RUNNING ON M.T.
Teixeira’s initial thoughts on ex-mate Tanaka’s struggles
It’s a different Mark Teixeira now. The first baseman was one of the most vanilla quotes in the Yankees clubhouse, but since retiring and joining ESPN, he’s had to sharpen his critical eye while avoiding the hot takes that have become commonplace in the media.
“I call it how I see it,” Teixeira said. “I’ll tell you exactly what I feel. I figured out really quickly that there’s a difference between calling what you see and personal attacks. Players never got upset at a reporter or analyst for calling it as is, but when you start with personal attacks and start questioning a guy’s work ethic or character, that’s something that players don’t like.”
And right now Teixeira sees what most of us do: a struggling Masahiro Tanaka. Teixeira said he believes starting pitching ultimately will determine who will win the developing heated AL East race between the Yankees, Red Sox and Orioles. And Tanaka, who is 0-5 with a 10.72 ERA in his past five starts, could be the Yankees’ make-or-break factor in that equation.
“I am concerned. I am not in panic mode, but you have to figure out what’s going on,” Teixeira, who retired after last season, said of his former teammate.
“There is a slump and there’s a time when you’re not pitching well at all and I am not sure where he is. … The biggest thing that I see from him is that his fastball command isn’t there, his fastball life isn’t there. You have to rely on your splitter and your slider so much that hitters are sitting back on those pitches, and even then they can still hit the fastball. I wouldn’t worry about velocity more than I would [about] location and making sure it has some movement on it and hitting your spots to keep hitters honest.”
Before the season, it was believed the Yankees’ only chance of survival was if Tanaka anchored a rotation that otherwise was filled with liabilities. Instead, where Tanaka has struggled, the rest of the rotation has thrived. Michael Pineda finally has found some consistency, CC Sabathia is in the Andy Pettitte zone and Jor- dan Montgomery has turned an impressive spring training into a locked-in spot in the rotation. But the most pleasant and most dominant surprise has been Luis Severino, who was so abysmal as a starter last season.
“The biggest thing from Severino is he is now throwing a slider with some depth where last year his slider and fastball were very similar pitches and that’s why I think he was getting hit,” Teixeira said of Severino, who will pitch Saturday against Baltimore. “Now, he’s throwing 98 mph with the slider with some depth and that’s very uncomfortable for a hitter.”
The position Teixeira vacated also has been one of the few Yankees weak spots. Greg Bird was woeful to start the season before a lingering ankle issue — which could be at least partly to blame for his struggles — sent him to the disabled list. Chris Carter has been the all-or-nothing hitter he’s been in previous seasons, and thus Bird’s near return is still highly anticipated.
Teixeira, who is loving the retirement life of ESPN, golf and running his Atlantabased real estate company, still texts with Bird and is optimistic he can match the lofty expectations thrust on him.
“It was definitely all going back to the ankle, and him not being able to use his legs,” Teixeira said of Bird’s 6-for-60 start.
“Once your timing gets off just a little bit in baseball, it can go downhill really quick. People take for granted that you are going to be able to square up the ball, but if you’re off just a little bit it’s the difference between a home run and a pop-up, a line drive and a ground ball. Hopefully, Birdy, when he comes back healthy, will get that sweet swing back.“