Mark Teixeira MVP & Next Yankee Captain!!!

Two dates you should remember when the story of how Mark Teixeira won the MVP in the 2009 season. Date 1 is December 23, 2008, when the Yankees secured Teixeira to an 8 year $180M contract. Date 2, was the return of a certain Yankee teammate. In June I text messaged my Co-host Joe Sarno that Mark Teixeira would win the AL MVP.

It came to me as an epiphany on a Saturday game vs Tampa as Mark Teixeira went 2-5, with a HR & 3 RBI's. Nothing really stood out about that game, like most things Teixeira does & has done his whole baseball career. It was just the way he carried himself & has carried himself. His slow start this year was no surprise as he always a subpar start to the season. Now there isn't much of a doubt he should win AL MVP, but Teixeira is going to cement himself in Yankee history.

Take a good look, because you are looking at the next Yankee captain. Teixeira, who is a carbon copy of Derek Jeter, is worth every dime he's getting. He's a productive switch hitting middle of the line-up Gold Glover. Teixeira's real value though, comes with how he plays, much like Jeter (with a much higher skill setting physically), he leads by example, hustles, & plays hard as he showed running out the Castillo dropped pop out scoring all the way from first base. Stays cool under pressure, humble, he cares about winning, & is a leader who's prepared to carry the team weight when needed. He stays out of the media spotlight. He's that rare player that can change the fortune of a franchise (not that the Yankees needed a fortune change) & carry a legacy with him. 1 player makes a huge difference & if you disagree, imagine if Teixeira had signed to be a Red Sox?

I said it in December & I'll say it again, the Yankees iced the East division upon signing Mark Teixeira & have probably done so for the next 5 years. None of the other signings mattered. In Mark Teixeira, the Yankees not only signed the most attractive free agent in the 2008 class, they re-invested into their legacy. That another player would carry Yankee Greatness to the next generation of players. He's the next name you will associate with "The Pinstripes" after Derek retires. While teams can easily put a price on players, you can never put a price tag on a Signature Player & that's what Mark is.