Mark Teixeira: You Can Fool New York Yankees Fans, but You Can't Fool Me

Yankee fans are probably rather satisfied with the production they’ve received from their newly acquired All-Star first baseman, but let me shed some light on the why they should be disappointed after shelling out a contract of that magnitude to sign this guy away from other potential bidders.

Sure, Teixeira has belted 15 home runs and knocked in 39 RBI through Wednesday, but there are a few alarming statistics that I feel the need to point out. One in particular that I think makes him fit in wearing that new pin-striped uniform more than the rest…but I’ll get to that later.

The four time Silver Slugger’s batting average has dropped thirty-seven points since 2008, sitting at a quite pedestrian .275 at the moment. Now an average of .275 is not terrible by any means, but when you pay this guy $8,125,000 more than he was making in 2008, you should expect his average to rise thirty-seven points rather than vice-versa.

Speaking of important statistics that have dropped since his arrival in New York:

WPA (Win Probability Added): This stat measures assigns a +/- number to a player based on how he effects his team on play in which he is involved during any given game. Mark Teixeira in 2008 had a 5.87 WPA, a career high for him. This year, that number has decreased to 0.76, by far his lowest total since 2003 which incidentally was the only year in which he hit lower than his current batting average of .275 (.259, 2003).

UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating): His statistical decrease from last season doesn’t stop at the plate. The UZR rating measures how far above or below league average that a particular player is in terms of the ability to get to double play balls, allowing runs via errors, stopping runs via assists and so on and so forth. [Read more...]