TAMPA — Derek Jeter took Yankees prospects out to dinner Tuesday night. Two days later, Alex Rodriguez did the same.
Tyler Wade, a top young shortstop, was there for both. Here’s the tale of the tape:
Judge on a short leash?
WHERE
Jeter: Oxford Exchange, an American restaurant
A-Rod: Ruth’s Chris Steak House
GUESTS
Jeter: About 20 prospects, or all of Captain’s Camp.
A-Rod: Nine prospects, picked by Rodriguez.
MOOD
Jeter: Sounded a bit more formal. The players showed up first, and then Jeter arrived. The retired captain addressed the group and then opened the floor to questions. He answered all of them, ranging from on-field to off-field stuff.
“Derek is Derek,” Wade said. “He’s awesome. He always has great things to say. Each year, you pick out something new. Whenever Derek speaks, you listen. He’s had so much success in this game.”
A-Rod: The retired slugger and new Yankees instructor arrived at about the same time as the players. He sat at the middle of the table. The mood was casual, relaxed. “It was kind of like how normal guys would talk,” Wade said. “Honestly, it was like me and you going to dinner. Nothing special, in the way of us asking him a bunch of questions. It was just, if he had advice … (for example), ‘If you knew stuff later on in your career that you wish you knew when you were younger, what would it be?’ He would just kind of go into stuff like that.”
BIGGEST TAKEAWAY:
Jeter: “Go about your business the right way. Don’t let anyone outwork you,” Wade said.
A-Rod: “Be honest with yourself. Always be accountable,” Wade said.
Alex Rodriguez, Starlin Castro talk at Yankees spring training Bahsegel Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.
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