Slow Start Firmly in Rearview Mirror, Teixeira Mounts Bid for MVP

OAKLAND -- Less than five months into his $180 million contract, Mark Teixeira has shown the Yankees the full spectrum of his abilities.

He was awful in April, just as he expected.

He's been outstanding ever since, just as he expected.

Although all of those Yankee haters out there were enjoying the show early in the season, as the player with the biggest contract this side of Alex Rodriguez got booed during a slow start, the story has changed.

Take a look now. Teixeira and the Yankees are soaring.

"He's the best player in here," Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon told FanHouse. "He's a Gold Glove first baseman. He solidifies the No. 3 spot. He hustles, breaks up double plays. He's everything a team would want.

"That's why I think the Yankees are going to win a World Series during his time. I have no doubt about that."

Teixeira is batting .283 with 30 homers and 86 RBI, including .349 with two outs and runners in scoring position.

"He's a machine, a machine," Nick Swisher said. "You might as well just dump gold all over him at first base. As much as he's a great player on the field, he's a great teammate. I think a lot of people need to pay attention to that. People see the numbers and they see the way he plays. They know how good he is. In my mind, there is nobody in the league that can be considered more of an MVP than him."

It's perhaps too early to start the MVP hype machine -- not that that's stopped the New York media -- but Teixeira probably is the leading candidate for the award with a month and a half to go. Joe Mauer may be having a better year, but his team is not likely to go to the playoffs. The Angels' Kendry Morales, who replaced Teixeira in Anaheim, has been a revelation this year, but he's still not a household name.

Yankee fans still won't be totally satisfied with Teixeira if he fails in the postseason, but so far he's done all you'd expect out of someone earning $20 million annually.

And that's not easy. Especially in New York. Especially when you are hitting .198 on Mother's Day.

When Yankee Nation was getting impatient with Teixeira, he maintained an air of confidence.

"He handled it like a man," Damon said. "He blamed himself for some of the losses. He owned up and said he wasn't playing well. He didn't run from anything."

Part of Teixeira's problem was a wrist injury. The other part was that, for whatever reason, he is a chronically slow starter.

Teixeira's career April average is .249, his lowest of any month. He has hit more than four homers in the season's first month only once, when he hit six in 2005.

"That happens to me every year," he said. "If I knew [why', I'd have already [corrected] it. That's just the kind of player I am. I am going to get off to a slow start, but I turn it on, hopefully it makes up for any sort of slow start."

This year was his worst start, though.

"I think he was trying a little too hard at the beginning," catcher Jorge Posada said. "You didn't know what to expect."

Since hitting his low point, a .191 average on May 12, Teixeira has hit .316 with 23 homers and 69 RBI. He has the most homers in the AL during that span.

"He's been great," Posada said. "He's been the guy that has really made the lineup strong, against righties and lefties. Having him at first base has been unbelievable. No question, he's one of the best first basemen in the league."