When Derek Jeter was compared to players with a notable history of steroid use by former MLB star Jim Rice

In August 2009, former Boston Red Sox legend and HOFer Jim Rice compared Derek Jeter to players like Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez. Both of whom have notable steroid-tainted pasts. Jim drew unusual parallels while speaking to Little Leaguers in South Williamsport, PA.

In 2009, Alex Rodriguez admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) from 2001 to 2003 while playing for the Texas Rangers. Rodriguez initially denied the allegations, but later confessed after an investigation by Major League Baseball (MLB).

Manny Ramirez was suspended for 50 games in 2009 for the use of a PED. The substance he used was Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG), a female fertility drug that is not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.

"You see a Manny Ramirez, you see an A-Rod, you see Jeter,” Rice said. “Guys that I played against and with, these guys you’re talking about cannot compare. We didn’t have baggy uniforms. We didn’t have dreadlocks. It was a clean game, and now they’re setting a bad example for the young guys.”

"In Criticizing Players, Rice Puts Jeter in Dubious Company." - NYT Sports

When Derek Jeter heard Jim Rice's critical statements, he was surprised.

"I didn’t know I was like that,” Jeter said. “That would be a first for me.”

While other MLB players were attempting to elevate their careers by using PEDs during the steroid era, Jeter thrived despite playing the game clean. Hence, for a baseball icon like Jim Rice to list Derek Jeter among the ranks of famous athletes who use performance-enhancing drugs was rather unexpected.

New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter's MLB journey

Aaron Judge Press Conference: BRONX, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 21: Former New York Yankee Derek Jeter looks on during a press conference at Yankee Stadium on December 21, 2022, in Bronx, New York. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)

HOFer Derek Jeter spent his entire MLB career with the New York Yankees.

Jeter was selected by the New York Yankees in the 1992 High School Draft. Four years later, he made his MLB debut on May 29th, 1995.

The following season, he was named the Yankees' starting shortstop and took home the Rookie of the Year Award. Plus, he assisted his club in defeating the Atlanta Braves in the 1996 World Series.

Jeter got better and better until he was invincible!

Here are his MLB career achievements:

• Baseball Hall Of Fame (Induction: 2020)
• 14× All-Star (1998–2002, 2004, 2006–2012, 2014)
• 5× World Series champion (1996, 1998–2000, 2009)
• World Series MVP (2000)
• AL Rookie of the Year (1996)
• 5× Gold Glove Award (2004–2006, 2009, 2010)
• 5× Silver Slugger Award (2006–2009, 2012)
• 2× AL Hank Aaron Award (2006, 2009)
• Roberto Clemente Award (2009)
• New York Yankees No. 2 Retired
• Monument Park Honoree