Iván Rodríguez

Iván Rodríguez
Rodríguez as a Texas Ranger in 2009.
Catcher
Born: (1971-11-27) November 27, 1971 (age 44) Manatí, Puerto Rico
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 20, 1991, for the Texas Rangers
Last MLB appearance
September 27, 2011, for the Washington Nationals
MLB statistics
Batting average	.296
Hits	2,844
Home runs	311
Runs batted in	1,332
Teams
Texas Rangers (1991–2002) Florida Marlins (2003) Detroit Tigers (2004–2008) New York Yankees (2008) Houston Astros (2009) Texas Rangers (2009) Washington Nationals (2010–2011)
Career highlights and awards
14× All-Star (1992–2001, 2004–2007) World Series champion (2003) AL MVP (1999) NLCS MVP (2003) 13× Gold Glove Award (1992–2001, 2004, 2006, 2007) 7× Silver Slugger Award (1994–1999, 2004) Texas Rangers Hall of Fame

Iván Rodríguez Torres (born November 27, 1971), nicknamed "Pudge" or "I-Rod" is a retired Major League Baseball catcher. In his career, he played for the Texas Rangers (on two different tours, comprising the majority of his career), Florida Marlins, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, Houston Astros and Washington Nationals.

Rodríguez was awarded the AL MVP award in 1999. He is widely regarded as one of the best defensive catchers of all time.

Rodríguez won the World Series with the Marlins in 2003, and also played in the 2006 World Series while with the Tigers. On June 17, 2009, Rodríguez set an MLB record by catching his 2,227th game, passing Carlton Fisk. During his career, he had the best caught stealing percentage of any major league catcher, at 45.68%.

Rodríguez was born and raised in Vega Baja. His father, Juan, worked for a U.S.-based construction company, and his mother, Eva Torres, was an elementary school teacher. Iván's first job involved delivering flyers in the shopping malls in Puerto Rico.

He learned baseball at an early age, his biggest rival being Juan González, who he often played against in his youth. As a Little League player, he moved from pitcher to catcher because his father, who was also his coach, thought he was throwing too hard and scaring opposing players with his pitches. Rodríguez attended Lino Padron Rivera High School, where he was discovered by scout Luis Rosa. Rosa reported that "He showed leadership at 16 that I'd seen in few kids. He knew where he was going." Rodríguez signed a contract with the Texas Rangers in July 1988, at the age of 16, and began his professional baseball career.