Editing Alex Rodriguez (section)

====1998–2000====
Rodriguez rebounded in 1998, when he set the AL record for homers by a shortstop and became just the third member of the [[40–40 club]], (with 42 home runs and 46 stolen bases) and one of just 3 shortstops in history to hit 40 home runs in a season. His 43.9 [[Power-speed number]] was, through at least 2008, the highest single season Power/Speed Number ever.<ref>{{cite web|title=Yearly League Leaders & Records for Power-Speed #|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/power_speed_number_leagues.shtml|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100814001336/http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/power_speed_number_leagues.shtml|archive-date=August 14, 2010|access-date=August 4, 2010|website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|publisher=[[Sports Reference]]}}</ref> He was selected as Players Choice AL Player of the Year,<ref name="player's choice">{{cite web|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/awards/aw_plch.shtml|title=Players Choice Awards|website=[[Baseball Almanac]]|access-date=March 12, 2014}}</ref> won his second [[Silver Slugger Award]],<ref name="b-r 98 Silver Slugger">{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/1998-other-leaders.shtml|title=1998 American League Awards, All-Stars, & More Leaders|website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=March 12, 2014}}</ref> and finished ninth in the MVP voting.<ref name="b-r 98 MVP">{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1998.shtml|title=1998 Awards Voting|website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=March 12, 2014}}</ref>

In 1999, Rodriguez had a .310 average, 42 home runs, and 111 RBIs,<ref name="b-r" /> despite missing over 30 games with an injury and playing the second half of the season at [[Safeco Field]],<ref name="Safeco open">{{cite web|url=http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=9565|last=Drosendahl |first=Glenn |title=Safeco Field, the Seattle Mariners' long-sought stadium, opens on July 15, 1999 |date=September 11, 2010 |website=[[HistoryLink.org]] |access-date=March 12, 2014}}</ref> a considerably less hitter-friendly ballpark than the [[Kingdome]].<ref name="sea park factors">{{cite web|title=Seattle Mariners – Stadium|url=http://www.baseball-statistics.com/Ballparks/Sea/#analysis|access-date=March 12, 2014|website=Baseball-Statistics.com|archive-date=June 18, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618212834/http://www.baseball-statistics.com/Ballparks/Sea/#analysis|url-status=dead}}</ref> At the time, he was the youngest-ever player to record 100 home runs and 100 stolen bases, at 23 years and 309 days of age.<ref name=alden/> In April 2015, [[Mike Trout]] reached the same milestone at 23 years and 253 days old.<ref name=alden>{{cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/angels-outfielder-mike-trout-smashes-100th-career-home-run/c-118949336|title=Trout goes deep; youngest to 100 HRs, 100 SBs|first=Alden|last=Gonzalez|date=April 18, 2015|access-date=April 18, 2015|work=[[MLB.com]]|archive-date=April 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150418110737/http://m.mlb.com/news/article/118949336/angels-outfielder-mike-trout-smashes-100th-career-home-run|url-status=live}}</ref>

Rodriguez entered 2000 as the cornerstone player of the Mariners franchise,<ref>{{Cite news |date=2000-03-19 |title=Mariners' Rodriguez plans to take charge |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/portland-press-herald-mariners-rodrigue/148786070/ |access-date=2024-06-05 |work=[[Portland Press Herald]] |pages=6D |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref> which had recently traded superstars [[Randy Johnson]] and [[Ken Griffey Jr.]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Schmuck|first=Peter|date=April 27, 2001|title=Retooled Mariners building a winner|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/2001/04/27/retooled-mariners-building-a-winner/|access-date=April 27, 2014|website=[[Baltimore Sun]]|publisher=}}</ref> Rodriguez put up great numbers, hitting 41 home runs with 132 RBIs and a .316 batting average.<ref name="b-r" /> He set a career high for [[Base on balls|walks]] (100) and became the only shortstop to have 100 runs, RBI, and walks in the same season.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hartnett|first=Sean|date=August 2, 2013|title=Hartnett: A-Rod Could Have Been King, Instead Leaves Behind Shattered Legacy|url=http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/08/02/hartnett-a-rod-could-have-been-king-instead-leaves-behind-shattered-legacy/|access-date=April 27, 2014|website=[[CBS New York]]|publisher=}}</ref> He hit well in the playoffs as well (.409 batting average and .773 slugging percentage),<ref name="b-r" /> but Seattle lost to the [[New York Yankees]] in the [[2000 American League Championship Series]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Dowd|first=Kevin|date=July 24, 2012|title=For the Seattle Mariners, it's the end of the Ichiro Era|url=http://blog.seattlepi.com/baseball/2012/07/24/for-the-seattle-mariners-its-the-end-of-the-ichiro-era/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120727013419/http://blog.seattlepi.com/baseball/2012/07/24/for-the-seattle-mariners-its-the-end-of-the-ichiro-era/|archive-date=July 27, 2012|access-date=April 27, 2014|website=[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]]|publisher=}}</ref> He was selected as the Major League Player of the Year by ''[[Baseball America]]'' and finished third in the AL MVP voting.<ref name="b-r 2000 MVP">{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_2000.shtml|title=2000 Awards Voting|website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=March 12, 2014}}</ref>