Alex Rodriguez 'Prays' He Can Get Into the Hall of Fame Despite His Mistakes

Rodriguez knows his chances might be ruined by his history of PED use.

Alex Rodriguez knows that his history with performance-enhancing drugs might have ruined his chances of getting into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Rodriguez told Cigar Aficionado that despite his mistakes, he still dreams of making the cut at Cooperstown.

"There's rules, and you have to follow the rules. I made those mistakes, and at the end of the day I have to live by those mistakes," Rodriguez said. "Whether I get in or not -- and let's be clear, I want to get in, I hope I get in, I pray I get in -- if I don't, I think I have a bigger opportunity yet again. And the platform of my mistakes, the good the bad and the ugly, has allowed me to have a loud voice to the next generation, to say when in doubt, just look at my career. Look at the good, look at the bad, look at the ugly and just make good decisions. Have the power of restriction that I didn't have."

He added: "The other message is, maybe I'm not a Hall of Fame player, but I get a chance to be a Hall of Fame dad, a Hall of Fame friend."

The 14-time All-Star has an impressive resume: three AL MVP awards, 10 Silver Slugger honors, five AL home run titles and one World Series ring with the Yankees. He's fourth on the MLB all-time home run list and has more than 3,000 career hits.

Rodriguez's Hall of Fame bid is tarnished by a history of steroid use that resulted in a season-long suspension by the MLB in 2014. He previously admitted to using PEDs from 2001 to 2003 while playing for the Texas Rangers.

The New York Yankees star retired after the 2016 season.