Mark Teixeira has been a good Yankee

He hasn't been the most beloved Yankee. His number won't be retired. Hell, he won't even get a plaque in Monument Park. But he's one of the most under-appreciated Yankees in recent memory, in my opinion. Off the field, he's been a model citizen - everything you can ask for in a professional athlete. On the field, when healthy, he's been a force at first base. If Teixeira can duplicate last season's success, or even pass it, you can make a case that his contract has been worth every penny. Think about it. He's a switch-hitting, middle-of-the-order, gold-glove-caliber first baseman. Oh, and he's a world champion. Not too shabby. Let's talk about the defense for a sec. If this is Tex's last year in the Bronx, the Yankees and their fans are going to miss his glove-work at first base tremendously. I know Greg Bird is waiting in the wings (no pun intended), but he is NOT Mark Teixeira. Not a lot of people are. Tex might be the all-time leader in errors saved. The plays he makes don't show up in the box score, but they're usually game changers. How many times have you watched a game and seen Tex, with his foot still on the bag, outstretched to catch an errant throw. Or how many times have you seen him dig a ball out of the dirt? I know Chase Headley committed 23 errors last year, but it would have been more if not for Teixeira . As a Yankee, Tex has a .997 fld pct, which matches his career total. If Teixeira didn't suffer that devastating wrist injury prior to the 2013 season, I think people would be looking at his Yankee tenure a lot differently. During his first four years in pinstripes from 2009-2012, he slashed .263/.357/.506 and averaged 34 homers and 106 RBI per season. He added three Gold Gloves as well. The injury essentially cost him two seasons before he fully rebounded last year. He was on his way towards matching those run production averages before the broken leg. Has Teixeira declined as a player? Yeah, but that's expected. Has his average dropped off precipitously? Yes, but it's a combination of old age and the new era we're in with shifts. The difference between being a .300 hitter and a .250-.260 hitter comes down to a couple of hits per week. Ironically, Teixeira recently moved past Tino Martinez and into 17th place on the all-time Yankees home run list with 193. He's four homers away from 400 for his career, and 39 from 1,300, milestones he should reach in 2016. Teixeira's carved out a nice career for himself, playing the majority of it in the Bronx. He's been a good clubhouse guy, and seems like one of the nicest people you'd ever meet. He recently spoke of his desire to remain a Yankee after his contract is up. From LoHud: “This is the whole package,” the veteran first baseman said. “The Yankees are the whole package. Once you play for the Yankees, you’ve kind of reached the pinnacle of Major League Baseball. It’s just tough to see myself in another uniform.” He later added “I’ve loved playing here. I’ve loved every minute of it. We’ll worry about that after the season, though.” There's a chance he could come back for 2017, especially if Bird isn't ready and recovered enough from shoulder surgery to take over the every day job. If this is Tex's last year in the Bronx, though, I hope the fans realize that he's been a good Yankee. Players like him just don't grow on trees.