Alex Rodriguez amassed nearly 700 home runs, over 3,000 hits, and three MVP awards, yet also served the longest performance-enhancing drug suspension in Major League Baseball history. This deep dive pulls from investigative journalism, legal filings, and biographical essays to examine the psychology of a teenage prodigy crushed by the weight of expectation.

From debuting at 18 with Seattle to signing a record $252 million contract with Texas, where he first turned to steroids, to a redemptive 2009 World Series title with the Yankees and the Biogenesis scandal that followed, A-Rod's story is one of extremes. His second act as an Emmy-nominated broadcaster and businessman became a master class in crisis management and public reinvention.

• His father Victor left the family when he was nine, and they did not reconnect until the year 2 ...