Mark Teixeira: Middle Of The Lineup Enigma

(Something tells me that AB didn't go well.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

Mark Teixeira is an interesting topic of discussion for me.  I've loved the guy at times, and I've hated the guy at times.  I've preached patience with him, and I've called him out for his lack of production this season.  A few weeks ago, Mike Axisa of RAB commented on the adjustment Teix made in his approach in mid-May during his 3-game rest to finally rid himself of his vocal cord ailment, scrapping the more-balanced swing approach he entered the season with and returning to his pull-happy ways, and the results generated by the adjustment.  At the time of Mike's post, it appeared that Teix was swinging the bat well, but when you look at the big picture, Teix's overall performance this season is down from what we can all agree was a subpar 2011.  Something's not adding up here.

Reviewing My 5 Most Important Yankees

(This guy looks like he knows his shit, right?  Courtesy of my own awesomeness)

Back in April I tried to think outside the box a bit and pick who I thought were going to be the 5 most important players in determining the Yankees' success in 2012 not named Cano, Teixeira, Sabathia, and Rivera.  Some people understood what I was trying to do, some didn't.  With the All Star Game over and definitely not worth recapping, and regular season games not scheduled to start up again for another 2 days, I thought I'd take a quick look back and see how my picks are doing.  After my prognostication skills took a hit at the hands of Robbie in the HR Derby on Monday, I need something to restore my legitimacy (and repair my ever-fragile ego).  So let's take a look, huh?