Tex & A-Rod the new Manny & Ortiz? Gammons Thinks So
I know, I couldn???t believe it either. Given the fact that Gammon???s all but wears a Sox hat during ESPN telecasts, his comparison that ???these two guys [Tex and A-Rod] are going to be what Manny and Ortiz were for the last six years,??? on last nights Baseball Tonight was high praise.
And here???s the best part for Yankee fans, it???s not unrealistic. The Yankees have not had a lefty-righty combination of this magnitude since perhaps Mattingly and Winfield, although Paul O???Neill and Bernie Williams are most definitely also in that discussion, Teixeira and A-Rod will hit for significantly more power.
The combination of average, power, and plate discipline between the two is going to drive pitchers crazy, and opposing mangers even crazier trying to conjure a way to pitch though the heart of the order late in games.
We???ve seen the impact already that one can have on the other, as Teixeira has turned into a monster since A-Rod???s return. Much has been made about the ???A-Rod Impact??? on Tex???who is hitting .341 with six homers and 17 RBI???s since the return of the slugger on May 8th???but the impact Teixeira will have on A-Rod has been severely understated, if talked of at all.
The previous occupant of the three-hole in the Yankee lineup was Bobby Abreu, who despite hasving good numbers, was always more content to take a walk abd pass the baton (and pressure) on to A-Rod.
Alex now has an equally patient hitter in front of him, yet a much more aggressive hitter as well. Teixeira want???s the big hit, as you can tell with his O???Neill-like slamming of the helmet when he didn???t a few weeks ago.
With Tex hot, being a switch-hitter will forece manager to spend a lot of energy figuring a way to get him out. Do you bring in a righty, or turn him around to the left side because the short porch in right scares you?
And oh yeah, A-Rod is waiting on deck, whatever decision you make on Teixeira will undoubtedly effect what A-Rod is going to do to you.
So while David O-for-Ortiz and Manny ???Is that a baby bump???? Ramirez seem like a distant memory in the American League East, much to the dismay of managers everywhere, a new one-two punch is looming in the Bronx.
Batter up.