Mark Teixeira’s having his best April
Posted by Andy on April 5, 2011
As of this writing, Mark Teixeira's got 4 HR and 10 RBI already in April (through 4 and a half games...)
Check out his career Aprils:
| I | Year | G | GS | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | TB | GDP | HBP | SH | SF | IBB | ROE | tOPS+ | sOPS+ | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 19 | 17 | 73 | 64 | 3 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 | .188 | .288 | .344 | .631 | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .204 | 59 | 68 | |
| 2004 | 8 | 8 | 37 | 29 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 7 | .276 | .432 | .552 | .984 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .300 | 115 | 156 | |
| 2005 | 25 | 25 | 112 | 103 | 15 | 27 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 17 | .262 | .321 | .485 | .807 | 50 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .263 | 69 | 116 | |
| 2006 | 25 | 25 | 115 | 99 | 19 | 29 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 21 | .293 | .391 | .495 | .886 | 49 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .347 | 102 | 131 | |
| 2007 | 25 | 25 | 107 | 91 | 14 | 21 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 21 | .231 | .346 | .341 | .686 | 31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | .279 | 47 | 90 | |
| 2008 | 27 | 27 | 120 | 110 | 16 | 30 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 14 | .273 | .333 | .464 | .797 | 51 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .283 | 65 | 116 | |
| 2009 | 19 | 19 | 90 | 70 | 11 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 12 | .200 | .367 | .371 | .738 | 26 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .196 | 62 | 96 | |
| 2010 | 22 | 22 | 100 | 81 | 11 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 18 | .136 | .300 | .259 | .559 | 21 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .148 | 36 | 54 | |
| Career Total | 174 | 172 | 772 | 661 | 101 | 157 | 38 | 2 | 27 | 90 | 2 | 0 | 100 | 126 | .238 | .346 | .424 | .769 | 280 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 7 | .255 | 71 |
His OPS is about 1.500 right now and he's already got more HR than every year but 2005 and is tied with his 4 HR in 2008.
It may not mean much in the end, but Tex fans have got to feel good about his hot start.
April 6th, 2011 at 1:55 am
There was once another Yankee first baseman who was notorious for slow starts. For example in 1989, Mattingly hit .221/337/286 in April but in 1990 he got off to a really hot start and was hitting 378/420/578 on April 25th.. I remember all my annoying Yankee fan friends telling me how this was going to be Mattingly's best year and maybe the best year anyone ever had. He hit three homeruns after April 25th and hit 241/294/304 the rest of the way. I'm not suggesting that Teixeira's back will blow or anything like that just funny to look at the comparison.
April 6th, 2011 at 3:02 am
Technically Teixeira's first 3-run home run was on March 31st. I bet he is glad his hot start carried over into April, especially when you see how April showers have seemed to follow him around.
April 6th, 2011 at 7:52 am
It hasn't hurt him that he's benefiting from the jet stream out to right field in that whiffle ball park he calls home. See: Jorge Posada.
April 6th, 2011 at 9:55 am
Sean,
Posada has hit the same number of home runs at home and on the road in 2009 and 2010. Tex in 2009 hit 25 at home and 14 on the road. In 2010, he hit 19 and home and 14 on the road. I think 2009 was an abberation. However, I don't know what to make of this year yet. I don't think it is a wiffle ball park yet. It has never been to what Coors field was in the 90's.
April 6th, 2011 at 10:33 am
@4
Yankee Stadium doesn't have to be Coors to raise eyebrows. For years, the old stadium was the pitchers park with the short porch. There was balance to that. Now its the hitters park with the short porch.
Back to Tex (Teix?). He's made fewer all-star games than his season-ending totals would suggest because of the splits above. He's usually just digging out of his early season hole by the time the reserves are selected for the game.
April 6th, 2011 at 11:23 am
Supposedly he changes his off-season workout routine, starting baseball drills during the winter instead of just basic weight work and reserving the baseball work for spring training. At least that is what they talked about on the local radio station here (I believe they had interview the Yanks' hitting coach). They actually said this BEFORE the season started, so it stands to reason that it might be true, as opposed to after-the-fact rationalization. If so, it makes you wonder why he didn't do baseball stuff in the offseason before.
April 6th, 2011 at 3:05 pm
@6
This is a good point and is also the reason why I will never be able to get behind the BABIP statistic for both hitters and pitchers.
BABIP does not take into account anything a player does, or does not do, during the off season to effect his performance. Texeira may continue to have a huge season, and it may be the result of a change in his off season conditioning. But I guarantee the BABIP believers will just say he was luckier instead of looking for more plausible reasons.
Incase anyone has missed the earlier post, here is the link for the BABIP video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8XEZlfwCT4
The idea that Mike Mussina performed his 2005 and 2006 seasons in a vacuum, and that the main reason for his improved 2006 was a luck dragon is insane. Of course a pitcher's season is going to be worse if his BABIP is higher; because he is throwing more hittable pitches.
April 6th, 2011 at 7:44 pm
Thomas Court-
I think that is a bit of a stretch and shows a misunderstanding of BABIP. With a large enough sample size, batters will have a natural and individualized BABIP. When the stat was first introduced, I do believe there was the notion of a universal BABIP, with any major deviation of this a function of luck (this still holds true, or more true, for pitchers, I believe). But the consensus that I've seen is that a player's true BABIP varies from that of his peers based on his skill set and talent level. Luck is then determined based on fluctuations from this number, NOT some league-wide average. So, if Teixeira has a huge year, it might look like an aberration and some may dismiss it as luck. But, if he maintains this adjustment and continues to have big years, then his baseline BABIP would change and the perception of his performance vis a vis luck would change.
Your argument would hold water with the original understanding of how BABIP functions and was a criticism that I put forth, too. Personally, I think we should continue to investigate pitchers BABIP and see if the same holds true. I find it hard to accept that the likelihood of a ball hit off Pedro Martinez in his prime has the same likelihood of falling in for a hit as a ball hit off lil' ol' me. But I do accept that all the balls hit off Pedro-in-his-prime, on average, have the same likelihood of falling in for a hit. And results that are wildly out of placed based on average should be recognized as aberrations (be they solely a function of luck or an off day for the pitcher or what have you).
Sorry to rant... I was just a bit bothered to see my point used to support a larger point I do not agree with.
April 6th, 2011 at 11:26 pm
@ #4...
I don't know where you're getting your figures from.
Posada's home/ road splits in the New Yankee Stadium are like night and day.
Posada hit 25 HRs at home in '09+'10 VS 15 on the road.
Posada's BA at home in '09 & '10 are .325 and .288, respectively VS .245 and .205 on the road, respectively.
Posada's SA at New Yankee Stadium are .613 & .540 VS .432 & .362 on the road and his OPS at home in '09 & '10 is 1.013 & .922, respectively VS .760 & .694 on the road.
CLEARLY, something is going on. I assume you watch the games, which is why I can't understand why you don't notice the absurd way the ball plays to RF in Yankee Stadium. It's like throwing a packing peanut into a wind tunnel.
Teixeira's HR total at home in '09 & '10 is 43 combined VS 29 on the road. That's still about a 50% increase at home. Last season, Tex hit .288 at home VS .227 on the road, slugged .558 at home VS .408 on the road and had a home OPS of .968 VS .728 on the road. In 2009, he batted .312 at home VS .272 on the road, slugged .627 at home VS .502 on the road and had a home OPS of 1.013 VS a road OPS of .882...
The ballpark plays RIDICULOUSLY to balls elevated into right field. Anyone who watches the games there would see this. It may not be every single game-----but it's most of 'em. Cano hit a pop up that carried out on Sunday that he was disappointed with until it carried and carried over the wall. It happens a lot there.
April 13th, 2011 at 11:08 pm
Hilarious to see the struggling Teixiera & Posada back to acting like Mantle and Maris now that they're back to the Whiffle Ball Park that Steinbrenner Built...
'It's the Ballpark, stupid...'