Top 7 players who considered Alex Rodriguez as the most despised athlete in MLB
Alex Rodruguez was a big name in MLB history, such a name was bound to have a few enemies. Here are the seven players who absolutely hated Alex Rodriguez
[Alex Rodriguez. Pic Credit: Business Insider India]
Whenever a debate arises regarding some of baseball’s modern-day greats, the name of Alex Rodriguez shows up in the minds of many. Also known as “A-Rod”, the third baseman spent two decades in the majors establishing his name. A first-overall draft pick in 1993, A-Rod began his career playing for the Seattle Mariners. He was quick to show off his skills and knowledge regarding baseball.
His performances at a young age started earning him titles and fame as his name continued to grow. A 6-year spell with the Mariners ended when he joined the Texas Rangers in 2000. His prime years are said to have been during his long tenure with the New York Yankees. A blistering career filled with many off-field scandals came to an end in 2016.
It is unsurprising that a name like A-Rod will have a few who completely dislike him. Some were just jealous of him while some pointed out his off-field tensions as an animosity towards him. This article looks up to the seven players who absolutely hated him and were not shy of hiding it.
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List of top seven players who hated Alex Rodriguez
7: Hank Blalock
Hank Blalock was playing in the right field when A-Rod was part of the Texas Rangers. While Michael Young considered him a mentor, Blalock was having second thoughts regarding him.
The relationship between the duo went down after A-Rod joined the Yankees in 2004. Blalock would not appreciate the comments made by his former teammate. After moving to New York, A-Rod criticized the Rangers and called them a team of “24 kids”.
Blalock was having none of this disrespect and quickly fired back at A-Rod. “Think of how a guy saying we’re all kids makes us feel. Now he’s with all of his peers,” Blalock said in his team’s defense. A-Rod departure perhaps proved to be a blessing for Blalock, as he slammed 32 home runs and grabbed 110 RBIs that year.
6: Jay Buhner
The relationship between Jay Buhner and A-Rod was never good. This was due to an incident regarding training in A-Rod’s earlier days as a major league player. The outfielder was a close friend of Ken Griffey Jr, who was viewed as his rival. This could probably explain why he was harsh with A-Rod who was still a rookie.
A particular incident in training showed signs that A-Rod could become a problem in the future, In an early hitting session, Rodriguez was late to practice as he had grabbed something to eat. As per Chris Bosio, Buhner was not statisfied with this reason.
A-Rod, who had packed some stuff for others, who see Buhner pick up the food, slam it into the wall, and swing on it with the bat. “Don’t ever be late for early hitting again, rookie, Now clean up this ****!” were the words Buhner used.
5: Jason Giambi
When A-Rod joined the Yankees, Giambi was a senior figure in the New York Yankees dressing room. The reason for the hatred between the two is reported to have taken place in 2006. A-Rod was in his prime at that time and had suffered a slight bump. His batting average had dropped down, he was catching nothing but air while swinging and making many errors while fielding.
After backing him for a long time, Giambi had enough. He would go on to talk with manager Joe Torre and ask him to sit out Rodriguez. He tried talking to A-Rod about his performances, but he would not listen to a single bit.
Finally, Giambi snapped and called him out. A-Rod would respond to it saying that he did get some hits which were soon ridiculed by Giambi. “Look at how many pitches you miss”, Giambi noted him.
4: Russell Martin
Russell Martin was signed as a replacement for Jorge Posada. The former Yankees catcher had a good relationship with A-Rod. However, Martin was not so keen on going around with Rodriguez. Despite only spending two seasons with him, he made it crystal clear what he thought of A-Rod and his traditions.
During the later stages of his career, A-Rod had started a tradition of tossing the helmet in the air during walk-off celebrations. The helmet would then be caught by a fellow Yankee teammate as the others rejoice in the party.
Martin was not fond of this tradition and he made sure to signal it. So during a walk-off celebration, he tossed his helmet all the way to the first baseline, making the veteran run for it. This went down as a sign of playing fetch with your dog. Martin would then leave the Yankees as a free agent.
3: Francisco Cervelli
Francisco Cervelli who joined as a back-up for Russell Martin, was once actually a good friend of Alex Rodriguez. The former looked up to him as a mentor who had taught him so many things. The relationship between the duo was hit with a lightning bolt, following their suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs.
Cervelli was mad as it was A-Rod’s close contact who pointed his name in this involvement. As per various reports, the duo would not meet each till spring training of 2015. Once a blossoming friendship had turned into a dark hostility.
2: Ken Griffey Jr
While A-Rod was still climbing the stairs of success, Ken Griffey Jr had established himself as one of the future stars. In 1997. the Seattle Mariners were the most talked about team in baseball. They streamed past their division, thanks to an MVP-winning season from Junior. The team would go on to set records for the most home runs by a team in a single year.
However, things were not so smooth sailing over the off-the-field. It was reported that Griffey allegedly “felt threatened by Rodriguez’s own emergence.” By the year 1999, Griffey would call him calculating and manipulative.
He would later demand a trade and join the Cincinnati Reds. Perhaps there was some jealousy and tension as per then manager Pat Gillick who regretted trading Griffey instead of A-Rod.
1: Derek Jeter
Do not be fooled by the recent relationships between Derek Jeter and A-Rod. The duo did not start on good terms but have since then come a long way to achieve each other’s respect and admiration. When A-Rod joined the Yankees in 2004, Jeter was the captain of the team. In his early days as a Yankee, A-Rod was reported to be obsessed with Jeter.
In his book The Yankee Years, former Yankee manager Joe Torre labeled him as an “A-Fraud” in his attempts to win over the captain. Before joining the New York-based side, A-Rod once called him out publicly perhaps setting the tone for their rocking relationship at the start.
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Vinay Dave
(1785 Articles Published)