Can Alex Rodriguez do what Derek Jeter just did: play well at 40?

Alex Rodriguez Born: July 27, 1975 in New York, NY (Age 39.145)

Derek Jeter Born: June 26, 1974 in Pequannock, NJ (Age 40.176)

Alex Rodriguez Trenton Thunder (AA) August 2, 2013 by gbrunett via Wikimedia Commons

Jeter is thirteen months older than Rodriguez.  For annual stats baseball age for a season is determined by whether the player's birthday is before July 1.

Jeter was 40 in 2014 and played remarkably well and often for his age: 624 plate appearances (PA), 145 games (130 SS, 15 DH), 10 stolen bases/2 caught steeling.

So technically, although Rodriguez will be considered 39 in 2015, he'll essentially be the same age that Jeter was in 2014: 40.  Hence my question.

Some factors:
- Jeter has never had major surgery.  Rodriguez had surgery on each hip for a torn labrum: 2009 and  January 16, 2013; 2011 "arthroscopic surgery on his knee to repair a torn meniscus that impacted his power".
- 2013:
    -- Jeter: 73 PA, 17 games from July 11 to Sept. 7
    -- Rodriguez: 181 PA, 44 games from Aug. 5 to Sept. 25
- Rodriguez was suspended all of 2014; this is the key difference
- Rodriguez used performance enhancing drugs (PED); as far as we know, Jeter did not.

Both are driven and proud.  Both work very hard on conditioning and craft.

The Yankees simplified things this week by signing free agent Chase Headley for four years to play third base, the position which Rodriguez has played since joining the Yankees in 2004 when he switched from SS to accommodate the incumbent Jeter.

1. How much did the hip injuries impact Rodriguez?
2. How much did the PED impact Rodriguez?
3. How much will age impact Rodriguez?
4. How much will his not having played in 18 months impact Rodriguez?
5. How much will being a full time DH impact Rodriguez?

Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez: milestones denied. Sunday, October 12, 2014

Barry Bonds was blackballed.  2007 was his final season:
PA: 477
BA: 276
OBP: .480 led league
SLG: .565
OPS: 1.045
OPS+: 169

Alex Rodriguez was blackballed for the 2014 season.  Even with his missing that entire season Rodriguez in 2015 can join Hank Aaron as only the players with:
600 HR
3,000 Hits
2,000 RBI
2,000 Runs.Even without the HR criteria Aaron is the only player with 3,000 Hits, 2,000 RBI, 2,000 Runs.
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To A-Rod or Not to A-Rod. That is the question. Thursday, November 6, 2014

the Yankees ... have not qualified for the tournament two years in a row despite the addition of a second wild card opportunity.  That's why I think that the Steinbrenner Kids are more inclined to A-Rod, than not to A-Rod...

Yeah, right.  Pay A-Rod $60 million to not play or, even more stupidly, to play for another team? ...

So the question is just how stupid are the Steinbrenner Kids?
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