[Miami Hurricanes baseball|University of Miami baseball]] scholarship offer and never played [[college baseball]], opting instead to sign with the [[Seattle Mariners]] after being selected first overall in the [[1993 Major League Baseball draft|1993 amateur draft]] at the age of 17.<ref name="b-r draft">{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/draft/index.cgi?year_ID=1993&draft_round=1&draft_type=junreg&query_type=year_round |title=1st Round of the 1993 MLB June Amateur Draft |website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]] |access-date=March 11, 2014}}</ref>