There is no doubt that New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez is a controversial figure. Whether it’s the steroid admissions, his amorous endeavors with A-list celebrities, the constant coverage of his life in the New York press, or his baseball betting post-season failures, A-Rod truly is a Lightening-Rod in the MLB odds community.

But love him or hate him, there is no denying that A-Rod is not only one of the great players of today, but also one of the all time greats in the history of baseball betting. Say what you will about his personal life or his supposed ‘choke artist’ act in the post season, but his numbers in his MLB odds career are some of the best ever produced.

Take for example the fact that A-Rod has more 30-HR and 100 RBI seasons than any other player in baseball betting history with 13. Even the great Babe Ruth was only able to belt 30 dingers and drive in 100 runs in the same season just a dozen times in his storied MLB odds career.

And a quick look at his career averages leaves doubt his place in baseball history. He’s a career .305 hitter with 586 HRs, 1706 RBIs and 1683 Runs so far in his 13 seasons in MLB. By the time he retires he will be the all time HR record holder, he’ll have 3,000 hits and he will finish with career stats the likes of which have never been seen in baseball.

Sure, he cheated with steroids, but so did many other great players in this era. Short of excluding them all from the record books or MLB history, there is no fair to deny A-Rod his rightful place as one of the greatest hitters the sport has ever seen.