Pinstripe Preview: Mark Teixeira
By: Nick Scott
I don’t think any
player on the New York Yankees is more polarizing than Mark Teixeira. Fans are
split into two groups: Love him or hate him. I personally fall into the group
that loves Mark Teixeira. I believe most the criticism thrown his way is unfair
and the typical overreaction of a lot of New York Yankee fans out there. After
all, performance really has never been an issue for Teixeira when healthy, the
issue has been just staying healthy. And can we really blame him for that?
In order to discuss
what to expect from Mart Teixeira in 2015, it’s probably best to discuss what
we know about him. For starters it’s pretty well known Tex is a wizard with the
glove. Need proof? Teixeira has been the recipient of five gold gloves, three of which have come with his time in the
Bronx. Last year really wasn’t any different for Teixeira as he posted a UZR of
5.6 which is pretty solid. When he first joined the Yankees, there’s little
question he was the best defensive first basemen in the league. He’s definitely
aged since then and I wouldn’t give him that title anymore, but he’s still
certainly one of the top defensive first basemen and that hasn’t changed a bit.
Another thing we know
about Teixeira is he is a consistent source of power. Not counting his injury
riddled 2013, the switch hitting slugger has clubbed 22 home runs each year
since joining the Yankees. That’s an average of 23 home runs a year, which is
exceptional. He’s also never had less than 62 RBIs (2013 excluded) which is
pretty amazing considering the issues he’s had with infield shifts and injuries
the last few years. Simply put, the man is hitting for power like we have paid
him to and despite all the obstacles over the last few years he’s been a sure
bet for 20 homers every year.
In fact this last
season Teixeira was enjoying an incredibly solid year before the injury bug bit
him once again. In the first half Teixeira hit .241 with 17 homers and 48 runs
driven in which is pretty solid. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to keep the pace
due to injury (on pace to hit 34 homers, 96 RBIs), but as you can see, when
healthy he hits well with evidence as recent as last year to prove so.
One thing has been
pretty consistent throughout this article has been the word ‘injury.’ Teixeira
unfortunately has only played 261/486 possible games the last three years due
to injury. Most of us all are familiar with the wrist injury Teixeira sustained
while preparing for the world baseball classic. Anyone who has tweaked their
wrist in the slightest know that it takes a long
time to go away and that’s if you are able to avoid any strenuous activity
with it. Compound that with trying to swing a bat at ninety mile an hour
fastballs and you’ve got some real trouble. This injury lasted a long while and
it didn’t seem like he was fully able to recover from it this year.
On the subject of this
year, I think it is important to point out that the good majority of Mark’s
missed time this year was the result of fluky and unrelated injuries. Muscle
pulls, light headedness, being cleated; these are things that aren’t exactly
preventable or the result of what many call him ‘glass bones.’ No, this my friends
is what we call bad luck, something the Yankees have been pretty familiar with
the last few years. In summary, I don’t think that we can A. blame Teixeira for
these weird and unpredictable injuries that have befallen him the last three
years and B. expect the injury trend to continue seeing as he has no prior
injury history before these last three years and most the injuries since then
being unrelated.
I know it likely sounds
overly optimistic, but there certainly is some evidence behind it. The wrist injury
has flared up a few times since its injury in 2013, but since that year he
hasn’t missed any significant time due to it. Outside that he’s had no cripplingly
related injuries and he should have the offseason to fully rest up and show up
to spring training ready to go.
It appears his average
may never be around .300 again due to his pull happy nature and the rise of
shifts in the game, but the shifts haven’t affected the more important part of
his games that is creating and driving in runs. Additionally he still has a
good eye at the plate and still worked close to 60 walks while having a career
in Pinstripes low in strikeouts this year (2013 excluded).
In 2015, look for
Teixeira do to what he’s done since joining the Yankees. There will be home
runs and RBIs produced by the switch hitting slugger accompanied by his usual
defense. Assuming he doesn’t suffer the awful injury luck he’s had the last few
years, Teixeira could be liable to put up monster numbers this season.
If nothing else, his
‘Foul Territory’ awkward comedic spoofs are surprisingly hilarious, so there’s
that.
2015
Teixeira Prediction: .245 AVG, 30 HR, 85 RBI
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@RealYanksFans
All stats and
information provided by Baseball-Reference.com and Fanpgraphs.com
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