I admit it. I am a Mark Teixeira fan. I have written about him, multiple times this year notably in MARK TEIXEIRA REINVENTS HIMSELF...AGAIN and then TEIXEIRA AND HIS STANKY LEG. I have praised him for his health regimen, his gluten-free nutritional plan and his gluteus maximus muscles (his butt). But, I am not going to fall for "he's feeling great" nonsense again this year. Nope, I'm not going to do it. And I know my colleague, Jeana, wrote about Tex in her post earlier this week TEIXEIRA FEELS GREAT & JEANA IS HAPPY! Jeana, don't be fooled by Mark Teixeira. He will let you down again this year.
According to Sports Illustrated, before Teixeira's latest injury in mid-August the "12-year veteran, Teixeira had been amid a bounce-back season, hitting .255/.357/.548 with 31 home runs and 79 RBIs in 111 games, posting his highest OPS (.905) since 2009. In July, he was named an All-Star for the third time in his career."
There was his severe hamstring pull in 2014, the wrist sheath chronic injury in 2013 limiting him to only 15 games, and these on and off DL bouts since he came to the Yankees in 2009. "Teixeira conceded that his ailing wrist made it "tougher" to hit the ball that hard last season (2013). But he doesn't want to discuss his injury anymore," stated an article in NJ.com last season.
I hope I am wrong. I hope that Teixeira can start and finish a season, playing 140-150 games of the 162 game season. According to a CBS Sports article last May, with the current MLB player collective bargaining agreement set to expire after the 2016 season, "Players have asked about 154 (games)," Manfred said. "I think 154 is a topic that is complicated. It has big competitive and economic ramifications. Having said that, I think in the 20-something years I've worked in the game, there's more conversation about it than there has been in a long time." Would a shortened schedule keep players who seem to be injury prone like Tex and teammate Jacoby Ellsbury in the line up and off the DL? "The players want some extra rest in an effort to stay healthy and productive, which could lead to more exciting baseball, especially later in the season," states the same article.
I just can't be optimistic about Teixeira's comments about feeling good. I need to see it. I need him to figure out a formula to stay healthy and maybe build a little more stamina. So, Jeana, don't be fooled. Just sit on it... wait and see. Action speaks much louder than words.
BYB Hot Stove Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof
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Helping ne keep my perspective on the ground and expectations in the ballpark.
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