Alex Rodriguez Left 'Shocked And Surprised' By Ex-Yankees Teammate's Scathing Remarks

Alex Rodriguez is putting on puppy eyes after a former teammate skewered him for abandoning his roots after experiencing success.

Longtime A-Rod teammate Doug Mientkiewicz, who played with the Yanks legend in New York and in high school, publicly aired out his negative opinions on the 14-time All-Star and one-time champ.

Doug Mientkiewicz #11 and Alex Rodriguez #13 of the New York Yankees walk on the field before the game against the Texas Rangers on May 8, 2007 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

NEW YORK - JULY 21: Alex Rodriguez #13 of the New York Yankees swings at the pitch against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on July 21, 2007 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Yankees defeated the Devil Rays 7-3 in game one of their doubleheader. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Mientkiewicz went as far as guaranteeing that Rodriguez will "die a lonely man" for sticking his nose up at friends.

READ: FORMER TEAMMATE DOUG MIENTKIEWICZ UNLOADS ON ALEX RODRIGUEZ: ‘HE’S GOING TO DIE A LONELY MAN’

Mientkiewicz spoke with former A.J. Pierzynski and Scott Braun on the "Foul Territory" podcast.

"I’ve always said this, he’s going to die a lonely man,” Mientkiewicz said. "This whole ‘father of the year’ stuff, God bless him with his daughters, because it’s got to come a long way. But it’s like, ‘You’re just trying to get into heaven now.’ I’m still friends with my high school team.

"We still text often, not as often as we should, but we still text, group thread, constantly badgering each other. He’s just distant from it. I don’t care how good or how great you become and how far your career goes, you never forget your high school dudes."

Alex Rodriguez and Kathryne Padgett attend Game Seven of the 2022 NBA Playoffs Western Conference Semifinals (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Alex Rodriguez Responds To Mientkiewicz's Grilling

Speaking with USA Today on Wednesday, A-Rod addressed the comments and advised Mientkiewicz to leave the past in the past. Rodriguez admitted to feeling "shocked and surprised" by Mientkiewicz's critique, citing their amiable past.

"There's always going to be people out there that have things to say, everyone has an opinion," Rodriguez said, "but I certainly would never talk publicly negatively about any of my teammates, especially someone in high school.

A-Rod added, "I mean, look, we're almost 50 now. This is supposed to be the good old days when we look back and we cringe about some of the weird things that we did and we're proud of the relationships we built over the years. So you take that with a grain of salt and you wish everyone well and you move on."

The ex-teammate didn't let Rodriguez's steroid use during his MLB career go without mention.

"It's painful, 'It's like, wait a minute, do you (forget) you got suspended 200 games?'" Mientkiewicz added.

"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."

Perhaps the success has gone to the head of the legendary Yankee-turned-commentator-turned-part-time-NBA-owner.

Or perhaps it's sour grapes from Mientkiewicz. If Alex Rodriguez did something to Mientkiewicz, it must have been bad.

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 08: Sports commentator and former professional baseball player Alex Rodriguez takes part in a panel during WSJ's The Future of Everything Festival at Spring Studios on May 8, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)