Teixeira Following in Tino's Footsteps

Besides being Yankees first baseman and having a terrific glove, there are some more not so great comparisons between the current Yankees first baseman and Tino. Through his first month as a Yankee Mark Teixeira did what Tino did before him and struggled, hitting .200/.367/.371 over his first month. Back in 1996, Tino went through similar struggles, hitting just .244/.327/.389 over his first month in Pinstripes. They both turned things around fairly quickly and had very solid years. Both actually finished their first season as a Yankee hitting .292, and both drove in 115+ runs.

They also both made the playoffs in their first season as a Yankee, and this year's team seems like they could be on their way to matching the 1996 Yankees as World Series Champions. But they also struggled mightily in their first October's in the Bronx. Through three rounds of playoffs Tino hit .188/.278/.250 with no RBI in '96, while Teixeira has hit .133/.235/.233 with a HR and 1 RBI over his first seven playoff games.

The reason I bring this up is to show you that we have nothing to worry about. Sure Tex has been terrible, but like '96 the team is still winning, which is the most important thing. I've already seen several articles and blog posts around Yankeeland wondering what's wrong with Tex. Well nothing is wrong, he's in a slump, that's all. Tino eventually figured it out, had many very good Octobers, and picked up many big hits and homers along the way. Like Tino, I think Tex will be fine.