Now bunting for the New York Yankees, first baseman, number 25, Mark Teixeira.
Frustrated by his dwindling batting average against right handed pitchers, the slugging Yankees’ first baseman recently suggested he may start bunting more in order to thwart the shift that has stolen so many hits from him. For some Yankees’ fans who have grown frustrated by the site of Teixeira grounding out to shallow right, that epiphany will probably be looked upon as a godsend, but is it really in the best interest of the team?
I have to adapt. I’ve been frustrated the last few years, because those balls haven’t been falling in. Finally I’ve kind of given in, and I’m going to hopefully start using that side a little more.” – Mark Teixeira, quoted by MLB.com, January 31, 2012
Like it or not, Mark Teixeira has become much more one-dimensional from the left side of the plate. Playing 81 games with the Yankee Stadium short porch staring you in the face sometimes has that effect. However, Teixeira’s performance as a lefty pull hitter hasn’t really suffered. Although off career highs in 2008 and 2009, the Yankees’ first baseman still managed to hit 0.337 and slug 0.837 when pulling the ball against righties in 2011, allowing him to compile a wOBA of 0.493 in those situations. Again, those rates aren’t as lofty as a few years back, but they are still potent enough to make the Yankees question whether Teixeira should waver from his pull happy approach.
Teixeira’s Offensive Rates as a Left-Handed Pull Hitter
Source: fangraphs.com
Even though the shift may be stealing a few singles from Teixeira when he pulls a ground ball, where it seems to really be beating him is to the opposite field. Despite having the entire left side of the field open when facing right handed pitchers, Teixeira has seen his productivity as an off-field hitter in those situations plummet. Since 2007, when Teixeira’s average and slugging were .333 and .689 as lefty going the other way, the first baseman has gradually declined into an abyss. Last year, Teixeira hit 0.086 and slugged 0.103 when using the opposite field as a left handed hitter, which is as close as you can get to being an automatic out. Also, even though his average on balls hit to center as a lefty rebounded in 2011, his slugging remains well off his career norms, suggesting he has become little more than a singles hitter when going up the middle as a southpaw.
Teixeira’s Offensive Rates as a Left-Handed Off Field Hitter
Source: fangraphs.com
It’s easy to understand why Teixeira has become more pull conscious from the left side. After all, he has had a lot of success launching fly balls into the seats at Yankee Stadium. The mystery, however, is his inability to be even marginally productive when going the other way as a lefty. Ironically, it is that phenomenon, not becoming pull happy, that has led to a decline in Teixeira’s overall offensive numbers. Could it be that Teixeira has responded to the shift by forcing his attempts to use the opposite side? Instead of waiting for the right pitch to drive into the left field gap, perhaps Teixeira is making his mind up before the pitch is even thrown? Or, maybe Teixeira’s focus on pulling the ball has caused him to neglect his opposite field swing mechanics? What ever the reason, it seems clear that before Teixeira tries to use the opposite field more often as a southpaw, he should first figure out why he has had little success doing it over the past two seasons.
Teixeira’s Offensive Rates as a Right-Handed Pull Hitter
Source: fangraphs.com
Although Mark Teixeira has become very singular from the left side, his approach as a right handed hitter remains more varied. In 2011, Teixeira continued to mash as a pull hitter from the right side, but also chipped in with a 0.265 batting average and 0.559 slugging percentage when using the opposite field. In fact, Teixeira’s 0.349 wOBA as a righty going the other way ranked among the best rates of his career. What makes that level of success even more impressive is it represented a big rebound from 2010, when Teixeira’s opposite field performance as a right hander suffered even more than it did from the left side. Although last year’s right-handed struggles going the other way may have been an aberration (or maybe just the result of batted ball classification, considering his relative rates going up the middle), his improvement suggests that Teixeira may be capable of making a similar adjustment as a lefty swinger.
Teixeira’s Offensive Rates as a Right-Handed Off Field Hitter
Source: fangraphs.com
It’s easier said than done, but Mark Teixeira needs to adopt the approach he uses as a right handed hitter when batting from the left side. First and foremost, his objective should be to pull the ball because that’s when he has the most success. Then, if he is able to adjust to pitching patterns, he can once again start lining balls into the left field gap when batting from the left side. However, if Teixeira is unable to re-find his opposite field stroke as a left handed hitter, he would be better advised to pull everything. After all, there’s no point forfeiting the high reward of going for the downs when the alternative pay-off is so low.
When the situation calls for it, an occasional bunt against the shift wouldn’t be a bad idea, but what the Yankees really need is for Mark Teixeira to maximize his potential to do damage each and every at bat. If that means swinging from his heels as a left hander, so be it. With the right mix of patience, such an approach can yield a very intimidating offensive presence, not unlike the first baseman who preceded Teixeira in pinstripes. Considering his defense and overall batting skill from the right side, becoming Jason Giambi when batting as a lefty not only wouldn’t be a bad thing, it might actually lead to a renaissance in Teixeira’s career.
Interesting. Jason Giambi also saw a decrease in his BA as the shift seemed to be used on him more frequently after he joined the Yankees, although he never seemed to try and adapt to hitting the other way, instead deciding to hit through the shift.
Giambi, however, was always pull hitter. Teixeira, on the other hand, seemed less so. I wonder if there’s something in here that the data is not showing, such as how he’s being pitched to, or the types of pitches being thrown to him that is making him less successful in trying to go the other way.
Interesting analysis, but I think you give short shrift to Tex’s recent comments when you write, “When the situation calls for it, an occasional bunt against the shift wouldn’t be a bad idea.” If he goes through with this plan – and I hope he does! -the purpose of Tex’s occasional bunt against the shift would be to defeat the shift and, in so doing, to reduce the instances in which the shift is employed against him. If it works, that would make him a better pull hitter, ipso facto, because the second baseman would no longer be playing him in short right field all the time — perhaps only with two strikes (when there is no longer an expectation of the bunt). And despite the occasional sacrifice of power, I think it would be nice to have Tex on base more often, if only so that the HRs hit by A Rod or Swisher behind him would be two-run jacks instead of solo jacks.
An occasional bunt isn’t going to defeat the shift. At best, it would force teams to stop shifting in obvious bunt situations (e.g., last inning down by multiple runs). Otherwise, I am sure they’d be more than happy to take their chances with Tex being able to lay down a successful bunt instead of facing the consequences when he gets a pitch to pull.
Besides, the bunt is a small part of the equation. Tex also mentioned he is going to try to use the opposite field. If he does take that approach, he’ll need to significantly improve on his performance because the opportunity cost of not pulling has increased significantly.
It may not, and probably is not that simple. I believe I’ve read that Teixeira has increased his percentage of fly-balls from the leftside, but a smaller percentage of his flyballs from the left are leaving the park. Couple that with what appears to be more pop-ups from the left side (I don’t have the data on that and could be wrong), which may indicate he’s altered his swing slightly since coming to the Yankees, perhaps developing more of an upper-cut. That could very much impact how he hits the ball to the opposite field, generating weaker line drives, less power.
If so, this is a good example of where on-field player evaluations and statistical analysis come together. The stats have identified the problem. The coaches now have to work with Teixeira on his swing to correct it.
Easier said than done!
It’s actually the opposite. Tex is pulling more ground balls as a lefty (49.1%), but when he gets it in the air, the ball is leaving the park at one of his highest rates (49% as well).
[…] the right situation, such a strategy could be productive, but for the most part, Teixeira’s locational splits suggest the slugger would better off continuing to swing for the fences as a left handed […]
[…] In the right situation, such a strategy could be productive, but for the most part, Teixeira’s locational splits suggest the slugger would be better off continuing to swing for the fences as a left handed […]
[…] a strategic standpoint, some have suggested that Teixeira’s recent struggles against right handers best supports the decision, especially because Cano has no adverse platoon split. In fact, that […]
[…] the winter, Mark Teixeira talked about re-discovering his opposite field swing after becoming an extreme pull hitter over the last two seasons. According to spring results, the […]
[…] Ironically, by changing his approach at the plate, Teixeira has pulled the ball less as a righty and more often as a lefty, which is exactly the opposite of what he needed/wanted to accomplish. Also, even though he has actually improved significantly when hitting the ball to the opposite field as a left-handed hitter (albeit in a limited sample), that improvement has more than been wiped out by the precipitous declines in just about every other split. Although an all-field mentality sounds great in theory, putting it into practice is another thing entirety. That’s why I originally questioned whether Teixeira might be “sacrificing too much by going the other way”. […]