Monday, June 1, 2009

Teixeira's Monster Month of May

Mark Teixeira's monster May has been chronicled ad nauseum and it should be. His return to form, along with the return of Alex Rodriguez, led to a significant turnaround for this Yankee team. Since A-Rod's return in Baltimore, Teixeira has hit at a .371 clip with 11 dingers and 29 RBI in just 22 games. Not coincidentally the Yankees are 16-6 in those games and are currently sitting atop the AL East.

Teixeira's return didn't necessarily lead to the Yankees scoring more runs, but it led to the Yankees playing with more confidence offensively. This could be in part why they were able to rally late in numerous May victories.

Teixeira deserves to win a Player of the Month award for May, but will likely fall short to Joe Mauer's absurd month that saw him hit .414 and get on base half the times he came to the plate, not to mention the 11 homers he hit. But this is the Mark Teixeira every Yankee fan was dreaming of when they stole him from the Sox.

6 comments:

Joe said...

I would say A-Rod has been just as important as he provides protection for Teix. Yesterday was a perfect example. In the 8th inning Teix hit a 2 run double on a 3-2 pitch. If A-Rod isn't in the on-deck circle Teix walks. Teixeira has been good, but A-Rod is still the driving force in the line-up.

Peter said...

That's very true and there has always been talk about Teixeira, that he doesn't like be the centerpiece of the lineup, that he prefers to be a complimentary player.

So I would agree that overall A-Rod is the heart and soul of the Yankee lineup, but still this has been Teixeira's month to shine.

Dennis said...

I hate to break it to you, but Mark Texiera has hit .220 in April and .370 in May every season of his career.

A-Rod is one of the best hitters in the league, and it is certainly nice to have him back in the line-up, but I really don't think he can be credited with Texiera's good month.

Peter said...

Actually he's a career .249 hitter in April and .295 in May.

So while Teixeira does take time to get his swing going from each side during the early part of the year, I think the absence of A-Rod and his subsequent return exacerbated Teixeira's numbers in each month.

Dan said...

It's impossible to tell. Just because I say my lucky hat keeps bears away and you don't see any bears doesn't mean that it works. There's not necessarily a cause and effect relationship there. They're both two of the games best. They will certainly help each other out. So maybe A-Rod had an effect, maybe Tex just came around. But it's probably a little of both.

Dennis said...

I have to admit I only half believed my own comment. There are a lot of stat guys who say the numbers show that protection in the batting order makes no difference to a guy's numbers. Then there are old timers who say Roger Maris only hit 61 HR because of Mantle hitting behind him.

I will tell you what though, I watched the Giants play the Cardinals this weekend, and you could run Albert Pujols out there with a bunch of little leaguers and he would still be a triple crown threat.