Oh boy. If you are a Yankees fan you already feel like the ship is sinking.
Jeter and Mariano are coming back from injuries…
A-Rod is out…
Phil Hughes hurts his back…
Now this…Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira was hitting off a tee during a World Baseball Classic practice for Team USA, when he felt a pop in his right wrist. X-rays were negative and the injury was originally diagnosed as a right wrist strain, with Tex out for 7-10 days. After an MRI the timeline was changed to “at least two weeks out” and Teixeira was flown to New York for further tests by team physicians; more information is scheduled to be released later tonight or tomorrow.
I don’t need to wait for the results to know that Teixeira is a player I am staying away from. Much has been made about Teixeira’s numbers, which have been trending downward for the last four seasons. In fact, if you look at his stats his numbers started their downward cycle once he came to New York and he became obsessed (okay, I am only guessing, since I don’t know his mental status…but he sure SEEMS obsessed) with the short porch in right field. Also adding to my negative opinion of Teixeira is that he missed time in 2012 with a wrist injury, though it was a left wrist injury.
Tex’s numbers just don’t help justify where you would have to take him because of his name value. He will turn 33 in April, his power is slowly decreasing and his batting average is drastically decreasing. The Yankees lineup is not as fierce as it has been, so the opportunities to score and drive in runs will be less. ESPN has him rated as the #12 fantasy first baseman, projecting the following for him: 90 runs, 33 HR, 107 RBI and .263 batting average. I had him pegged for 5 fewer runs, 8 fewer HR, 17 fewer RBI and a .250 average. And that was BEFORE he hurt his wrist.
After some quick research, the New York Post is reporting that the Yankees expect this injury to be worse than reported. That means Tex will be out longer now OR this will linger all season. In either case, I am punting on Teixeira. I expect the same stats out of Freddie Freeman (with a better batting average), Ike Davis (with more HR), Eric Hosmer (with a better batting average) and Anthony Rizzo. Heck, Adam LaRoche is the 20th ranked 1B according to ESPN and I anticipate him having a big year in Washington’s loaded lineup.
Mark Teixeira for 2013? Use your good wrist and wave him goodbye.
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Joe Girardi just announced that Tex will be out 8-10 weeks, which would put his return around the start of June. Assuming he takes his usual time to get up to speed…don’t expect Tex to give you any real production until after the All-Star Break.