Alex Rodriguez plays a sport.
Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez ( born July 27 , 1975 ) , nicknamed `` A-Rod '' , is a Dominican-American former professional baseball shortstop and third baseman . Baseball is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of nine players each , who take turns batting and fielding . By the late 19th century , baseball was widely recognized as the national sport of the United States . The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award ( MVP ) is an annual Major League Baseball ( MLB ) award , given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League . A third baseman , abbreviated 3B , is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base -- the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run .