New York Yankees Editorial: Healthy Mark Teixeira a major asset for first-place Yankees

By Caleb Gebrewold | Jun 7, 2015

In Spring Training, New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira set a goal for himself for the 2015 season. He wanted to reach 30 home runs and 100 RBI’s after failing to do so since 2011:

"Thirty and 100 is who I’ve always been and what I want to be. If I can do that, then I know I’m helping the team out."

Teixeira reached 15 home runs with his grand slam against Felix Hernandez, one of baseball’s best pitchers, Monday night, prompting manager Joe Girardi to express his satisfaction with his first baseman:

"We knew he was capable of doing these type of things when he’s healthy, but 15 homers at this time is an awful lot of homers. It’s on pace for 45, and that’s a lot, but anything Mark does doesn’t really surprise me. He’s been a huge part [of the offense]. Forty RBI’s, the home runs, the on-base. He’s been right in the center of a lot of our big days, and his bat is ever so important to our lineup. I’ve talked about over my years here, he’s a great RBI guy. He just knows how to drive in runs and that’s what he’s done for us."

After reaching 30 home runs and 100 RBI’s for eight straight years from 2004-2011, including averaging 37 home runs and 114 RBI’s his first three years in pinstripes, from 2012-2014, Teixeira struggled due to injuries, particularly breaking his wrist in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. He only averaged 87 games the past three years, averaging 16 home runs and 53 RBI’s.

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Teixeira, who has hit two more home runs since his Monday night grand slam, is now at 17 home runs and 43 RBI’s, while playing in 52 of the Yankees 55 games, leaving him on pace for 50 home runs and 126 RBI’s. His .581 slugging percentage would be the highest mark of his career, while his OPS of .934 would be his highest since 2009, his first season in New York.

Teixeira’s 17 home runs rank second in the AL, and his 43 RBI’s have him in first place. Teixeira said he felt weaker than ever last year, but that has not been the case thus far in 2015:

"We really attacked all of the issues I’ve been having. I got myself really strong. I was weaker than I’ve probably ever been in my entire career last year because of the [wrist] injury the year before, not being able to work out like I usually do… I feel like a kid again."

Of Teixeira’s 17 home runs, ten have come with runners on base, and his OPS with runners on base is 1.062, and with RISP it is at .980. Teixeira has got it done even more when it counts, and that cannot be overlooked. Third baseman Chase Headley recognizes how important a healthy Teixeira is to the ballclub:

"He’s been tremendous. He’s getting on base, he’s driving in runs and he has hit a lot of home runs for us. He’s been great. He’s been huge in the middle of our lineup and obviously with him and Al (Alex Rodriguez) swinging the bat the way they are and Mac (Brian McCann) coming around, I think we’ve got a pretty good middle of the lineup going now."

Teixeira, who knows that health isn’t always guaranteed is very thankful for his healthy start, but not surprised by his production:

"I’m just very thankful. I’m very thankful for the health and I just hope that continues. The first two months have been so far, so good. I want to continue it. Nothing really surprises me, good or bad, in baseball. There are some weird stats out there this early. It’s still early. Fifty games into the season, you see some weird stats. For me, if I stay healthy, I know what the numbers are going to look like at the end of the year."

A healthy return of Teixeira has helped lead the Yankees into a first-place start, even with Jacoby Ellsbury, Masahiro Tanaka, and Ivan Nova all spending extended time on the disabled list. As they all make their way back, Teixeira remaining healthy could lead the Yankees into October for the first time since 2012.

Next: New York Yankees Editorial: If Masahiro Tanaka stays healthy, Yankees could be in AL East drivers seat

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