Teixeira commits to more time in the cage
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Podcast on Feb 19, 2011 
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This winter, Mark Teixeira bought a pitching machine. He gave it to Bobby Valentine’s Sports Academy in Stamford, CT., where kids can use the machine for their own batting practice. It’s available to anyone. Most days, anyway.
“They make sure that, when I’m in there, I get the cage to myself,” Teixeira said.
It took Teixeira four or five weeks to rebound from his October hamstring injury, and it took him until the end of December to begin to feel comfortable with his bruised hand and broken toe, but when he was healthy enough to swing a bat, Teixeira started hitting. And he kept hitting.
Last year was unusually inconsistent for the Yankees first baseman. He finished with the lowest batting average of his career, and the lowest slugging percentage since his rookie year. He hit .244 against right-handed pitchers. To remedy those numbers, he’s committed himself to more time in the cage, whether back home in Connecticut or down here in Tampa or back at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.
“At the end of the day, no matter how long I’ve been playing baseball, I’m still a right-handed hitter who switch hits,” Teixeira said. “I’ve had to work harder at it (from the left side)… That muscle memory is very, very important. My attitude this year is, if I have a half hour, instead of putting it in the gym lifting weight, put it in the cage and make sure my left-handed swing is consistent.”
Manager Joe Girardi said he never considered pulling Teixeira out of the No. 3 spot in the lineup last season, trusting that a hitter who had shown such consistency would eventually hit up to his ability. And Teixera had stretches of his old MVP-caliber self.
But Teixeira is also well aware that last season was not up to his standards. He’s also aware that last year started with another bad month of April, something he would like to avoid this time around.
“This spring training, I told K-Long, give me some tough love,” Teixeira said. “Don’t tell me I’m doing OK if I’m not. I want to make sure, April 1 or March 30, whatever it is, that we’re ready to go.”
Here’s Teixeira.
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Associated Press photo
He just has to remember he’s a great hitter and stop believing he’s a slow starter.
This should give G Love the warm and fuzzies! lol
Boy, a monster start/ year from Tex would be sweeeeet!
Sounds good to get him off to a fast start. That said, I still bat him fifth.
I’d go with :
Gardner
Jeter
Cano
Arod
Tex
Swisher
Granderson
Posada
Martin
Go with the R/L lineup all the way through and against a RHP you would have 4 straight lefties from 5-8 with 3 of them being SH so even if they brought in a LHP you’d be fine.
Gardners patience and speed in front of Jeter who can hit the hole between 1st and 2nd when Gardners on base. Arod protects Cano who deserves a shot at the 3 hole where he can still drive in runs. Tex protects Arod and Swishers SH protects Tex.
I trust him, I don’t care where he bats, I love what he offers to the Yanks in defense even when his offense isn’t up to par. I have a good feeling about his offense this season.
It’s all good.
Trisha,
Sorry to hear about your car problems. I drive an Acura in NY and love mine. The lease will be up soon, and unless I can make another great deal, I doubt I will get another.
Tough love means having Kevin Long explain to Mark Teixeira a similar thing he did with Swisher and Granderson …….. less moving parts in the batter’s box. There’s timing mechanisms and there’s wasted energy. The end result should be better concentration.
His glove will never suffer. By itself he saves a lot of runs in the course of a season.
IMO Alex, Tex and Robbie are interchangable in the 3, 4 and 5 slots.
Amazing how far medical science has come that heart surgery is talked about so casually.
“After undergoing heart surgery this week at a New York hospital, Yankees prospect Gary Sanchez has been cleared to resume workouts Monday.
During a recent EKG, the 18-year-old catcher was found to have an extra nerve in his heart from birth. Surgery was performed to cauterize the nerve.
General manager Brian Cashman said Thursday that Sanchez was OK.
“Trust me, there are no worries now about Gary Sanchez,” Cashman said.
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports.....z1ERqIlINd
SJ,
I feel completely warm and fuzzy after reading this post. Of course my 100 pound Yellow Lab is sitting on me so that might explain it.
I’m tough on Teix because the Yankees spent a fortune on him to be a cornerstone guy. Even CB was agreeing with me last year that this is not the hitter we thought we were getting.
If the injuries are to blame, he’ll make us all forget about last season quickly. I hope Long works his magic on him too. We need him to be better than last season. Especially with a pitching staff with this many question marks.
From ESPN.com today. Muy interesante.
“Manager Joe Girardi acknowledged the possibility that Cano could hit as high as third in the 2011 lineup, a spot occupied for the past two years by Mark Teixeira.
“We’ll continue to talk about our lineup and how guys fit in. Right now we don’t expect a ton of changes,” Girardi said. “We’re going to discuss everything and try to put out the best lineup that we feel every day.”
Asked if he foresaw Cano as a No. 3 or even a cleanup hitter, a spot he took over for 26 games last year when Alex Rodriguez was injured, hitting .324 with seven homers and 28 RBIs, Girardi said, “I think you could probably hit him anywhere you want.”
pat,
It is amazing that heart surgery can be such these days that the GM of a team can say No Worries about this. Good luck Gary.
I think this is the opening day lineup (not accounting for left-handed or right handed pitcher). What I think Girardi will do; not necessarily what I would do.
Jeter-SS
Swisher-RF
Teixeira-1B
A-Rod-3B
Cano-2B
Posada-DH
Granderson-CF
Martin-C
Gardner-LF
Well we certainly can’t say that Tex isn’t a hard worker……
G Love,
The guy was hurt all last year.
When your hands or thumbs are hurting, it really messes you up.
You do so much to try and get comfortable, you can get into some bad habits.
During a season, Tex is a guy who likes to do a lot of extra cage work. From May on, he couldn’t do that because of the hand/wrist/thumb injuries. That made it tougher to correct bad habits you fall into.
Sometimes, you have a season you just have to grind thru and that was 2010 for Tex.
A healthy Tex will be a productive Tex.
The guy’s skills are not eroding.
Feinsand also writes about a possible move north in the order for Cano.
http://www.nydailynews.com/blo.....nt=Twitter
My read on Girardi as regards the batting order and his statement above is that it’s a heads-up to Jeter and Tex that he will make changes this year should they not perform. Just my opinion.
He wasn’t hurt in April and May, SJ – Tex was awful those two months, except for a brief surge around the 2nd week in May
It appears Tex lives in my homestate of Connecticut now.
SJ……I’ve always maintained that an MVP awaits him during his tenure in Pinstripes and thai very well will be the year…..If not for his slow start in 09 he would have won the Trophy……..How’s Tony’s camp going ????
He first got hurt in May Betsy.
He hurt his wrist and hand in the middle of May
He then hurt his thumb for the first time in June and re-injured it in Chicago later in the year and that injury stayed with him until December.
Craw,
Tex lives in Greenwich.
Pat M,
Tony is doing well. Really swinging the ball well early.
Swing is back to where it was pre-injury.
Swinging the “bat” well. Sorry for the typo.
SJ, then I was wrong. Either way, Tex needs to be better than he was last year and it seems like he is taking steps to improve. I look forward to him having a bang up year
The truth is Mark Teixeira has never been a very good hitter — and never will be .
Regardless of how often he works in the batting cage , he will never be Adrian Gonzalez — who Peter Abraham today just called Ted Williams, Jr.
I expect Tex to be much closer to his career norms in 2011 with better health but also think that he could benefit from some adjustments primarily from the left side…..less movement, stronger back leg, flatter swing plane. These things will not only help him be more consistent now but allow him to have more success as he ages and as he loses bat speed. All that said, I like Cano in the 3 hole and Tex hitting behind Alex. I think it’ll put him in the best spot to drive in runs and perhaps take some pressure off him in April.
Ted Williams Jr……that’s rich….the guy has hit .300 one time and has a career OPS under .900. He’ll get a bump from Fenway but give me a break….
Ruby must be the pet troll for some Yankee fans because they keep feeding him, thus, he never goes away.
Ted Williams had one season where his OPS was under 1.0 and that was when he was 40 years old….he followed it up with a 1.096 as a 41 year old. Gonzalez has yet to even post a single season above that number.
This isn’t about Ruby….its about Pete Ab. saying something like that.
SJ…….I have to think that Tony gets a nice look at by the organization this March before heading over to the minor league complex……
blake….Texeria pretty much gutted out the 2010 season….
Didn’t Ted Williams Jr try to cut the heads off people (like his dad)? Does Abrams mean that AGon will take the heads off other players? Is there a freezer large enough in Fenwqay to house all those oversized craniums?
every time someone mentions ted williams, i get this splitting headache…
“The truth is Mark Teixeira has never been a very good hitter”
damn, and i thought he was good. the last time i saw him in person, he was hitting three home runs at fenway park.
the luxury box i was in next to henry’s box was very nice , but i was kind of lonely being the only one in it for the last two innings when all the red sox fans went home because the red sox were getting slaughtered.
being the last one out and shutting off the lights in a red sox luxury box after a yankee bashing was priceless.
did i mention that beckett got hammered after drilling someone ?
i can’t wait to get some more of those bad hitters like teixeira.
by the way, red sox fans should never invite me to fenway park.
i’m a jinx.
Pat M,
Yea I know and I think he’ll be better next year…..flipping he and Cano isn’t a demotion, its just where the players fit better IMO and with Cano just entering his prime. It really won’t make much of a difference either way.
Craw–I think Tex olives out by the Conyers Farm area where Cone lives (or used to live).
Randy
maybe we should take up a collection and get you season’s tickets
Gardner
Jeter
Cano
Arod
Tex
Swisher
Granderson
Posada
Martin
____________
I haven’t heard any one mention the possibility of Montero’s bat added to that lineup at points during the season. If he has a good ST, then the Yanks have a pleasant problem, but you cannot keep a bat like his out of the lineup to long. Power to all fields, high OBP. .300 avg.
just joking! thank you mr williams!
http://sacriliciousmarketing.c.....lliams.jpg
blake….I think Giradi likes have a switch hitter in the 3 hole, however Cano could very easily handle that spot in the lineup though
I kind of like this Teixeira guy, I think the Yankees should keep him around.
SJ
You know we are all rooting for Tony. Any and all updates are most welcome.
BTW that goodwill does not extend to his his Alma mater. Who almost gave Blake and me a heart attack today.
Tar,
no doubt
Hi, I’d like to see the first workouts tomorrow. anyone know the times they’re scheduled to practice?
Tar/Blake
I can sympathize. I felt that way watching the ‘cuse game.
For all you stat-afficionados. These are excepts from the recently posted perspective of Dave Cameron Managing Editor at FanGraphs: (published yesterday on ESPN IN)
“An increase in Sabathia’s walk and ground ball rates combined with a diminishing strikeout rate do not bode well for his future”.
“When the Yankees signed Sabathia, he was a dominating strikeout starter, worthy of the huge contract that they bestowed upon him. Now, at age 30 and with more than 33,000 pitches thrown in the big leagues, Sabathia appears to be transitioning out of being that kind of pitcher, and the new approach he is gravitating toward is less likely to lead to ace-like numbers.”
While he’s still likely to be a good pitcher going forward, the Yankees could likely replace what Sabathia will give them from 2012 to 2015. He’s currently making $23 million per year and will probably make at least that much on his next deal, and for more years. When you consider Sabathia’s declining numbers, having him opt out of his deal wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for New York.”
Tar,
That was just a dreadful game. That’s probably the worst I’ve seen them play since the start of the season but its a win…..they’ll have to play better than that though.
Just from reading the comments by some random Yankees, most notably Tex and Hughes, I sense that this is a team on a mission; a team that that was not satisfied with the outcome, even though they finished just 2 games away from the World Series. This is a team with character, and drive, and purpose, and a chip on their shoulder, both as a team and as individual players who see room for improvement and who disdain any excuses (injury, fatigue, etc.)
It makes me very excited for this team.
Sabathia is getting more ground balls because he’s throwing more 2 seamers and pitching more than he has in the past. That doesn’t mean he’s not just as good…..that article is ridiculous
Thank God Dave Cameron is just a stat head and not the GM.
If hevthinks Sabathia is replaceable, he really needs to step away from the computer and actually watch some games.
As pitchers mature, they become more economical with their pitches.
He doesn’t need to be a K machine and still be a dominant, #1 starter.
This is one of the problems with looking at ground ball rates and all this peripheral stuff and not also looking at the bottom line…..which is the results. Sabathia pitching on a bum knee had a better season in 2011 than he had in 2010…..and he was darn good in both and worth every dime they paid him.
Blake:
“that article is ridiculous”
Enough said.
Kate I didn’t watch the ‘cuse game, but after reading the recap we can definitely sympathize.
It shouldn’t have been that hard.
Blake
I will say this for the Heels, thier interior defense is intense and seems to get better every game. But they really need somebody to step up and hit some jump shots.
Bojo,
I live near Conyer’s Farm. A small part of it is in NY. I live in that town, but not in any mansion….lol.
pat -
Thanks for the update on Sanchez.
****
Cano is just as good as a switch hitter; he handles righties and lefties pretty good, no?
Tar,
That’s true. Henson is developing into a force defensively and Zeller is much stronger this.season…..but you’re right they someone to score the ball. Hopefully Barnes will continue to.progress and be that guy before its over…..he already has.been when they need him.
WCYF……This guy should go the park and watch him pitch rather than playing with his flow charts and colored graphs….Moron, yeah I’m certain that Boston would love to see CC leave so they could him a wicked amount of cash…..Then Mr. Cameron would tell us how great a signing it was…….This guy should stick to being a reserve right fielder on his Coed slow pitch softball team….
The Yankees wouldn’t have made the playoffs last year without CC……and wouldn’t have won the WS without him in 2009.
I agree completely. I think FanGraphs and the entire stat crowd takes things way too far.
I do wonder how much attention Cashman and his staff pay to such things though and how they factor it into future business assessments on players.
if the yankees are healthy in 2011, they win the al east. bottom line.
Bill Madden has made some valid points in the past about the Yankees inability to develop pitching. However, I think the Yankees are making great strides in addressing that weakness and his most recent article about ManBan and Betances is offbase. First off, those three Giant pitchers all had at least one season in which they were close to 150 innings before making their ML debut. Lincecum was a college pitcher that pitched over 100 innings each year which doesn’t count his NCAA tournament or international competition innings. Cain had two straight minor league seasons of 150 innings before making his ML debut. Bumgarner also had similar numbers in his brief two years of minor league pitching before splitting time with the minors and majors last year. By the way, Cain and Lincecum were top ten picks while Cain was chosen in the 1st round too.
Betances has suffered a couple of injuries so his innings high is around 121 while ManBan is even less than that number. Both of them have a need to improve their skill level before making their way to the major leagues and they need to stay healthy so they get their innings high for one season up to the 140-150 area. If everything goes well for them in 2011 then 2012 is their year to make it to the show despite what Madden has to say on the matter.
IMO, Madden is no longer a top baseball writer. Hell, Jack Curry can write circles around him today and he retired from the Times.
http://www.nydailynews.com/spo.....t_yan.html
I meant to say Bumgarner was a top ten pick not Cain.
The Yankees have a tough time developing Madison Bumgardners because they don’t get to pick 8th i’m the draft……but despite that they have a top 5 pitching prospect now and just had another one in Hughes.
Speaking of Bumgardner, I saw a kid last year and hope to this year as well that is better than he was in high school (Daniel Norris). I wish he’d fall to the Yankees but I doubt he will. He’s committed to Clemson but if teams shy away from him thinking he’ll go to college then maybe….here is a quote from a Q and A he did recently:
Kevin Levine-Flandrup: Are the Yankees one of the teams you’ve met with?
Daniel Norris: Yes, sir. About a month ago I sat down with the area scout, and he was a really good guy. You get different feels from different teams, and I’m honestly not just saying this, but I got a good vibe from them. He was just a really personable, laid-back guy. One thing I took away from the meeting was that a lot of people talk about the minor leagues not being about winning really, but with the Yankees they win in the minors and that focus on winning goes all the way up to the Majors.
My friend sent me this picture from fanfest today of John Jaso, I wonder how she knew I loved catchers.
http://m.flickr.com/photo.gne?.....6&
I thought all last year that Tex just needs to stay on the ball longer and not try to pull so much from both sides of plate. It would help keep him from chasing bad pitches so much and get his avg up and be even more productive.
I would hit him 6th at least until he is hitting well.