Alex Rodriguez pays homage to Mariners legend Dave Niehaus on social

Davie Niehaus, Hall of Fame Mariners broadcaster (Alex Rodriguez homage). — SEATTLE, UNITED STATES: Seattle inaugurates the new Safeco Field and HOF Mariners broadcaster Dave Niehaus (Alex Rodriguez homage). AFP PHOTO/Dan Levine/Dbl (Photo credit should read DAN LEVINE/AFP via Getty Images)

Some MLB fans forget that Alex Rodriguez started his career with the Seattle Mariners and was actually the #1 overall pick in the 1993 MLB draft. Most people only remember A-Rod as the Yankee third baseman probably because he doesn’t really associate himself with the M’s very much. Granted he did spend 12 years in New York.

But yesterday, A-Rod shared a touching throwback Thursday post to highlight his time in Seattle as a young player and paid tribute to Dave Niehaus.

Alex Rodriguez’s homage to Dave Niehaus and the Mariners

As a young player with the @Mariners, I was fortunate to be surrounded by and to learn from some of the game’s biggest stars, like Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez. But one of the biggest stars in our organization never stepped in the batter’s box...the legendary Dave Niehaus. pic.twitter.com/APIkOhgC7c
— Alex Rodriguez (@AROD) March 25, 2021

A-Rod acknowledged how lucky he was to play alongside Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez which must have had a huge influence on his career. A-Rod debuted for the M’s in 1994, as an 18-year-old. Let that sink in… Alex Rodriguez was just drafted out of Westminster Christian the previous year.

But the highlight of the social media post was his memories of former Mariners broadcaster and Mariners Hall of Fame member, Dave Niehaus. I personally don’t remember watching A-Rod playing in a Seattle uniform because I was so young, but I am lucky to have been able to listen to Dave Niehaus on television every week.

We never knew when a special moment was going to happen, but when it did we always knew Dave was going to capture it and memorialize it forever like no one else.

I mean, just listen to this call on a grand slam I hit one night in Texas.
— Alex Rodriguez (@AROD) March 25, 2021

A-Rod is an extremely controversial player because of the performance-enhancing drugs scandal and I hated him for a while, but I am starting to build a little more respect for him especially after this post.

I think even Rodriguez knows that the Mariners are starting to turn the corner and I am sure he wants to associate himself with Seattle a little more. I am even a little curious about whether Alex Rodriguez would be a Mariners Hall of Famer in the future. The M’s require former players to play at least five seasons in Seattle, and A-Rod meets that requirement.

The 45-year-old represented the M’s four times at the All-Star game and also won four Silver Slugger Awards, and was in the MVP hunt a couple of times. The biggest factor is whether the Mariners want the PED scandal as part of the organization’s image.

Maybe Rodriguez will begin to build a relationship with the organization to increase his chances of being a Mariners HOFer. He was trying to make a bid to buy the New York Mets…

Alex Rodriguez’s homage to Dave Niehaus and the Mariners

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