More swings like this, please. Courtesy of Getty Images
(Syndicated from An A-Blog for A-Rod)
2013 was already going to be an important year for Mark Teixeira. After a stellar Yankee debut season in 2009, the last three have been a downhill trend of offensive regression and 2013 was shaping up to be the tipping point for the rest of Teix’s Yankee career. He could either bounce back and prove that he still had enough in the tank to be a consistent middle-of-the-order threat, or continue his decline, officially enter the downside of his career, and become the latest contract anchor on the payroll.
Teix’s comments to Dan Barbarisi a few weeks ago showed that he was very aware that he had reached this stage in his career, and his candor and openness about his regression was refreshing to read in a modern sports world full of excuses and cliches. But that position became much less acceptable when A-Rod had his surgery and even more unacceptable when Curtis Granderson was shelved over the weekend. Teix is now more important than ever to the lineup and the Yankees’ chances for success this season, a point Mike Axisa touched on earlier in the week. After spending four years flying under the radar in the Bronx, the spotlight is going to shine brighter on Teix than it ever has, and he needs to step up and meet the challenge.
“Under the radar” might seem like a stretch to describe a guy who signed a $180 million deal to play first base for the New York Yankees, and Teix’s decline the last few years has received a fair share of coverage in both the Yankosphere and the MSM. But I’ve always felt that the level of scrutiny given to his poor performances, and in fairness the level of praise given to his excellent 2009, has been overshadowed by the performances and storylines of others.
In 2009 Teix posted a .402 wOBA, scored 100+ runs, led the team with 122 RBI, and had the second-highest fWAR total (5.2) of all the Yankee position players, but the “real” stories were Derek Jeter‘s MVP-caliber season, the arrival of CC and A.J. to the rotation, and Alex Rodriguez exorcising his postseason demons to lead the team to their last World Series championship. In 2010, when Teix’s decline began, it was the ascension of Robinson Cano to MVP contender status and the problems in the rotation. These last two years, it’s been the rise and fall and rise again of Jeter and the beginning of the end of A-Rod.
At every step, there’s always been a player or a problem or a talking point that has taken center stage over what’s been going on with Teix. That’s not the case anymore, especially with C-Grand out of the picture until May. A-Rod is on the shelf, Jeter isn’t expected to replicate last season’s success, Cano is a proven commodity as one of the 5-10 best players in all of baseball, the rotation is basically set, and the rest of the lineup around Teix has taken a collective step back. Teix needs to have a bounce back year of his own this year, and he needs to start it with a bounce back April. We can safely assume that Cano is going to be Cano, but that more than likely won’t be enough to carry the lineup on his own. A powerful, productive, consistent April from Teixeira will be a huge help in supplementing Cano’s output and providing enough stability to make up for the expected inconsistency from the rest of the lineup, as will consistently productive months to follow.
Mark Teixeira openly admitted that he isn’t worth $20 million a season, and for the last two seasons he definitely hasn’t been. Truthfully no baseball player is worth that much and we all know that, but in the context of the world of MLB contracts the need for Teix to live up to that salary or at least come close to living up to it is greater than ever this year. The other guys have either faded in importance or become fixtures in what their expectations are. Teix is still a bit of a wild card for this season, and the expectations for him have grown. Another season of decreased production in the face of those expectations will be a dominating headline this year, as will a season of better production.
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3 Responses to Teix Now Front And Center On The “Needs To Produce” Radar
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TIQ IQ
Tex is absolutely vital to the Yankees. I wrote about it last September, but too many focus on Arod’s production/salary, when Tex’ ratio is just as relevant.
http://tinyurl.com/bmplgp3
I can’t think of what scenario could occur that would allow Tex to have a stellar season. He simply cannot make adjustments.
Tex reminds me of the guy who falls into a hole and yells up for help, asking if there are any tools laying around. Someone yells back, “there is a shovel and a ladder”. The guy in the hole replies…”throw down the shovel, i’m gonna dig my way out of this mess if its the last thing I do”.
Tex is in a hole. He has a severe shift put on him to pull. Then they throw inside knowing he wants to pull, but unless its a mistake, the inside pitch is too inside or offspeed so he fouls them off. Then they hit the outer 3rd for strike 3 because he refuses to swing at outer 3rd strikes. I think he is going to get his 25 homers and 85-90 RBIs because there will be many mistakes thrown his way, but as long as there is a shift on, he’s fucked. If I were an opposing manager, I’d put 6 players on the right side just to play w his mind, and he still would not be able to make adjustments. Its just not part of his make up. Hand him a shovel, he’s a digger.
It doesnt matter if Tex hits 60 homers. The season is over if what I heard is true. A friend of mine just told me that the same reporter who broke the Melky PED story is saying that Braun, ARod, Granderson, and Cano are all facing 50 game suspensions for failed tests. Was he messing with me?