Alex Rodriguez is nearing 600 home runs for his career. If he finishes this season with 30 home runs, he will have 613 career homers. If his home run totals for the remaining seven years of his contract are 40, 40, 35, 30, 20, 20, and 20 (his age will be 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, and 42), he will end his career with the grand total of 818 homers.
Now, since Barry Bonds's record of 762 doesn't count because of the number of years he was on steroids, the true MLB home run record is Hank Aaron's: 755. The question is, should A-Rod's record be taken seriously, or should it be thrown on the scrap pile like Bonds's?
A-Rod admitted to using steroids from 2001-03. Assuming he's telling the truth, and assuming the steroids added ten homers a year to his totals, we estimate he should end his career with 788 home runs, a number which exceeds Aaron's record by 33, and even Bonds's "record" by 26. It's our opinion that A-Rod was on steroids his first two years with the Yankees, too. But even subtracting 20 more home runs (for those two years) from his total gives him the all-time home run record at 768.
At the end of his career, Alex Rodriguez will have so many home runs that his record will have to be taken seriously. Yes, he cheated. But the vast majority of those home runs were not or will not be helped by steroids.
Then again, when Brett Gardner ends his career with 839 home runs, no one will care what A-Rod's numbers were.
Hydra
6-4-3 double play... Ballgame over! Yankees win! Theeeeeee Yankees win!
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