Alex Rodriguez’s Obsession With Frenemy Derek Jeter Seemingly Shaped a Key Trait During His Carefree Bachelor Days

Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez are two names that often get mentioned together. Both were superstars during their times in the League and experienced different kinds of success. Jeter was a fantastic player but put winning before his own individual success. Rodriguez on the other hand had fantastic individual stats but was unable to win a title early on in his career. 

The two became teammates in 2004 when the Yankees acquired A-Rod via trade. They would go on to win a World Series title together in 2009, Jeter’s 5th and Rodriguez’s only one. But the relationship between the two was not a simple one. In fact, some Yankees teammates once opened up on Rodriguez’s weird fixation on Jeter.

Alex Rodriguez was obsessed with Yankees teammate Derek Jeter

Alex Rodriguez joined the New York Yankees in 2004 via a blockbuster trade. He became teammates with superstar Derek Jeter and the two had an odd relationship. But some Yankees teammates stated that A-Rod was obsessed with Jeter. Furthermore, he carried this obsession with him everywhere and even used it in pickup lines. Baseball Columnist Selena Roberts detailed this obsession in her book, ‘A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez’. 

According to the New York Daily News, “Roberts also details Rodriguez’s obsession with teammate Derek Jeter. Players who accompanied A-Rod to clubs said his favorite pickup line was ‘Who’s hotter, me or Derek Jeter?’” This stemmed from A-Rod’s need to beat Jeter and be better than him. 

Read More: “I’ve Done a Couple of Bad Things…”– Derek Jeter Once Brought His Rookie Teammate to Near Tears With a Prank

For years A-Rod and Jeter were compared to each other by fans and critics alike. Most picked Jeter over Rodriguez due to the former’s team success. What’s more, the two used to be very close friends early in their career, before Rodriguez made some disparaging comments about Jeter. This ruined the friendship that they had and made their time as teammates more awkward. 

A-Rod and Jeter have since gotten past their feud

In recent years, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez have seemingly gotten over the feud that started during their careers. They have both long since moved on from their playing careers and are now focusing on their next steps. Furthermore, the two legends seem to agree that they’re too old to be holding onto grudges and feuds.

Watch this Story: Every New York Yankees record broken by MLB icon Derek Jeter

Both A-Rod and Jeter have built successful careers in business and are focusing on that and family. What do you think of Alex Rodriguez’s obsession with Derek Jeter during their time as teammates? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.