Yankees prospects praise A-Rod's coaching

Since his retirement last season Alex Rodriguez has stayed occupied - first as an analyst throughout the postseason and now as a special guest instructor for his former team.

After drawing rave reviews as a broadcaster, Rodriguez is receiving similar praise for his approach to coaching - particularly from a group of New York Yankees prospects.

"Any time you get a chance to pick the brain of someone like Alex Rodriguez, it's an honor," Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge said, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. "It was good. We asked a lot of quality questions, he gave us a lot of good information. He's somebody who's been in the game for more than 20 years; he was doing something right."

The 41-year-old was brought in as an instructor by the team expecting to be in camp for a few days, but instead Rodriguez stayed for an extra day to take a group of Yankees youngsters out to dinner and provide them the opportunity to learn more about the game and his approach over the years.

"(He said), 'I always stay easy, enjoy the game, be prepared for the game,'" Yankees top prospect Gleyber Torres said. "Alex is good people. If I need something, he'll help me with whatever I want. The approach for everything, I listened to what he said."

It remains to be seen what Rodriguez's future holds as a coach, but the Yankees have certainly been impressed with what he's brought to the table as a leader and mentor to the younger generation.

"I'm in a unique position from all the things I've done in this game, both good and bad," Rodriguez said. "I learned my biggest lessons with some of my mistakes, and they were big ones. I can spend all the time in the world out there on the field. These guys are great talents. They're the best players from their high schools or colleges."