Alex Rodriguez Responds to Criticism From Former Teammate

Recently, longtime MLB veteran Doug Mientkiewicz had some disparaging comments about Alex Rodriguez. The two played together in high school, in addition to the pros, and Rodriguez responded on Wednesday.

Recently, former MLB player Doug Mientkiewicz made some disparaging comments about longtime big leaguer Alex Rodriguez.

The two played against each other for years in the pros, and played together briefly on the 2007 Yankees. They also played together in high school in the Miami area.

Mientkiewicz recently spoke on a podcast and said that Rodriguez was going to "die a lonely man," and took some shots at A-Rod for his steroid usage.

“It’s painful,” Mientkiewicz said of Rodriguez. “It’s like, wait a minute, do you (forget) you got suspended 200 games? It’s like, ‘Come on, man. Stop it. I get it.’ I played a power position and didn’t have any. Did it cross my mind? Of course. You thought about it. But I was like, ‘You know what, I want to be able to walk when I’m 50.”

On Wednesday, Rodriguez took the high road:

"One thing I'll never do is speak poorly about any of my teammates, especially a high school teammate. So I wish him well."

MLB legend @AROD on Doug Mientkiewicz's recent comments:

"One thing I'll never do is speak poorly about any of my teammates, especially a high school teammate. So I wish him well." pic.twitter.com/Yi2N1QzLyE

— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) May 31, 2023

One of the faces of steroid use in baseball, he was suspended for part of 2013 and all of 2014 for steroid use.

Rodriguez made his debut in 1994 with the Mariners at the age of 18, then proceeded to make the All-Star team 14 times, win three MVP awards, two gold gloves, 10 Silver Sluggers, a batting title and he became a World Series champion in 2009 with the Yankees.

He hit 696 career home runs and drove in 2,086 runs. His 696 home runs are fifth on the all-time list behind Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755), Babe Ruth (714), and Albert Pujols (703).

At this point, Rodriguez is not in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

As for Mientkiewicz, he spent 12 years in the big leagues with the Twins, Red Sox, Mets, Royals, Yankees, Pirates and Dodgers. He helped the Red Sox win the World Series in 2004 and was a lifetime .271 hitter.

He also won a Gold Glove award.

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