Who knew that baseball had such a huge impact on Patrick Mahomes? While the 3x Super Bowl MVP’s deep history with America’s Favorite Pastime is known to all (his father was a major league pitcher), Mahomes’ entire persona comes through the stars of yesteryear. The 28-year-old grew up when Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees’ captain Derek Jeter were ruling the roost. More importantly, he saw them up close and that left a lasting impression on him.

The superstar who was then just a kid saw how down-to-earth Jeter was. The interactions and openness that A-Rod and Jeter showed toward young players left Mahomes mesmerized. That deeply affected Mahomes, who decided to replicate it in his own way. During an appearance on Logan Paul’s podcast, Mahomes revealed the objective that has been guiding his entire sporting journey.

“I watched my dad do it, I watched my dad play professional baseball,” Patrick Mahomes said. “I always talk about – I saw these greats like Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter and how they kind of worked on their craft and I knew when my plan was to be a professional athlete, I wanted to be down to earth. I wanted the kids to come up to me and ask for advice.” 

The need to be an inspirational figure has guided Patrick Mahomes throughout his career. After all, outside of the football stadium, Mahomes is known to be one of the most impressionable stars. That has led to his popularity consistently growing among sports lovers, with multiple fans already calling him a future “GOAT”. 

However, while Mahomes has tried to emulate his idols off the field, his on-field performances too have led to some comparisons between him and baseball legends.

Patrick Mahomes’ comparisons with Derek Jeter 

Patrick Mahomes’ father Patrick Mahomes Sr. played for the New York Mets. While he wasn’t as big a star as his son, Mahomes Sr. had friends across the town. That led to the young Mahomes regularly meeting the New York Yankees stars. One of which was Derek Jeter – who gave a signed photograph to the kid. That proved to be a core memory for Mahomes.

Years later in 2023, Mahomes reconnected with his childhood idol. The football star and Derek Jeter were part of an interview where Mahomes brought that picture with him. The two could be seen reminiscing those times as the star looked just as awed at Jeter as he did as a child. Then two months ago Mahomes got perhaps the greatest compliment of his career.

Popular analyst Dan Graziano shared that Mahomes composure and clutch abilities reminded him of Derek Jeter. Perhaps in his endeavor to emulate Jeter off-field, Mahomes may have channeled that energy on the field too. Whatever the case, it has led to 3 Super Bowls for him and perhaps even more in the future.