Mark Teixeira and 5 Yankees Who Need to Step Up Just to Make the Playoffs

The New York Yankees of 2012 have begun the season performing their finest Jekyll-and-Hyde act.  There have been strings of victories characterized by impressive power displays and fine pitching, and there have been inexplicable runs of losses featuring horrible hitting with runners in scoring position and short disappointing starts by their rotation.

Through it all, the Yankees remain in striking distance of the American League playoffs.

If they are to make the playoffs, however, they will need several players to improve upon their horrible starts to the season.

This article takes a look at who those players are and what they'll need to do to ensure that the Bronx Bombers are once again playing in October.

Mark Teixeira

Mark Teixeira is a notorious slow starter. Over the last three Aprils his batting average has been a dismal .196, and this season is no different as he completed the first month hitting .244. 

What is different about this season is the fact that May has not seen any improvement for Teixeira.  Whereas over the last three Mays, his batting average has improved to .290, 2012 has not offered the same type of jump. In fact, through the first 15 games of this month, Teixeira is hitting .218.

Manager Joe Girardi has yet to move Teixeira from the middle of the order (he has hit either third or fifth all season), but unless "Tex" can turn it around, there will be little choice.

If he does remain in the heart of the lineup, Teixeira will need to step up his production for the New York Yankees to be able to make a run at a playoff spot.

Nick Swisher

Nick Swisher's postseason woes from 2011 (.211 batting average) have seemingly carried over into 2012, as the New York Yankee right fielder is hitting a paltry .220 with runners in scoring position.

A career .254 hitter, Swisher has been the the poster child for consistent run production over his Yankee career, averaging over 85 RBI and 27 HR per season. 

Usually hitting sixth in the Bronx Bombers' lineup, Swisher is expected to provide protection to the heart of the batting order. 

In April, he was doing just that as he hit .284 and drove in 23 runs—placing him near the league leaders in RBI. Unfortunately, May has not been so kind to "Swish" as he missed the first five games of the month with a strained hamstring, and since his return, he has hit .190. 

For the New York Yankee order to be productive throughout the season, the team is going to need more months like April from Swisher.

Russell Martin

2011 was a productive year for New York Yankees catcher Russell Martin. Despite a career worst .237 batting average, he hit 18 HR and drove in 65 runs for the Bombers, providing valuable pop at the end of the lineup.

It would seem that Martin's struggles with his batting average are a continuing trend in the early going of 2012.

As of this article, the catcher is hitting .167 with only three HR and nine RBI through 33 games. It is an alarming drop-off in production at the plate, and it is compounded by the fact that he has struck out 23 times in 118 at-bats (a strikeout every five times at the plate). 

Without his productivity in the lower part of the order, the Yankees lineup becomes much shorter and much easier for opposing pitchers.

Alex Rodriguez

Injuries hampered Alex Rodriguez's season in 2011 as, since the first time since 1997, he drove in less than 100 runs and hit less than 30 HR.

He entered 2012 with renewed spirit and hope but has yet to convert those feelings into success on the field as we head towards the end of May.

Currently, his batting average sits at .279, and he has 14 RBI through 37 games, leaving him on pace for numbers similar to last season's when he finished with 16 HR and 62 RBI. That is not the type of production the New York Yankees are counting on from the man anchoring the heart of the batting order.

If the Yankees are to even sniff October play, they will need "A-Rod" to improve upon his current .176 average with runners in scoring position, and post the 100-plus RBI season that he—and they—know he is capable of.

Hiroki Kuroda

Hiroki Kuroda has become the epitome of the New York Yankees up-and-down season to this point.

In three wins, the 38-year-old former Dodger has a 1.22 ERA and 0.955 WHIP.  In his five losses, Kuroda's ERA is a horrendous 7.27, and his WHIP skyrockets to 1.85. In short, he is either really, really good, or he is really, really bad. There doesn't appear to be a compromise between the two.

Kuroda needs to regain the consistency that he showed with the Dodgers when his ERA never went above 3.86 during the entire 2011 season. 

If he can do that, he will prove that the $10 million contract he signed was worth it, and he will provide the stability in the starting rotation (behind CC Sabathia) that the Yankees so desperately need.

Brett Gardner

Brett Gardner makes this list based not on his performance, but on his absence from the New York Yankees lineup.

When he went on the disabled list in April with elbow and arm issues, Gardner appeared to be having a breakout season. His average of .321 was among the team leaders, and his OBP of .424 meant that opposing pitchers were provided with the added distraction of having the speed demon on the base paths.

It is no wonder that the team has spun its wheels during his absence, as they have gone 14-13 without Gardner at the bottom of the order.

Over the past two seasons Gardner has improved himself to the point of being one of Major League Baseball's best left fielders, and the Yankees have suffered at that position without him. 

Quite simply, the team misses the added dimension of speed around the bases that he provides, as well as the range and talent in the field that others have not been able to replace. Without him playing regularly, it will be a struggle for the Bombers to make the playoffs.