To fight shift, Teixeira plans to bunt
Mark Teixeira of the Yankees follows through on his game winning ninth inning RBI single against the Blue Jays. The Yankees won the game 5-4. (May 24, 2011) Credit: Jim McIsaac
To combat the shift that frustrated him almost all of last season, Mark Teixeira said Tuesday night he planned to bunt more.
Yes, the Yankees' slugging first baseman said bunt.
"I've been so against it my entire career," Teixeira said before being honored at the 32nd Thurman Munson awards dinner, which benefits AHRC-New York City Foundation, in Manhattan. "If I can beat the shift that way, that's important."
Teixeira said he discussed it earlier this offseason with hitting coach Kevin Long, and they plan to work on it during spring training. When and if he does drop one in a game, it would be the first time Teixeira did so since, he said, his freshman year in high school.
"I actually beat it out," he said. "It's been a while."
Teixeira hit .248, with a .341 on-base percentage, 39 homers and 111 RBIs in 2011, hardly a lousy season. But the switch hitter's splits were striking: .224 with a .325 OBP lefthanded and .302 with a .380 OBP righthanded.
Teixeira said part of his problem was the layout of Yankee Stadium. "That rightfield porch is just so enticing," he said.
Although the idea isn't for Teixeira to become Ichiro when it comes to bunting, he figures it can't hurt to give the opposition something else to think about.
"I'm not going to complain about hitting 39 home runs," he said. "But I'd love to bring my average up and it's very simple -- it's lefthanded singles. And if I can lay down a few bunts, beat the shift a little bit more the other way, then I'm right where I need to be."
But, realistically, what kind of a bunter can he be?
"We'll see," he said. "That's what spring training's for. There's 30 games in spring training, I'll probably play 20 of them. Maybe I'll lay down 20 bunts in spring and see what happens."
He smiled. "If I'm 1-for-20, I might have to go back to the drawing board."
Yanks add former Cubs GM. The Yankees hired former Cubs general manager Jim Hendry as a special assignment scout. The team also announced it had promoted Steve Donahue to head athletic trainer, replacing Gene Monahan, who retired after 39 seasons. Also promoted were assistant GM Jean Afterman, who added the title of senior vice president; Billy Eppler, from senior director of professional personnel to assistant GM, and pro scouting assistant Will Kuntz, to the team's manager of pro scouting.
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