New York Yankees: Can Alex Rodriguez Be a Legitimate All-Star in 2012?

New York Yankees' third baseman Alex Rodriguez may be aging and has dealt with some injuries that caused a decline in his performance last season, but he appears to be on his way to an All-Star 2012 season.

Rodriguez had a disappointing 2011 season settling for career lows in runs, hits, home runs and RBI, largely due to his injuries. With the disappointment of last season, he has put tremendous effort into getting himself back into game shape.

The 2012 season is underway, and Rodriguez has already begun to emerge as a leader that younger players look up to for guidance and support.

Take a look at some of the reasons why Rodriguez will be a legitimate All-Star in the 2012 season with the Yankees.

Health

Alex Rodriguez had made some changes since the 2011 season, mostly focused on his health.

He took advice from NBA player Kobe Bryant and underwent experimental treatment in Germany for his right knee and left shoulder.

The treatment was approved by the Yankees, and it appears to have been successful.

Rodriguez performed well in spring training with no complaints or issues about any lingering pain.

His health has been the primary concern for the Yankees organization and the fans, and so far everything indicates that he has regained his health and will be able to maintain it during the season.

Assuming that he remains healthy, he should put up strong and consistent numbers that will get him named as an All-Star this year.

Batting Mechanics

While working toward rebuilding his health, Rodriguez worked with coaches to refine his batting mechanics to prepare for the spring training season.

He opted to go with a less-is-more approach and altered his physical training and conditioning program. The alterations that he and the coaches made appear to have had a positive effect on his attitude and his confidence.

The benefits from the changes quickly became evident in spring training with his success in camp.

Rodriguez worked with coaches to increase his range of motion and his flexibility.

As the regular season continues, Rodriguez will demonstrate that he will have a solid bounce-back season and earn a spot on the All-Star team.

The Slugger

In his first season with the Yankees, Rodriguez hit .286, 36 home runs and 106 RBI.

He is one of three players in MLB history to hit at least 35 home runs, have 100 runs and hit 100 RBI in seven consecutive seasons.

Rodriguez is the youngest player to hit 500 home runs, the youngest to hit 600 and he is a 10-time Silver Slugger Award winner

As of the end of the 2011 season, he has a career batting average of .302, 629 home runs, 1,893 RBI, 2,775 hits, 305 stolen bases and scored 1,824 runs.

With the changes that he has made to increase his range of motion and flexibility, and the apparent success with the treatment in Germany, expect Rodriguez to have a stellar 2012 season.

Veteran All-Star

Rodriguez is an experienced and seasoned MLB veteran who has had great success and triumph.

That success has earned him the recognition of being a 14-time All-Star throughout his MLB career.

Even with the difficulties that he dealt with in the 2011 season, he was named an All-Star. Battling through his injuries, he had 103 hits, 21 doubles, 16 home runs and 62 RBI with a .276 batting average in 99 games.

Those numbers are not bad for a player with a hip and a knee injury.

Now that he has regained his health and his strength, 2012 will very likely be an All-Star season for Rodriguez.