Remember this season, when Mark Teixeira looked like he “couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat?” (stealing a quote from “Dodgeball”). Everyone was ready to jump down Teixeira’s throat, I one of those people.
The general consensus around the Yankees community was that Teixeira was going to have a horrific year.
Who could blame the consensus? The numbers backed it up. Known as a slow starter, he was hitting a dismal .136 in April with only 11 hits in 81 at bats during the month. And it didn’t get any better for Teixeira as the year progressed.
As April transitioned into May, and May into early June, it was no longer that he was a career slow starter. He was simply not hitting.
Teixeira was pressing. He seemed to be trying to make up for lost stats. It was clearly getting to him.
Although his struggles, Joe Girardi believed in his slugger. Kevin Long kept the faith.
And, just as we knew and hoped that he would, Teixeira has seemed to rediscover his stroke. In the last 29 days, Teixeira is hitting .321 with seven home runs and 24 RBI’s. And, he has reached base in 50 of the last 52 games.
It is safe for one to say that Teixeira is back at it. During yesterday’s tough loss to the Red Sox, where the Yankees played a very sloppy game, Teixeira continued his good play. He became the first player in the league to score 80 runs and knock in 80 runs.
Keep in mind that this is the same Teixeira who could not buy an RBI earlier this season.
Oh yeah, he leads the team in home runs with 24. He has more than Robinson Cano (21) who is putting together quite the season this year.
And on top of all that, Teixeira has continued to play gold glove first base all season. He has made only two errors in 101 games played at first base this season.
Mark is on his way, putting together a decent season after his absolutely terrible start. We were all quick to point out the fact that Teixeira was struggling and not getting it done. But, it seems we haven’t been as mindful about the complete 360 degree turn Mark has made this season.
Will it be a typical Teixeira season, where he averages a .287 average, 39 home runs and 122 RBI’s? At this point, no. Will it end up that way, probably not, but, as John Sterling likes to remind us: “You just can’t predict baseball.”
Mark Teixeira deserves some credit for his hard work this season, getting to where he is now offensively from where he was. He has been a big part of the consistent Yankee success the Yankees have had this season. Teixeira will continue to have success all throughout August, and into the Yankees best month: September.
“The cream rises to the top.” Teixeira has started to swing the bat at exactly the right time for the Yankees.
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