Yankees' Mark Teixeira deserves future Hall of Fame consideration ... - NJ.com

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NEW YORK — As Mark Teixeira began the process of saying goodbye to the game of baseball on Friday, he was asked a question so many athletes have been over the years: What do you want your legacy to be?

As expected, Teixeira gave the stock baseball answers (durable, reliable, good hitter and defender) and mentioned the important, non-baseball answers (active in the community, caring about kids). But what about the legacy that's out of Teixeira's hands, like, say, future enshrinement in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown?

Yes, Mark Teixeira: Hall of Famer.

While far from a lock or certainty, there's a legitimate case to be made for Teixeira's enshrinement into the Hall of Fame one day. Here are a few things voters should eventually consider:

-Teixeira is one of the best all-around first baseman in baseball history.

That's not a typo. While the counting stats (.269 average, 404 home runs, 1,281 RBI) don't scream Hall of Famer—especially compared to other slugging first basemen in history—Teixeira's ability to impact the game as both a slugger and a defensive star was rare among all the greats to play the position. How rare? Teixeira is the only first baseman in history with 400 home runs, 400 doubles and at least five Gold Glove awards.

Add in walks, runs batted in and slugging percentage and you have a first baseman that's among the best ever.

Mark Teixeira is only 1B *ever* with 400+ HR, 1200+ RBI, 900+ BB, .500+ SLG, 5+ Gold Gloves, per Lee Sinins of @MLBNetwork Research. @MLB

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) August 5, 2016

Think about that for a minute. From Lou Gehrig to Albert Pujols to Eddie Murray, no one else in history brought Teixeira's combination of power and defense to the position.

-In his prime, Teixeira was among the handful of best players in the sport.

We often fall into the trap (as evidenced by the paragraph above) of comparing players across generations. While serving as an interesting jumping off point for positional breakdowns, the Hall of Fame should be more about dominating the era and players of the era that a candidate happened to play in. This is where Teixeira stands out more than you might think. From 2003-2012—Teixeira's first 10 years in the big leagues—he ranked sixth among all position players in WAR.

Tex worth the money?

The only players higher: Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Adrian Beltre, Chase Utley and Carlos Beltran.

In my mind, five players that belong in the Hall of Fame. At worst, three—Pujols, Beltre and Beltran—are likely ticketed for enshrinement. Performance-enhancing drugs are the only reason Rodriguez wouldn't join them.

Teixeira racked up more WAR (47.8) over that span than Hall of Famers like Jim Rice, Phil Rizzuto and Lou Brock had over their entire careers.

-Judge him against other switch hitters.

During the retirement announcement, Teixeira expressed how proud he was to have been a successful switch hitter during his carer—something few hitters can accomplish at the level he did. When pitted among the best switch hitters ever, Teixeira stands out even more.

When the 36-year-old launched his 400th career home run in San Diego in July, he joined Beltran, Murray, Chipper Jones and Mickey Mantle as the only switch hitters with at least 400 home runs in history.

If—or when—Beltran and Jones are inducted into Cooperstown, Teixeira will be the only member of that exclusive club not in.

With less than 2,000 career hits and the inability to hang on five more years for counting stats like, say, 500 home runs, Teixeira is probably a long shot for eventual induction. But considering his stardom in this era and how rare his game truly was, voters shouldn't dismiss this case when it his the ballot in five years.

Joe Giglio may be reached at jgiglio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoeGiglioSports. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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