All Major League first basemen should have a Christmas card out to Mark Teixeira and Scott Boras today. Because the next time their contracts are up - they all get to point to Mark Teixeira with their pockets out and say "What about him?"
Which got me thinking about your friend and mine, Lance Berkman. His current 6-year, $85 million deal expires - presuming the Astros exercise the club option in 2011 - in 2012. Berkman will be 36.
Mark Teixeira is 28. So I started wondering, since the Yankees just paid double what the Astros pay for Berkman, how the switch-hitting first basemen compare through age 28. Both broke in when they were 23 (Berkman, for only 34 games) - so we'll take their first six full seasons. In Berkman's case we're talking about 2000-2005. In Teixeira's we're obviously taking 2003-2008.
Games
Berkman: 873
Teixeira: 904
At-Bats
Berkman: 3058
Teixeira: 3414
Hits
Berkman: 929
Teixeira: 989
Average
Berkman: .304
Teixeira: .290
Doubles
Berkman: 227
Teixeira: 223
Home Runs
Berkman: 176
Teixeira: 203
RBI
Berkman: 602
Teixeira: 676
Strikeouts
Berkman: 593
Teixeira: 694
SLG
Berkman: .562
Teixeira: .541
OBP
Too hard to determine right now.
Well that's very interesting. Berkman was a three-time All-Star in his first six seasons; Teixeira? One. Top ten in MVP voting? Berkman - three. Teixeira? One. Did the Yankees overpay? Uhhhh....don't they always?
Let's just be happy that Lance will be 36 when he's renegotiating...
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
